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Despite a cold evening, Members and guests were given a warm welcome to the February meeting. Barbara Aris, who had a bad eye accident last year, proposed that this year’s charity should be the Eye Unit Appeal Fund for the new Unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. £80,000 is needed to buy a new camera to replace an old one. This will be used for a large variety of eye problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetes and, of course, accidents. The money will provide another 4 consulting rooms and be used to update equipment. The proposal was unanimously carried. Details of a number of forthcoming events were given commencing with the next Monthly Walk which will be on 28th February, meeting at The Crown, Ley Hill at 10.45am for a 3½ mile ramble. Anyone just wishing to lunch at The Crown at approximately 1.15pm is very welcome but please let Barbara Aris know. We all donate £1 which goes towards our charity of the year. Our team has been accepted to take part in the Inter-County Quiz Bucks Round which will be held on the evening of 6th March at Great Missenden Memorial Hall. Di Coombes will be holding a fund raising Coffee Morning at her house at 10.30am on 11th April. There will be a trip to Chenies Manor on 24th April at 2.30pm. Tickets for a tour round the house and gardens are £5.50 each. The Beechwood Group Meeting is being held at Wendover on the evening of 30th April, tickets cost £3. We have again been asked by the David Coulton, Chairman of the Village Society, if we would organise teas and cakes at the Village Fete being held on 10th May. The BFWI has organised a spring day trip to Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury on Thursday, 15th May costing £24. There will be a Charity Ramble and Cream Tea on Sunday 22nd June, meeting at the Village Hall at 2pm. For those wishing to take part but unable to walk, tea will be in the Hall at 4pm. Barbara Aris reported that “Inappropriate Imprisonment of the Severely Mentally Ill” was selected at the Bucks Resolution Meeting. Divia Gudka gave a really interesting talk with a cleansing and makeup demonstration on volunteer, Caroline Delves. It was informative for everyone whether makeup was worn or not as she showed the procedure and gave invaluable suggestions about rejuvenating the skin. Next month’s meeting will be at 8pm on 13th March when Mr Tony Brown will tell us about “The Magic Lantern – A Touch of Glass”. The competition is “An Easter Biscuit”. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - January 2008 President, Jayne Faversham, welcomed everyone to the New Year meeting, especially Sally, the representative from the Hospice of St Frances, which was our charity for last year.
Gillian O’Flynn gave a resume of the “Gold & Glitter” visit made by some Members to the Millennium Dome to see the amazing Tutankhamen Exhibition followed by a magical two hour coach tour of London’s Christmas lights and decorations. A local Charity will be chosen at next month’s meeting so any suggestions should be given then. It is Hyde Heath’s turn to send a delegate to the Annual Meeting in Liverpool on 4th June. If a Member would like to go, please let Margaret Sargeant know as soon as possible. Travel, on 3rd June, is free and the cost of accommodation is share by Institutes. Following on from Anne Crook’s complaint about mixed wards in hospitals, Margaret Sargeant proposed that a Resolution be made at the Buckinghamshire W I Council meeting. The meeting continued with an informative talk given by Valerie Schuch on “Aloe Vera & Healthy Living”. Nine years ago she heard about Aloe Vera through Forever Living Products. We did not realise just how useful the plant is as a remedy for both humans and animals. It is a member of the onion, lily and garlic family. There are nearly 300 different types of Aloe but only 5 are used for medicinal purposes. It seems to be a remarkable plant as it apparently helps the immune system, digestion and skin tissue; is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal and is, therefore, extremely useful for a huge range of problems from nappy rash and cradle cap to wounds, burns and infections. It is also used to make a variety of products such as tooth gel, deodorants, moisturisers and shampoos. The next
meeting will be Thursday, 14th February at 8pm when Divia Gudka will
talk on “You” and give a Make Up Demonstration. The competition will be a
Decorated Wellington Boot. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - November 2007 Maggie Mulberry reported on the Autumn Half-Yearly Council Meeting. Obesity in children and the need to teach families to cook good wholesome meals was discussed. The speaker, James White, gave a fascinating insight into his life as the son of James Herriot, Vet and author. The next meeting will take place at Princes Risborough School. An invitation had been received from St Andrew’s Church to attend the Rededication Service which will be taken by the new Bishop of Oxford, John Pritchard at 6pm on 30th November followed by an Old English Fete and Pig Roast. On Saturday, 1st December cakes were requested for the Hyde Heath Primary School Christmas fete which is from 1.30 – 3.30pm which will precede the St Andrew’s Church Rededication Celebration, following on from the School fete. The Annual Meeting commenced with the Treasurer’s Report and thanks were given to the Financial Examiner. There are now 27 full Members who have enjoyed many good speakers over the past year ranging from a slide show Tour of India, Federation Archives and Reflections on a Career in Diplomacy amongst many. A Representative also visited us from this year’s Charity, the St Francis Hospice, for which we have had a number of fund raising events such as the highly successful Pampered Chef evening, Summer Barbeque and Ramble. Margaret Sargeant attended a day’s discussion on nuclear power and four Members obtained their Hygiene Certificates. A number of Members enjoyed the Beechwood Group Meetings, the last one being hosted by the Hyde Heath Members. Several Members have enjoyed various WI coach trips to a large variety of venues such as Hampton Court Flower Show, a tour round Coventry, Kenilworth Castle and Stratford upon Avon and by cars to the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf Centre at Saunderton Barbara Aris organised monthly walks again this year. The season finished with a short walk around Wendover Woods to enjoy the autumn leaf colour. We have helped with the teas and cakes at the Village Fete and the Biggest Coffee Mornings in the World for MacMillan Nurses. Jayne Faversham addressed the meeting at the end of her first year as President. She thanked all her Committee and other Members for their hard work and help including Pam Ruff, Treasurer, who has prepared the financial statements for the last six years. The existing Committee have agreed to continue for the next year. Anne Crook raised the point that while she was a patient at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, she was upset to find that most wards, including the new wing, are mixed which was not conducive to a speedy recovery. It was proposed that the County Federation and possibly local MP’s be contacted regarding this. The evening concluded with a Quiz on Shakespeare devised by Christine Richfield-Andrews. The next meeting will be the Christmas Party at the Village Hall, to be held from 7pm for 7.30m on 14th December. Tickets costing £7.50 will be available from the Treasurer, Pam Ruff before 30th November. The New Year meeting will be at 8pm on 10th January 2008. Valerie Schuck will give a talk on “Aloe Vera and Healthy Living” and the competition will be “A useless Christmas present!” Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - October 2007 Two guests were welcomed to our October
meeting which began with our President thanking Members for the wonderful tables
of food provided for the Group Meeting held last week in Hyde Heath.
Gillian O’Flynn reported on a super, full day WI coach trip that she and Judith Butt had made to Coventry Cathedral, Kenilworth Castle, Warwick and Stratford upon Avon. Maggie Mulberry and Mary Collins will be attending the Half-Yearly Council meeting on 23rd October, which will be the last to be held at the Civic Centre in Aylesbury. The speaker will be James Wight, son of James Herriot, the famous vet and author. Our forthcoming Christmas party will be on 13th December with tickets costing £7.50. We were introduced to our speaker for the evening who was Mr Dick Bignell, a retired shopkeeper from Weedon, whose interest in nature started as a young man. He gave a slide show and talk about every aspect of The Beauty of Nature ranging from close-up pictures of vine weevil’s, which do so much damage to plants by eating their roots, to flowers throughout the seasons, wonderful sunset cloud formations, fungi, rare wild plants, trees and incredibly detailed hoar frost on apples. Amongst his very varied selection of slides was a wonderfully patterned, large wasps nest. It was most interesting to hear so much detail about the life of the many varieties of insects, plants, animals and nature in general. On Thursday, 8th November at 8pm our Annual Meeting will be held. This will be followed by a Quiz. The competition will be a Christmas Card. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - September 2007 Members were welcomed back after the summer break with a resume of events that had taken place. Chris and Margaret Sargeant were thanked for hosting the summer BBQ on 9th August. A delicious supper was enjoyed and we were lucky to have a pleasant, dry evening. A profit of £149.50 was made for our Charity, the St Francis Hospice. We were grateful to our Treasurer’s Husband, Dennis Ruff, for organising our evening Charity Walk on 3rd September. Nineteen walkers toured round hidden parts of Old Amersham and the Martyrs Monument. A very welcome supper, provided by the Committee, awaited us on our return to the Village Hall. This evening made a profit of £124, also for our Charity. On 17th September two Members will be going with the Bucks Federation coach tour to Coventry Cathedral, Kenilworth Castle and Stratford upon Avon. A reminder was given about the next Beechwood Group Meeting on 3rd October which we are hosting in Hyde Heath. Tickets cost £2 and the speaker will be from Toucan Organic Luxury Chocolate. Our speaker, Mrs Pam Harman, gave a highly entertaining talk about “Odes – a light hearted look at Life”. She illuminated a number of amusing incidents and observations with appropriate odes. Her habit of jotting down verses started in childhood, making notes which she slipped into her Bible. Subjects ranged from childbirth and school knickers to being mistaken for a “Roly-Poly” and dentures and diabetes ! As always, we ended the evening with irresistible refreshments provided this month by Avril and Linda. Our next meeting will be at 8pm on 11th October at the Village Hall when Mr Bignell will talk about “The Beauty of Nature”. The competition will be “A real attractive autumn leaf”. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - July 2007 Our President, Jayne Faversham, announced that flowers and a card signed by all Members present would be sent to Barbara Aris wishing her a speedy recovery after her accident. Many thanks were given to Di Coombes and her Husband, Harold, for hosting an excellent summer lunch, which raised £130 for our funds. Margaret Dunn and Gillian O’Flynn reported on their very enjoyable visit to the Hampton Court Flower Show. Anne Crook reported on the Literary Lunch at Cheddington when Sandra Howard gave a most interesting talk about her career. Details of forthcoming events were given starting with the Summer BBQ which will take place in Chris and Margaret Sargeant’s garden on the evening of 9th August . The cost will be £6.50 in advance. Please provide your own crockery, cutlery and glasses. There will be a raffle and volunteers were requested to help with preparation in the afternoon. The Treasurer’s Husband, Dennis Ruff, has organised our Charity Ramble to meet at 6pm for 6.15pm on 6th September in the Dovecote Car Park, Old Amersham and then return to Hyde Heath Village Hall for supper. The cost will be £6.50, and proceeds will go to St Francis Hospice. We are hosting the next Beechwood Group Meeting on 3rd October. Members should confirm their attendance by 19th September and whether they will provide a sweet or savoury dish for eight people. The cost for this event will be £3. Pam Ruff had displayed a variety of Christmas items for purchase or available from the Webb Ivory catalogue, profits of which will go towards our charity fund raising. Jayne welcomed Sue Norton, who gave a talk about the history of the WI Federation and the Archives, which she looks after and collects. She was very pleased to see that we used our tablecloth and had our banner protected in a glass fronted frame explaining that so many items had deteriorated or been lost because of lack of care. The Federation has organised 100 textiles and 300 other items to go on display at various craft fairs around the country and have produced a photographic brochure, which includes a number of items from Buckinghamshire. The archives date mainly from the 1930’s as an over efficient secretary binned many earlier items when tidying up! Among many interesting facts we learnt that during the Second World War the Women’s Institute in Hyde Heath, along with many others throughout the country, played an important part operating a canning factory for fruit and vegetables which were in danger of going to waste. They also used rosehips, nettles and hawthorns etc which were collected from the hedgerows. From 1940–1945 over 5,300 tons of food was preserved. There are photographs in the Village Hall of the then Queen Elizabeth visiting the village to see the war efforts. A number of fascinating articles were displayed for us to look at. Our next meeting will be at 8pm on 13th September when Mrs Harman will talk about “Odes – a light hearted look at life” and the competition will be “An Odd Ode”. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - June 2007 President, Jayne Faversham, welcomed Margaret Dunn’s Auntie to the June meeting, Audrey Wedge from Chesham WI and also our speaker for the evening, Mr Bird. Mr Carter from Florence Nightingale Hospice thanked us for contributing towards the £319 profit for Lighthouse project by paying for the Quiz Sheets. Jayne read a letter of thanks from Jane Howlett for our help at the Village Fete where the teas provided by the WI made a profit of £468.3lp contributing to an overall profit of £3,000. Di Coombes’ beautiful flower arrangement for the Festival in the Church was much appreciated. The Pampered Chef evening was highly enjoyable and successful raising a total profit of £465.10p. Announcements were made regarding forthcoming events including the “Summer Event” which will be our BBQ in the evening of 9th August (cost £6.50) to be held at Chris and Margaret Sargeant’s house. Also the Charity Ramble on 6th September in the evening will be led by our Treasurer’s Husband, Dennis Ruff, who has again volunteered to choose a route. Two Members will be attending the Literary lunch and another two the Hampton Court Flower Show. Barbara Aris reported that six people went on the last walk around Hawridge and the next walk will be on Thursday, 28th June for a walk starting from the Plant and Harvest Garden Centre at West Wycombe. This will involve a 4 mile walk starting with a steep climb to the Mausoleum then to Bradenham and return to the Garden Centre for lunch. The 26th July walk will be around Dunstable Downs. Barbara announced that she was taking part in a sponsored walk for Breakthrough Breast Cancer on 11th/12th August and would be very grateful for sponsorship. Audrey Wedge told Members about her visit to the AGM at the Royal Albert Hall in June and also gave an invitation from the Chesham WI to a Strawberry Garden Party on 6th July. The WI magazine, which is now available on cassette, is circulated to 200,000 Members so advertising should now be of a higher quality. From 2008 subscriptions will be raised to £27. Audrey reported that the WI campaigns relating to the Milk Debate, Trafficking of Women and Children, and Reduction of Packaging are going well having been raised in Parliament. Mr Bird spoke informatively about “Gardening in the Shade” and suggested a variety of plants for different types of shade. The next meeting will be held at 8pm on 12th July when Sue Norton will talk on “Federation Archives”. The competition will be a “Committee Quiz”. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - May 2007 We are raising funds this year for the St Francis Hospice. Sally Phipps came to tell us about the charity’s work and the new building in Shooters Way, Berkhamsted which was opened at the beginning of the year. Dame Cecily Saunders, a trained nurse and subsequently doctor, started the Hospice 40 years ago when she realised after the Second World War that there were inadequate facilities to give palliative care to patients, i.e. the right pain relief at the right time. Their new eco-friendly home cost £6½ million and will provide bedrooms for 14 people. 9 Bedrooms are presently occupied but more money is needed as it costs £85,000 per year to open a room and provide all the care, therapists (there are two nurses to each patient) and facilities. £3 million per year has to be raised. We were given details about two of this years fund raisers, one will be a Midnight Walk with the Stars on 7th July and also the well known rose grower, Robert Harkness of Hitchin, has raised a beautiful pale pink rose which will be sold in aid of the Hospice. For more information contact www.walkwiththestars.org.uk or phone 01442 869555. Seven Members went to the Annual Council meeting on 19th April in Aylesbury. 103 Institutes were welcomed and listened to an extremely entertaining talk by Ann Widdecombe. Eight Members attended the Beechwood Group meeting in Great Missenden when Mr Watts gave a most interesting talk and slide show of National Trust Properties in Bucks. Another group of Members visited the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf Centre at Saunderton for a tour, talk, demonstration and tea. This is a unique charity that carefully trains selected dogs to alert severely, profoundly or totally deaf people to every day sounds which hearing people may take for granted such as doorbell, telephone, smoke alarm, cooker timer etc. Today’s walk around the Hughenden Manor Estate was delightful and we were very lucky with the weather. The next walk of 4½ miles will be on Friday, 8th June meeting at The Full Moon, Hawridge. There was only one Resolution put forward to debate “This resolution urges H M Government to stop the closure of Community Hospitals, which provide essential services to local people”. This was discussed in detail and carried unanimously. After a delicious tea we had a fun quiz devised by Christine to round off the evening. The next meeting will be on 14th June at 8pm when Mr Bird will give a talk on “Gardening in the Shade” and the competition will be a “Favourite cocktail”. Gillian O'Flynn Hyde Heath Evening WI - April 2007 Jayne Faversham, President, welcomed everyone to the meeting and congratulated Gillian and Margaret on the arrival of their new Grandchildren. Barbara gave £11 to our Charity which was raised from the last walk. The next walk (4 miles) will be on 10th May departing from Hyde Heath Village Hall at 10am to arrive at the car park of Hughenden Manor at 10.30 am. Lunch will be at The Manor or take a picnic. The Manor and the walled garden will be open for those wishing to visit. The Beechwood Group Meeting will be held on 24th April at Great Missenden. It was agreed to join the Friends Club for £15. Volunteers and cakes were requested for serving teas at the Village Fete on 12th May. There will also be a Flower Festival in St Andrews Church on the Common and Di Coombes has kindly volunteered to do a floral arrangement for the WI. A “Pampered Chef” evening will be held in aid of our Charity in the Village Hall on 17th May. There will be a demonstration of a large variety of versatile cookery equipment which will be available to order. All are welcome. Entry is by ticket only at £3 each to be bought in advance from Pam Ruff, Treasurer, telephone 786053. Bring along an unwanted cookery book to be sold for fund raising during the evening. Margaret and Chris Sargeant have very generously offered their garden for the Summer BBQ to be held on 9th August. Chris Sargeant gave an excellent talk and slide show on India and Sri Lanka, which was greatly enjoyed by all Members. The next meeting on “Resolutions” will be on 10th May. A Representative from this year’s chosen Charity, St Francis Hospice, will also speak. The competition is “Another Unusual Object”. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - March 2007 After a vote the St Francis Hospice was chosen as our charity for this year. New suggestions for fund raising activities were asked for. The Walking Group enjoyed a very good lunch at The Cross Keys in January. On a cold but brilliantly sunny day on 1st March the first walk of the year took place round the College Lake Nature Reserve at Bulbourne near Tring. We went armed with binoculars to view a large variety of water birds from the many hides. This is definitely a place to go back to during the different seasons. Forthcoming events were announced commencing with the next walk of approximately 4 miles, which will be on Thursday, 29th March meeting at the Dovecote Car Park in Old Amersham at 11am to walk along the Misbourne Valley followed by lunch at The Eagle. The Beechwood Spring meeting will be held at Great Missenden Memorial Hall on 24th April. Looking further ahead, Hyde Heath will be hosting the Autumn Group Meeting on 3rd October. There will be an outing to the Hearing Dogs Centre at Saunderton on 3rd May. Di Coombes summer lunch in her garden will be at 12 o’clock on Saturday, 30th June. The Bucks Federation are organising a coach trip to RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show on Thursday, 5th July. The Charity Autumn Ramble which will be held on Thursday, 6th September meeting at the Village Hall at 6.30pm and returning for supper. Margaret Dunn has agreed to organise teas for the Village Fete in May. Cakes and volunteers to help on the day will be much appreciated. A large number of Members and visitors attended a fascinating talk and slide show on “The Great Wall of China” given by Alan Jaycock. He has been a member of the Alzheimer’s Society for five years and in 2004 accepted an invitation to raise funds for the Charity by joining a Walk on the Great Wall of China. Mr Jaycock had nine months to train and raised sponsorship of £1,800 which went towards supporting the many dementia types of sufferers and their carers helped by the Charity. A large group from all over Britain left Heathrow on 14th September 2005 for Beijing beginning with a tour round the city and then travelling by coach for 4 hours to start their week long trek of 60 miles. The Wall, which is about 3,500 miles long, was originally built by the then different provinces to keep out invaders, particularly Mongolians in the north. Some areas were in very good condition, although a substantial part of the walk seemed to be along very rough, tumble down parts, but all with magnificent views of the remote areas. We were able to enjoy the challenging walk through Mr Jaycock’s excellent slides. The next meeting will be on 12th April at 8pm when Chris Sargeant will give a Talk and Slide Show on India. The competition will be a favourite Indian recipe (written). Gillian O'Flynn Hyde Heath Evening WI - February 2007
This Report is short as the author was unable to get to the February meeting,
which was unfortunately on the only day of thick snow this winter - so far!
However, 12 Members who lived nearby were able to walk to the Village Hall for
a most interesting talk on "Reflections on a Career in Diplomacy" given by
Andrew Palmer. They much appreciated his efforts to attend.
Most of the business of the evening was postponed to the next meeting, which
will be on 8th March at 8pm.
Gillian O'Flynn Hyde Heath Evening WI - January 2007 Jayne Faversham, our new President, gave a New Year welcome to all the new Committee and all other Members. A giant cheque for £600 was presented to Angie Pestka, the Co-Ordinator from the Florence Nightingale Children’s Hospice at Home, which was our charity for last year. Chris Sargeant took photographs to record the event for insertion in the Bucks Examiner. Our Christmas party last month was very successful and the musical entertainment was greatly enjoyed by Members and Guests. Maggie Mulberry was the overall monthly competition winner for 2006. Barbara Aris has offered to restart the monthly newsletter, so please let her have a note of any forthcoming events for insertion. Felicity Beynon gave a reminder that the Country Market was restarting on Fridays from 8.30 – 11.30am at the Free Church in Amersham. The Hyde Heath WI Walking Group (and friends) will be lunching at The Cross Keys, Great Missenden on 25th January at 1pm. Mark Davis gave us a most interesting talk entitled "From Parchment to NHS Prescriptions" and detailed the history of pharmacy from 4,000 BC to the present day. Mr Davis was a pharmacist for 40 years having followed his Father, who had a Dispensary in London. His interest started when he helped prepare the recipes for prescriptions as a child! Originally remedies were obtained from a variety of plants using flowers, leaves, stems or roots. Some well-known ones mentioned were Belladonna from the Deadly Nightshade plant, Digitalis from Foxgloves and from Poppies, Opium or Morphine. Leeches are still used for some medical treatments. When a tomb was opened, a parchment prescription was found between the knees of an Egyptian Mummy buried about 2,000 BC. At the beginning of the last Century, 80% of medicines came from pharmacists recipes and 20% were proprietary tablets or capsules, including Aspirin which was launched 110 years ago. By the late 1950’s the reverse was the case with only 20% or less being recipes for tincture extracts or powders. From 1965, instead of taking medicines by mouth three times a day, injections were given. These lasted much longer and, therefore, saved many nursing hours. There have been many developments in medicines over the years, some remedies found by chance such as a high nutrition food developed for astronauts. Pharmaceutical companies can spend £millions on developing, testing and marketing drugs which are not always passed by the strict medical controls. In Australia, the scientists are going back to the roots of herbal medicine and investigating the diets of Aborigines, whose information has been passed down through many centuries. Next Month’s Meeting will be on Thursday, 8th February at 8pm when the talk will be "Reflections on a Career in Diplomacy" and the competition a "Favourite Foreign Souvenir". Gillian O'Flynn Hyde Heath Evening WI - November 2006 The Annual meeting in November was held in the Village School hall. It was a frosty night but well attended. Barbara Aris gave a report on the last two walks around Turville and Fingest in October and the Chartridge area in November, where the leaves were at last showing beautiful autumn colours. They were thoroughly enjoyed by about a dozen members and friends. It was suggested that the walkers meet for lunch in Hyde Heath towards the end of January. Margaret Dunn and Margaret Sargeant attended the half-yearly Counsel Meeting in Aylesbury on 24th October when a Wildlife photographer gave a beautifully illustrated talk on Antarctica. Gillian O’Flynn reported on the Group Meeting held at Cholesbury cum St Leonards. We were entertained by a very talented flower arranger who, whilst describing an exotic holiday cruise, illustrated the different places she had visited with her arrangements. These were given as raffle prizes at the end of the meeting. A very generous supper was also enjoyed. A group of 8 members visited the Wycombe Swan on 8th November for a fascinating evening with Dame Stella Rimington DCB. She was the first woman to become Head of MI5 and had many stories to tell of her working life dealing with covert operations, counter-espionage and subversion and terrorism. The business of the Annual meeting began with Margaret Dunn announcing her retirement after three years in the position of President, together with Jan Newman as Secretary and Jill Ronson as a Member of the Committee. Grateful thanks were given to the retiring Members for all their hard work. Jayne Faversham was elected President and Sue Turner and Christine Richfield-Andrews have joined the other Members of the Committee. Pam Ruff presented the Treasurer’s Report and Financial Statement, which was adopted by the Members present. With his agreement to continue, it was proposed that Bill Hockey be adopted as the independent financial examiner. Jan Newman read her annual report of the many events that had taken place during the year. It was announced that we had in excess of £500 for our charity, the Pepper Foundation who care for sick children and support their families, which we as a very small group should be very proud to have raised so much. The Christmas party will be on 14th December, 7pm for 7.30pm. Tickets £7.50 including a glass of wine. The committee will provide the main course and members the sweets. We will be entertained with an Interlude of Clarinet and Piano. The New Year Meeting will be in the Village Hall at 8pm on 11th January 2007. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - October 2006 Our October meeting commenced with our Speaker, Margaret Deakin, giving us a fascinating talk and slide show about her Images of Morocco. She was a mathematics teacher who in 1996 took early retirement from her post of Head of Sixth Form at a local Girls’ Grammar School. Since then Mrs Deakin has set up Travel Talks, an enterprise which allows her to indulge her passion for travel with her skill as a Lecturer. She has also been engaged in planning new itineraries for a major Tour Operator in London. Coincidentally, she last visited our W I Group on exactly the same date six years ago. Morocco, which is in North Africa and has a long Atlantic and Mediterranean coastline, is a wonderful blend of Arabic, African and European influences. Through Mrs Deakin’s slides we visited the dazzling Imperial Cities of Fez, Mecknes and Rabat with their intricately decorated medieval medinas. The narrow streets had a multitude of very colourful small shops opening onto narrow streets. Marrakech had beautiful gardens and lake and a huge market square filled with stalls selling a large variety of goods. Smells of cooked food and spices filled the air together with the sounds of entertainers including musicians, dancers and snake charmers. The journey continued through the spectacular Atlas Mountains to see the rich-red Kasbah (fortified villages), which blended into the mountainside as they were built of the surrounding soil. When visiting a Berber village, an invitation to stay overnight in one of the tents was declined in favour of the comfort of a hotel! Next on the itinerary was a rather uncomfortable trek on a camel through the date palms followed by a very early rise to witness a deep golden sunrise casting dark shadows over the sand dunes of the Sahara. Mint tea is a very popular and refreshing drink in Morocco. We were fascinated to learn that men do all the sewing for the clothing in their shops. For her talk Mrs Deakin wore a beautiful emerald green traditional costume bought from one of these shops. The meeting continued with a variety of announcements of forthcoming events including the Group Meeting to be held at 7.45pm for 8pm on 25th October at Cholesbury cum St Leonards Village Hall. A Fashion Show to be held also at Cholesbury at 7pm for 7.30pm on 15th November. The next walk will be on 20th October leaving Hyde Heath Village Hall at 9.45am for a walk of 3 miles around Turville and Fingest. The last walk of the season will take place on 9th November starting from The Bell, Chartridge. The walk will be approximately 3¾ miles. Anyone interested should meet at 10.35am, as usual at the Village Hall, to share lifts to Chartridge. The Annual Meeting will take place on 9th November at 8pm at the Village School as the Hall floor is being re-sealed. The competition is a "Decorated Christmas Bauble". Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - September 2006 The first meeting after the summer break was opened by President, Margaret Dunn, who gave a review of a variety of events which took place during that time. On 20th July a group of Members and friends walked for about 5 miles from Rickmansworth Aquadrome, along the Grand Union Canal and returned along the River Gade – perfect on a hot but breezy day. In the evening a visit was made to the beautiful gardens, landscaped by the owners, of "Homelands" in Ellesborough. Another walk took place on 20th August from Butlers Cross around the Chequers Estate. There were some quite steep hills from which were fantastic views of the Vale of Aylesbury. On 17th August, Chris and Margaret Sargeant generously hosted a most enjoyable evening BBQ and were very lucky with the weather. The annual Charity Walk around Hyde Heath took place on the evening of 31st August. Our Treasurer’s Husband, Dennis Ruff, led a group of about 34 Members including visitors from the Cholesbury and Great Missenden Groups. An excellent supper, provided by the Committee, was awaiting the walkers on their return. More than £170 was raised for our Charity. A very successful afternoon tea party was held in the Village Hall on 3rd September for a group of about 28 people and drivers from Contact the Elderly. Letters of thanks for the delicious tea and chat have been received. On 7th September 2 Members joined a Bucks Federation outing on a really fascinating tour of London, a visit to Churchill’s underground War Rooms and the new museum. Details of future events were given including the next walk which will be on 28th September leaving Hyde Heath Village Hall at 10am to arrive at The Lion, Waddesdon at 10.45am. The walk will be 3 ½ miles around the Estate. Members and friends are welcome. The next Group Meeting will be held at Cholesbury St Leonards, 7.45pm for 8pm on 25th October, when there will be a talk on flower arranging. Our speaker was, Mr Carter, who gave a fascinating and detailed talk on The Life and Times of Queen Victoria. Victoria was only 18 years when she became Queen and was the longest living and longest reigning Monarch in history. She was also the first Monarch to take up residence at Buckingham Palace instead of St James Palace. Her marriage to Prince Albert in 1857 was very happy and they had 4 sons and 5 daughters, who married into most of the Royal Houses in Europe. Sadly he died of typhoid in 1861 at the age of only 42. Queen Victoria, in mourning, dressed in black for the rest of her life. During her reign the British Empire covered nearly a quarter of the globe. She died on 22nd January 1901 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and was buried at Windsor. Next month’s meeting will be held in the Village Hall at 8pm on 12th October when Margaret Deakin will give a talk on Images of Morocco. The competition will be a model of Guy Fawkes. Gillian O'Flynn Hyde Heath Evening WI - June 2006 Our President said how much everyone had enjoyed Molly’s Supper on a pleasant early summer evening outside at The Plough, Hyde Heath. The Publican, Chris, produced delicious meals for the 23 Members who attended and very generously gave us a choice of sweets with his compliments. Margaret Dunn thanked everyone for supporting her bring and buy coffee morning when a profit of over £100 was made. £10 was also contributed to our Charity from last month’s walk. A letter had been received from Jayne Howlett on behalf of the Village Hall Committee, thanking all those who had worked so hard and contributed wonderful cakes for the Village Fete teas. A profit of £545 was made, helping to make the final amount for the day to over £4,000. The next walk will be on Thursday, 22nd June meeting at The Mulberry Bush at 6.15pm for a 2 mile walk around Coleshill and return for dinner. There will be a walk on 20th July at Rickmansworth and the walk in September will be on 28th at Waddesdon Manor Estate, details to follow. A number of Members had contributed recipes to be included in a book of “Recipes from a Country Parish”. It is being launched at a special “Food Sampling” evening, featuring dishes from the book, on 23rd June at 8 pm in Little Missenden Village Hall as part of the 2006 Patronal Festival of the Parish of St John the Baptist. A group will be attending to taste some of the prepared recipes with wine, tickets £5, and there will be an opportunity to buy the book at a promotional rate during the evening. On 20th July at 6.30pm there will be a visit to a garden at “Homelands” in Ellesborough costing £2. The Summer BBQ will be at 6.30 pm for 7pm on 17th August at Chris and Margaret Sargeant’s house. Husbands and partners are welcome and tickets will be £6. Please provide your own crockery, cutlery, glasses and drinks. Our speaker this month was Mr Cumming, who regaled us with many amusing stories as an evacuee to The Lee during the Second World War. He was aged seven when the war started. His Father was called up for training while he remained living in Hendon with his Mother and baby Sister. One day a bomb was dropped onto his road, killing many neighbours and demolishing everything in their house except the stairs. His Aunt, who worked for the Stewart Liberty Family, took them in until they moved to a condemned cottage in King’s Ash. It was gradually repaired and they were able to retrieve pieces of their own somewhat damaged furniture from storage. He had a lovely life getting into escapades and playing games after school with his new friends and wandering about the countryside, helping on the farm and trying, at his Father’s suggestion, to grow vegetables. His youngest brother was born during the war at Shardeloes Manor, which was converted to a maternity hospital. It was a fascinating insight into his family’s life and struggles during the war. We have a very interesting programme. Do come and join us. Next month’s meeting will be at 8 pm on 13th July in the Village Hall when the speaker will be Lorna Stephen on “Fifty years on the Fiddle”. The competition will be “Decorated Sunglasses”. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - May 2006 On arrival at this month’s meeting in the School Hall, Members were met with a table display of curious items for the competition “An Unusual Object”. They varied from the small (horse shoe implement) to much larger (an old fighter aeroplane steering column – with buttons for the release of bombs). We had to guess the use of each item and also vote with coins for the best one. More than £5 went into our Charity fund. Our Charity this year is the Florence Nightingale Hospice Respite for Children at Home and Angie Pestka, who is a Paediatric Respite Nurse and the Co-ordinator, came to tell us about the service that she and her team of eleven trained nurses and carers give. They cover a large area between Buckingham, Wendover, Eaton Bray and Wheatley near Oxford. At the present time, 32 children aged between 0 – 18 years are being cared for. If parents wish to care for their sick children at home in preference to hospital, a Respite Nurse can be available for 2 hours, half day, evening or overnight, sometimes 2 or 3 times a week or more infrequently, to look after a child who needs medical attention. This enables the parents to have a break to go out, for example, to the shops, hairdressers, dentists, theatre or take other siblings out. The ailments vary tremendously from problems with premature babies, treating skin disorders, children dependent on ventilators, dialysis and tube feeding. At Angie’s suggestion, they also now offer parents bereavement support. The team are funded by the Friends of Florence Nightingale and do not receive any help from the Government or the Health Authority. They are much in demand as the NHS do not have any outreach teams. They have been giving a very valuable service for twelve years. Announcements of forthcoming events were made, the first being Molly’s Summer Supper which will be held at The Plough, Hyde Heath at 7pm on Monday, 5th June. The Charity Walk on 31st August is being planned by our Treasurer’s Husband, Dennis Ruff. Ten Members went to the Beechwood Group meeting held in Chartridge. They thoroughly enjoyed Graham Laurie’s talk on Roald Dahl’s War and were treated to a delicious tea. Anne Crook and Audrey Begg attended the National Council meeting on 20th April and Members were given a report on this, including details of the 85th celebrations of the W I. £11 was raised by last month’s walk for our Charity. We meet at 10.30 am on Thursday, 25th May in Wharf Road, Wendover for the next walk of 5 miles with lunch at The Red Lion in Wendover. The two National Federation of Women’s Institute Resolutions for 2006 presented by Barbara Aris were “Renewable Energy” and “Sport for a Healthy Population”. Both Resolutions were carried although a lengthy debate took place on the second one with a number of Members being unhappy about the wording and abstaining. The next meeting will take place at 8pm on 8th June at the Village Hall when Mr Coming will talk on “Bullets in the Beech Trees”. The competition will be “Letter to a famous person”. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - April 2006
Jayne Faversham, Christine Richfield Andrews and Avril Sherrat, our team at the recent WI Quiz competiton, did very well coming llth out of 32. Last month 12 walkers had a delightful tour around Drayton Beachamp, visiting the Church en route. Three letters have been signed by Members and sent to MP Cheryl Gillan, the Senior Health Official and the Local Health Authority to emphasise how very disappointed we were about the closure and decline of the Maternity Services locally. On 26th April at 7.45pm the Beechwood Group meeting will be at Chartridge Village Hall when the speaker will be Graham Laurie talking about “Roald Dahl’s War”. Our President, Margaret Dunn, will be holding a fund raising coffee morning at her house at 10 am on 17th May. Di Coombes has volunteered to arrange a display for the Flower Festival in St Andrew’s Church on the day of the Village Fete on 13th May. Very generously Chris and Margaret Sargeant have offered their garden for our summer BBQ on 17th August. The Evening Charity Walk will be on 31st August and on Sunday, 3rd September from 3–6pm our Members will entertain a group from Contact the Elderly in the Village Hall for afternoon tea. Mrs Lindsey gave a talk and slide show of “Livery, Buttons & Heraldry”. As a Research Librarian, she was asked to investigate the history of shields by their owners. It was like a treasure hunt which became an obsession. Now retired Mrs Lindsey enjoys collecting livery buttons (from uniforms) and investigating the origins by interpreting the symbols, crest and coats of arms on them. Although the all Roman legions had eagle standards, shields originated in the 12th Century when quarrelsome Lords, wanting to protect their lands and castles, had private armies. To differentiate between the various groups, simple motifs and colours were used. Early shields were geometric in design. As time went on, all servants and soldiers had uniforms showing the chosen symbol. Eventually more complicated and bold designs were used on the soldiers’ singlets or tabards and on the coats of the horses so that in battle each army was clearly identified. Over the centuries shields became more artistic and ladies were given diamond shaped coats of arms. Heralds were originally itinerants who toured the battlefields to identify who was dead or dying by the uniform. The most senior Herald is the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal of England. Buttons had the same design as the shields with a 1” size for coats and 1/2”for waistcoats. They would be coloured black for mourning. Mrs Lindsey, who is a member of the British Button Society, showed us a selection of her fascinating and historical buttons she had found at antique fairs and shops. This month’s walk was on 20th April with a pleasant 2 mile circuit of Old Amersham and Amersham on the Hill via the Martyrs Monument. Future walking dates are 25th May from Halton at 10.30 am and 22nd June at 6.15 pm from Coleshill. Next month’s meeting to discuss the “Resolutions” will be in the Village School Hall at 8 pm on 11th May. The competition will be An Unusual Object (Guess its use). Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - March 2006 Our President was pleased to announce that several new Members had joined. We are a fairly small and friendly group and anyone wishing to visit us will be made very welcome. Elaine Coleridge-Smith, a Trustee, spoke about the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home Charity which offers specialist nursing care, support and advice for patients with life threatening illnesses in their homes 24 hours a day. They also aim to help the relatives and those carers close to the patient during the illness and bereavement period. A free service is offered to patients and families. They receive just a small percentage of income from the NHS, raising the balance from a wide variety of fund raising activities, including Sgt Pepper Concerts, donations, legacies and private medical insurance. Gifts of time, expertise and skills also contribute to the income they have to raise themselves. Iain Rennie was born in 1944 in Lanarkshire. He was married in 1970 and had two sons. But in 1978 he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Treatment seemed to work but sadly in 1985 Iain’s condition worsened. During the latter stages of his illness he wanted to spend as much time as possible at home with his young family. This was made possible by his GP and a team of five St Francis Hospice trained nurses, who gave their freetime voluntarily. Later Shell International, who Iain had worked for, agreed to pay for the nursing support he had received. Iain’s family believed strongly that the quality of the final 10 weeks of his life was greatly enhanced by his being in his home environment. When a second patient was referred to the group of nurses while they were nursing Iain, they, together with their families and friends, formed a formal committee. A charity was established within four or five weeks of Iain dying and in 1987 it was registered with the UK Charities Commission. The service grew slowly over the next few years, initially using nurses’ homes as offices to start with. Now four teams provide Hospice at Home care for adults, including the Pepper Team who look after children, together with 600 volunteers, in Hertfordshire, South Buckinghamshire and across the Chilterns area . Approximately 6,500 patients have been cared for in their homes in the twenty years since the Charity was started, which is a huge achievement. We were very lucky to have bright sun on a cold day for last month’s walk which raised £13 towards our Charity. The next walk will be on Thursday 30th March setting off from The Crow’s Nest, Tring Hill at 11 am for a fairly level 3 mile walk around Wendover Canal and Wilstone Reservoir. Anyone wishing to come from Hyde Heath should meet at the Village Hall at 10.20 am to share transport. Our next meeting will be on Thursday 12th April when Mrs Lindsey will give a talk on “Livery, Buttons & Heraldry”. The competition is "An Easter Bonnet”. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - February 2006 On a bitterly cold February evening Margaret Dunn, our President, gave a warm welcome to a large number of Members and guests. The Childrens’ Hospice at Home through Florence Nightingale House was voted as the charity for the year. It was decided to support Contact the Elderly by giving an afternoon tea in the village hall one Sunday afternoon in the summer. It was agreed that we will, again, provide and organise teas for the Village Fete which this year will be on 13th May. Our speaker was Mrs Caroline Waterhouse, who came with her portable couch to give a talk and practical demonstration about Reflexology. Caroline has been a speech and language therapist for more than 25 years and since 1990 has worked for SCOPE. For the last 4 or 5 years she has also been working as a complimentary therapist with a practice at her home in the village. She gives, voluntarily, treatment at the Cancer Unit in High Wycombe Hospital. We were given a most absorbing and interesting talk, while our President received soothing treatment and can vouch for how relaxing it was! Feet are probably the most neglected part of our bodies despite the fact that we are using them all the time. They have, amazingly, over 7,200 nerve endings! Leonardo da Vinci referred to them as a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art. It is a very ancient therapy with evidence found that it was used in Egypt, China and India from 5,000 BC! Modern Reflexology was developed from zone therapy in the early 20th century by an ENT consultant in the States. It was refined into working zones of the feet by a physiotherapist and brought to the UK in the 1960’s, where it is now an accepted form of complementary treatment throughout the country. Reflexology works on the principle that all the organs and systems of the body are reflected on the soles and backs of the feet. Stimulating these reflexes with a massage technique using pressure to the reflex points has been observed to benefit many health problems in a natural way. The monthly walks will start this year on Friday, 3rd March meeting in the Water Meadow Car Park, Chesham at 10.30 am. A 2 hour ticket will be needed. The 3 mile walk will be very steep in places but give wonderful views when the top is reached! Friends and partners are very welcome. As usual, each walker is invited to contribute £1 towards our charity. We will finish with lunch in a pub. Advance notice was given of the next walk which will be on Thursday, 30th March. Do join us for next month’s meeting in the Village Hall at 8pm on 9th March when Mrs Asquith will give a talk on the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home. The competition will be “an unusual button”. Members vote for the best entry with small coins, which are also put into the charity fund. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI -
January 2006
The helicopter and pilot were hired as this was more economical. There is always a standby helicopter available where they are based at White Waltham airfield. The area covered by the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust is 3,500 square miles with approximately 2½ million people living in the area. Comfortingly, 90% of the population are within 20 minutes of an air ambulance. The Christmas Party last December was thoroughly enjoyed with a delicious supper provided by the Committee and sweets by the Members. We were also entertained by a fascinating talk on the origins of Christmas traditions with a display of very early cards, recipes and stories. Chris Sargeant, Husband of Member Margaret, gave a most interesting talk and photographic show entitled “Images of South Africa” which featured their tour from Johannesburg, up through the mountains to Lesotho, The Lost City, the theme park at Sun City and then to the Pilansberg Lodge Game Reserve, seeing many places en route including gold mining areas, Zulu dancers and an alligator park. They also visited the township of Soweto, which was built 11 kilometres outside Johannesburg where Nelson Mandela has a bungalow. Margaret visited a day care centre and nursery with many well cared for orphans of AIDS. They then flew to Durban and visited Cape Town, Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned, and finished a wonderful trip at the southernmost tip of South Africa. Next month’s meeting will be at 8 pm on 9th February at the Village Hall . Caroline Waterhouse will give a talk on Reflexology and the subject of the competition is “Food Faces”. Maggie Mulberry was the overall winner of last year’s competitions and was presented with a gift. Margaret Dunn, President, wished everyone a very happy new year and started by welcoming Tim Head of the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust, who was presented with a giant sized cheque for £550. Following a talk given in 2004 by a Member of the TV & CAA, the Members chose the Air Ambulance to be the 2005 Charity and as we were only a small WI group, we were very proud to have raised so much money. We were spurred on when we heard how invaluable the helicopter service was after the terrible bombings on 7th July 2005 . Mr Head told us that donations such as ours were essential as it cost £800,000 a year to run the service. The only government funding provided was from the NHS for medical equipment and two paramedics, who did a month’s duty at a time. The helicopter and pilot were hired as this was more economical. There is always a standby helicopter available where they are based at White Waltham airfield. The area covered by the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust is 3,500 square miles with approximately 2½ million people living in the area. Comfortingly, 90% of the population are within 20 minutes of an air ambulance. The Christmas Party last December was thoroughly enjoyed with a delicious supper provided by the Committee and sweets by the Members. We were also entertained by a fascinating talk on the origins of Christmas traditions with a display of very early cards, recipes and stories. Chris Sargeant, Husband of Member Margaret, gave a most interesting talk and photographic show entitled “Images of South Africa” which featured their tour from Johannesburg, up through the mountains to Lesotho, The Lost City, the theme park at Sun City and then to the Pilansberg Lodge Game Reserve, seeing many places en route including gold mining areas, Zulu dancers and an alligator park. They also visited the township of Soweto, which was built 11 kilometres outside Johannesburg where Nelson Mandela has a bungalow. Margaret visited a day care centre and nursery with many well cared for orphans of AIDS. They then flew to Durban and visited Cape Town, Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned, and finished a wonderful trip at the southernmost tip of South Africa. Next month’s meeting will be at 8 pm on 9th February at the Village Hall . Caroline Waterhouse will give a talk on Reflexology and the subject of the competition is “Food Faces”. Maggie Mulberry was the overall winner of last year’s competitions and was presented with a gift. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - November 2005 Member Beryl Cope and Husband Michael celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary on 5th November and very generously served everyone with a glass of wine to toast the event. Margaret Dunn presented them with a card and a cake from all the Members. Members were asked if they had any favourite recipes, which could be included in the St John the Baptist Patronal Recipe Book being produced for next Spring. These should be given to Secretary, Jan Newman. Jill Ronson and Ann Crook attended an interesting half yearly Council Meeting at the Civic Hall in Aylesbury on 25th October. Sadly, as this is the only venue in the area suitable to hold the Council Meetings, it would probably be the last as the Civic Hall is being demolished to make way for a shopping centre. Barbara Aris sent in a report on the last walk of the year from Chalfont St Giles along the valley to Chalfont St Peter and back, starting with lunch at Merlin’s Cave and returning for a welcome cup of tea. Yet again, we managed to avoid the rain! The walks have boosted this year’s Charity, the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust, with participants contributing £1 each. Mr Michael Boyden, Deputy Area Fundraiser for the Air Ambulance Trust, will be attending our New Year Meeting at 8pm on 12th January to be presented with a cheque from our Group. The business of the Annual Meeting began with Pam Ruff giving the Treasurers Report, which was endorsed. President, Margaret Dunn, gave a Report of this year’s events and achievements and said that, as a small group, we were right to be proud of raising over £500 for the Air Ambulance. Margaret, after another successful twelve months, was elected as President for her third year, as were all but one of the existing Committee. After a delicious tea, Pam Ruff’s Husband Dennis, kindly organised a fun 60’s and 70’s music quiz, which certainly tested the memories of our youth! The Christmas Party will be at 7pm for 7.30pm on 8th December at the Village Hall. The main course will be provided by the Committee and deserts by Members. A Lucky Dip present costing approximately £2 should be brought to put in the sack. Gillian O’Flynn Hyde Heath Evening WI - October 2005 The October meeting began with reports of past events attended by Members, including the Group Meeting in Wendover where we were entertained by a talk about his early life given by Rusty Gough, a dwarf as he likes to be called, who appeared in the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When he was stopped for speeding, the Police were so surprised to see how short he was and intrigued to know how he could drive with extended pedals, they forgot to fine him! A very enjoyable evening Charity Walk around Hyde Heath was attended by about 30 people finishing back at the Village Hall as the sun set, for a welcoming supper provided by the Committee. We were very grateful to Treasurer, Pam Ruff’s Husband, who planned the route. £126.66p was raised towards this year’s Charity, the Air Ambulance. On 13th October, 12 Members and friends plus four dogs, walked around the beautiful area of Sarratt and the Chess Valley. The rain stopped just as we were setting off enabling us to see the views and we had an excellent lunch at The Cock pub in the village. The Publican even catered for the dogs’ lunch of biscuits! Forthcoming events include the half-yearly Council meeting in Aylesbury on Tuesday, 25th October to be attended by two Members. A trip to The Mill at Sonning will be on 12th November to see “Intimate Exchanges” by Alan Ayckbourn. As our speaker this month had to cancel, the Committee organised a Beetle Drive which gave much amusement – and frustration when the dice did not produce the required number – but it was such fun, the Drive continued after a delicious tea. Jayne Faversham was the winner after a throw of the dice. The last walk of the year will be on Wednesday, 26th October meeting at 12 noon for lunch at Merlin’s Cave, Chalfont St Giles. The walk will be 4 miles long to Chalfont St Peter and back, passing Milton’s Cottage museum. As usual, a £1 contribution from each walker will go towards our Charity for this year. The Annual Meeting will be held on 10th November at 8pm in the Village Hall and the competition will be a Christmas Table Decoration.
Hyde Heath Evening WI - September 2005
The first was along the Bledlow Ridge returning for lunch at The Lions, the second one we ventured forth from The Dog and Badger at Medmenham, up and over the steep hill at the back and returning along the River Thames. On both we were very lucky to have good weather, superb views and excellent lunches. Partners and friends are always welcome and as each walker donates £1 towards our Charity, it is an excellent way of raising funds. Also in August, Margaret and Chris Sargeant very generously provided their garden (and kitchen) as the venue for a very successful and convivial evening BBQ. We had almost all our Members attending together with Partners. The garden was filled with chairs and tables where we enjoyed a delicious candlelit meal provided by our Committee and cooked by The Boys (Husbands of Members)! More than £200 was raised for this year’s Charity, the Air Ambulance. Eve Brown has produced a wonderful photographic record of our 2004 Ruby Celebratory year, which is available for Members to peruse. Forthcoming events include the Group Meeting to be held at the Bowls Club in Wendover at 7.30pm on 28th September. The Charity Walk this year will be on Thursday, 15th September departing from Hyde Heath Village Hall at 6.30pm and returning there for supper. Local villager, Annie Hamilton-Pike, gave us a most interesting talk about her colourful family "The Brazils of Amersham". Her Grandmother married William Brazil at the age of 17, they had 10 children in 19 years! Three of her sons, John, George and Ron "The Brazil Boys", started their sausage business in 1918, with £15 profit from selling chickens in London. They used their Mother’s wash-house at 52 High Street, Old Amersham. In 1925 the Brothers bought Wilkins Meadow at the bottom of Station Road (which is now Tesco’s car park) and built their first factory. Many of us remember the cooking smells emitting from the factory! In the 1930’s they were the largest employers in the area providing many social events for their staff and the locality. Eventually in 1958 they bought 1,000 acres of land from the Drakes to produced their own pigs. At the peak of production, 40,000 pork pies and 90,000 steak and kidney pies were produced, some of which were sold in their shop (now Boots) in Amersham on the Hill. The Brazil Boys were very caring and generous to all the family all their lives and left Trusts to assist future generations. There are now 92 members of the extended family. In 1970 Bowyers bought out Brazils, but the family still have a large presence in the area, with Annie’s Father’s Solicitors practice still operating in Old Amersham, ownership of Shardeloes Lake and Town House Farm, Little Missenden and, of course, Annie Hamilton-Pike’s theatrical and operatic productions. The next walk and monthly meeting will both be on 13th October. Walkers should meet in Hyde Heath at 10 am to explore the Sarratt area then lunch in a local hostelry, and at 8pm Members will meet in the Village Hall for a talk on "How to secure the Future of Your Local Community". Gillian O'Flynn Hyde Heath Evening WI - June 2005 Two guests were welcomed to our June meeting by Margaret Dunn, who gave thanks to everyone for the superb cakes and teas provided throughout the afternoon of the Village Fete, giving a record profit of £537 towards the Village Hall. Those who attended the Group Meeting at Ballinger Village Hall last month were treated to a most enjoyable talk by Entertainer's Gary Grant followed by a delicious ploughman’s supper. Last month’s walkers enjoyed superb views around Aldbury and lunch in The Greyhound garden. There will be a bring and buy at Di Coombes charity lunch on 2nd July. A BFWI coffee morning is to be held between 10 am and midday on 6th July at Ridgewell House, Penfold Lane. Entrance will be £1 with a raffle and bring and buy. An Ellesborough garden tour is being arranged for July and the Charity Walk will take place on the evening of 15th September followed by supper in the Village Hall. A trip to the Mill at Sonning Theatre is being planned for November to see Alan Aykborne’s play “Intimate Exchanges” preceded with lunch. Our speaker this month was Mrs Eastgate, who gave us an fascinating talk and demonstration of Tai Chi. A few years ago, when staying at Denman College, she attended classes and found it so therapeutic and relaxing that she has continued to follow the art. Tai Chi is the most famous and widely practised of all the Chinese martial arts, having been in existence in China for many centuries. All the Members were invited to follow Mrs Eastgate in a variety of easier movements with titles such as “cow looks at moon” or “eight fine treasures or pieces of brocade” performed to calming background music of Buddhist chants and Peace music. Tai Chi teaches students to concentrate on correct posture and breathing control. The movements are fluid, graceful and well balanced to promote complete harmony of body and mind, providing relaxation and physical fitness to create a balanced life style. Certainly it had a very calming and quietening affect on all the ladies present and has obvious benefits to anyone with a stressful lifestyle. Our walk of 2½ miles has been postponed to 30th June, meeting at 11 am at the Plough, Cadsden followed by lunch. N ext month's meeting will be held in the Village Hall at 8pm on Thursday, 14th July when the speaker will be Mr Smith telling us about “the Royal Collection of State Coaches”. The competition is three decorated fairy cakes.Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - May 2005 At the annual Village Fete on 15 th May, the WI members will again be providing and serving cakes and teas in the cricket pavilion. Kathryn Spooner offered to make an arrangement on behalf of the WI for the St Andrews Church Festival of Flowers being held on the weekend of the Fete. On the 21st May the flag will be flown on the Village Common to celebrate the BFWI's 85th and the NFWI's 90th Anniversaries. Last month's walk around Speen was a great success raising £1 per walker for this year's charity. The Beechwood Group meeting is being held in Wendover on 20th May when the speaker will be Gary Grant of The Entertainer toy shops. Di Coombes is generously giving another Charity lunch on 2nd July in her garden and on 18th August Margaret Sargeant will be kindly holding a BBQ in her garden for our Summer Activity. Margaret Sargeant and Barbara Aris attended the AGM Briefing Meeting in Aylesbury last month and reported to Members the two Resolutions to be debated. The first was moved by the Devon Federation on "Farm gate Milk Prices". WI members are urged to do all in their power to raise public awareness of the difference between the retail prices of milk and the price paid to the farmer. The second was moved by the NFWI Board of Trustees on "Care of our Environment", calling on WI members to take further action to reduce waste and conserve resources in their own homes and communities; to lobby manufacturers, retailers and decision makers to reduce waste in the production, packaging and transportation of public and consumer goods. After discussions, both Resolutions were carried by the members present, the first unanimously and the second by a majority. Chris Sargeant, the Husband of WI Member, gave us an extremely interesting and informative photographic presentation of camera technique entitled "From Snaps to Pictures". His interest in photography started as a teenager when he used to develop prints in his own dark room at home and is now President of the Chesham Camera Club. Through Chris's own photographs, he demonstrated how a shot could be taken from different angles to improve the finished picture and to convey something about the scene to people who were not there. Barbara Aris has organised the next walk on 26th May meeting at Aldbury at 11 am and finishing with lunch at The Greyhound. The June Walk will be on 16th June ‑ a little early as we hope to find some orchids. Next month's meeting will be held in the Village Hall at 8 pm on June 9th when the talk will be given by Mrs Eastgate on "Tai Chi and Me". The competition is a Fresh Flower Display. Gillian O'Flynn
Hyde Heath Evening WI - April 2005 Since the March meeting in the Village Hall, members have been enjoying a diversity of activities in a variety of venues. Three members took part in Three Counties Quiz, heats which took place in Great Missenden. Competition was tough amongst the thirty two teams assembled on the evening, but members enjoyed this light‑hearted challenge coming about half way up the running order. Fourteen memb |
Although
we only have 28 members, Jayne was particularly pleased to present a giant
cheque for £825 which was accumulated from a variety of fund raising events
held during 2007. Chris Sargeant took photographs of the presentation for
publication. 
The
talk and demonstration given by Alison Jarvis, chocolatier and owner of Toucan
Luxury Organic Chocolates, was a great success with the opportunity for everyone
to taste different types of chocolate - more info at
