The Harbour W.I

THE HARBOUR W.I.

The first two month’s meetings of the Harbour WI for new President Sandie Goman had ups and downs. A definite ‘up’ was the Marshdown Group meeting at St Mary’s church in Hampden Park for a lovely Carol Service [with a choir!] on the 5th December with coffee and mince pies to follow!

Sadly the December 11th meeting started with a minute’s silence to remember Ann Holden who was an active member for many years and also joined in with the Craft and Lunch Clubs. A collection was held for a donation in her memory to St. Wilfred’s Hospice.

The speaker for the afternoon was ‘Dr’ Mick Lynn who gave the members a talk on the ‘Traditions of Christmas – past and present’ and accompanied some unusual carols with his accordion. The Catering Committee supplied a delicious Christmas Tea!

Christmas Lunch at the Hydro was as good as last year. The food was good; the staff excellent and the general atmosphere was festive and fun. [Maybe again next year?]

Unfortunately, President Sandie’s second meeting on January 8th started with the sad announcement of the death of Committee member and former Treasurer Christine Bateman and members stood in silent memory of Christine; a very popular and much loved member.

Helen Prosper was the afternoon speaker. She talked about Healthy Living and how to “Eat Your Way to a New and Healthy You”! Helen spoke about the effect food has on people’s bodies, moods, behaviour and even their brain power! All the members left with the good intentions of eating and drinking more healthily!?!

Sandie has suggested cake instead of biscuits with the tea at meetings, so in the break members enjoyed a variety of very nice cakes made by volunteer members.

The newly reformed Craft Club are meeting in St Barnabus Church hall at 2pm on the 15th of January and the 4th Monday Club meet the following Monday in Simply Italian at 2pm for a cup of coffee and a chat.

January’s Lunch Club is going to Pablos on the 30th January, and the February lunch is at the Pilot in the Meads on the 28th February.

Seats are being booked for ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ in April at the Devonshire Park Theatre.

The February 12th Meeting will be held in the Sovereign Suite of the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club at 2pm, when the speaker will be Trevor Weeks from the Wildlife Rescue Ambulance Service [WRAS]

The Harbour WI membership has reached a maximum for the premises where it is held but visitors are welcome by prior arrangement with Frances Harrap on 01323 472649. Information is also available on our website. www.shra.co.uk/wi

THE HARBOUR W.I.

Another sad announcement for President Sandie Goman at the February meeting of the Harbour WI. when she asked members to remember Andree Lambert who passed away on the 5th February at the age of 91. Andree had been a member for 8 years and will be remembered with affection for her infectious sense of fun and her lovely French accent.

After the announcements and correspondence, the speaker for the afternoon, Trevor Weeks MBE, was introduced by Irene Scoble. Trevor founded the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service Charity in a shed in his garden in 1996 and today they receive 4,000 calls a year! They have 6 vehicles, 130 volunteers and 3 vets as well as the permanent staff of 6. He showed slides and videos of the variety of callouts they get – from swans caught up in fishing line to deer trapped in coffee shops! Badgers, foxes, snakes, dormice [Trevor’s favourites] and even buzzards - no animal is allowed to suffer. If they can help or heal them they do. They are seen by vets in their hospital in Whitesmith until they are well enough to be returned to their own territory. Bats are taken to the Forest Row Bat Hospital and hedgehogs to ‘Prickly Problems’ which is run by Trevor’s partner in her back garden. Jackie Stevens thanked Trevor for his interesting and informative talk – [with lots of oohs and aahs!!] – and he stayed for tea to answer the many questions the members had for him.

After tea [with cake!] Jan Weeks announced that the Christmas Lunch has been booked for the 12th December in the Horizon Suite of the View Hotel; and the Spring Marshdown Meeting is being held on the 3rd May, in the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club, hosted by the Harbour WI.

13 members met for The Craft Club in St Barnabus Church hall at 2pm on the 19th of February to learn how to crochet and meet again on the 19th March to learn ‘Iris Folding’ for greetings cards.

The 4th Monday Club meet the following Monday in Simply Italian at 2pm for a cup of coffee and a chat.

The Lunch Club was at the Pilot in the Meads on the 28th February and is going to the Red Lion at Stone Cross on the 14th March.

Seats have been booked for the matinee of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ on April 4th at the Devonshire Park Theatre preceded with lunch at Pomodoro’s.

The March Meeting will be held in the Sovereign Suite of the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club on the 12th March at 2pm; and the speaker will be George Major talking about the ‘Pearly Kings and Queens of Peckham’.

At the March meeting of the Harbour WI former President, Hiliary Hooper, passed a cheque over to Dr. Warmsley from the Eastbourne District General Hospital. [Photo below] The cheque was for £750 to be donated towards the new Radiotherapy Unit. The money had been collected over the previous year through various fund- raising events including member Jan Field’s Garden Party.

After the correspondence had been read out Jacquie Frost introduced George Major, an 80 year old ‘Pearly King’ from Peckham. [Photos below] George told the members how the Pearly Kings, Queens etc. had originated from the Costermongers or market traders in the 1700s. The leader of the market was called the ‘Coster King’ and they raised money for the poor and needy in the workhouses and orphanages in the square mile of London.

In the mid 1800s an orphan called Henry Cruft became a sweeper in the markets and wanted to help raise money with the costermongers. He saw something glittering on the banks of the Thames when the tide was out and discovered that a Japanese ship had shed its load of pearl buttons to avoid paying the tax on them. There were thousands! …and he gathered them up and made the first ‘Pearly’ suit. He went to market and held his hat out. During his lifetime he was estimated to have raised about £500,000 for the poor, sick and needy. He was killed by a runaway horse and cart in 1929 and 400 Pearly Kings and Queens and families lined the streets as his horse-pulled glass hearse passed. Today there are only 18 ‘Pearlies’ left. George is still raising money with his talks, his photographs and his books. He had some books for sale which soon sold out. He told amusing stories of his time doing National Service and his meetings with Royalty! His son estimated that he and his family had raised over £4 million! When asked how he sewed all 22,000 buttons on his magnificent suit, he replied “With love”.

East Sussex Federation of Women’s Institutes held their Annual Meeting at the Hastings Centre on the 21st March chaired by Gill Nokes from the Harbour WI. A number of the Harbour members attended. The Spring Marshdown Meeting is being held on the 3rd May, in the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club, hosted by the Harbour WI; and Christmas Lunch has been booked for the 12th December in the Horizon Suite of the View Hotel.

The Craft Club met in St Barnabus Church hall, Langney at 2pm on the 19th of March to be shown how to do ‘Iris Folding’ for greetings cards. The 4th Monday Club was held on the following Monday in Simply Italian at 2pm for a cup of coffee and a chat. 17 members of the Lunch Club had lunch in the Red Lion at Stone Cross on the 14th March. Good food and plenty of it! April’s lunch is at Pomodoro’s before the matinee of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ on April 4th at the Devonshire Park Theatre.

The April Meeting will be held in the Sovereign Suite of the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club on the 9th April at 2pm; and the speaker will be Jackie Marsh-Hobbs talking about ‘The Secrets of The Royal Pavilion’.

THE HARBOUR W.I.

Vice President Jackie Stevens chaired the April Meeting due to the President, Sandie Goman having a prior engagement. She presented their most senior member Rosalind Bainbridge with a very pretty bouquet to celebrate her 96th Birthday.

Daphne Chamberlain announced the correspondence and various workshops to be held by the ESFWI. She also told the members that the Resolution going forward to the National meeting is ‘Mental Health Matters’ and is to be voted on at the next meeting.

Jackie Marsh-Hobbs was the very interesting and enthusiastic speaker for the afternoon. She was born in Brighton and has worked as a freelance guide in and around The Royal Pavilion since 2000. Her talk was entitled ‘Secrets of the Brighton Royal Pavilion’ and she gave a fascinating insight into the history of this very unusual building.

It started as a small house rented by King George IV when he was Prince of Wales. He then bought the tiny ‘2 up- 2 down’ house and had it extended to entertain his mistress Mrs Fitzherbert, who was 6 years his senior. They were secretly married in 1785 and the house was extended several times by many famous architects including John Nash. It was finished in 1823 when George was King. The decorations were lavish and costly, mimicking Indian architecture and Chinese interiors even though George himself had never travelled further than Belgium and Germany! His secret marriage was never recognised so he continued keeping Mrs Fitzherbert in Brighton during his 10 year reign and childless marriage. His successors, William IV and Queen Victoria continued using The Royal Pavilion until 1846 – Victoria’s last visit. The council then bought it and it has been used as a hospital, a convalescence home for British soldiers who lost limbs and was opened to the public after the first World War at sixpence a head! It has since been totally refurbished to a very high standard and is a tourist delight! The gardens are used all year round. They are always beautiful, even though there is only one gardener and the rest is done by volunteers!

After tea and cakes Irene Scoble gave her delegate’s report on the Federation meeting in Hastings.

On April 4th the Lunch Club ate Italian food at Pomodoros before 25 of them enjoyed a matinee performance of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ at the Devonshire Park Theatre.

The Craft Club met in St Barnabus Church hall, Langney at 2pm on the 16th April to continue with their greetings cards. The 4th Monday Club was held on the following Monday in Simply Italian at 2pm for a cup of coffee and a chat.

The Spring Marshdown Meeting is being held on the 3rd May, in the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club, hosted by the Harbour WI; and Christmas Lunch has been booked for the 12th December in the Horizon Suite of the View Hotel.

A talk and afternoon tea has been arranged at Lime Cross Nursery on May 23rd and the Lunch Club will meet at King’s Restaurant, Sussex Downs College on 6th June.

The May Meeting will be held in the Sovereign Suite of the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club on the 14th May at 2pm. Liz Tretheway is going to talk about Demelza – the Children’s Hospice and it is also the Resolution meeting. This will be followed by a quiz!

Vice President, Jackie Stevens chaired the May meeting of the Harbour WI, as President Sandie Goman was on holiday. Jackie welcomed everyone including 3 visitors (one from Switzerland!). Membership secretary Frances Harrap then asked the members for a minute’s silence to remember founder member Gloria Rosato, who sadly passed away following a car accident.

Daphne Chamberlain read out the correspondence and Federation events. An e-mail had been received from the Marshdown Group thanking the Harbour WI for their hospitality and warm welcome to the Spring Group Meeting on 3rd May and especially to the catering team for the delicious cakes!

The afternoon continued with a short talk by Liz Tretheway on the work done by Demelza Hospice Care for Children. A donation and collection raised nearly one hundred pounds towards their funds.

The Resolution was next. Jackie read out the proposed resolution which is ‘Mental Health Matters’. The pros and cons were debated and then voted on. All apart from 5 abstentions were in favour of the resolution going forward.

After a break for tea and cake an ‘Alphabet’ Quiz – devised by Irene Scoble - kept the members alert. The scores were all very close with a Tie-break for the winners who all received chocolates!

The Craft Club met at St Barnabus Church on the 21st May with Hilary Lewis showing them how to make very pretty ‘Shambala’ bracelets. Next month they will be starting to make beach themed cushions and door stops.

The Lunch Club met at Lime Cross Nurseries on the 23rd May for a talk and afternoon tea. They are going to King’s Restaurant, Sussex Downs College on the 6th June, to be cooked for and waited on by the students.

There will be no 4th Monday Club as it falls on a Bank holiday.

Christmas Lunch has been booked for the 12th December in the Horizon Suite of the View Hotel.

The June Meeting will be held in the Sovereign Suite of the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club on the 11th June at 2pm. Steve Roberts – an ex-policeman – is giving a talk titled ‘Scams and Fiddles’.

It was a sad start to the June meeting with President Sandie Goman announcing that member Elaine Smith had passed away suddenly on the 15th May. Former President Hiliary Hooper gave her personal tribute to Elaine and to Gloria Rosato who died in the previous month. This was followed by a minutes silence to remember them both. Collections were made for their favourite charities. The correspondence from the Federation was read out by Pat Cuttel in the absence of Secretary Daphne Chamberlain – also a letter from Demelza Hospice thanking the members for their donation at the May meeting. Out of six entries in the South of England Show, the Harbour achieved a third place for Sue Burgess’s lemon drizzle and elderflower cake, commended for Sandie Goman’s crocheted throw and commended for Judy Latter’s watercolour painting. Chairman of the ESFWI, Gill Nokes thanked all those involved with making cakes and helping with the catering and stewarding at the show. Gill also thanked Sandie Goman who is stepping down after 7 years on the committee for the show. Steve Roberts, a former New Scotland Yard detective was the speaker for the afternoon. He told the members that half of all crime now is scams or fraud! He advised everyone to ‘Stop, Think and Check’ before entering in to anything or giving out any personal information; and to remember that fraudsters can gather information from dustbins, rubbish tips and social media such as Facebook. It used to be notes in the milk bottle! Criminals are hard to tell. They are usually good at what they do, so be vigilant and listen to your inner voice was his advice. The Craft Club met at St Barnabus Church on the 18th June to be shown how to use appliqué to embellish items. They will continue with this next month. The Lunch Club went to King’s Restaurant, Sussex Downs College on the 6th June for a delicious three-course lunch prepared and served by the students, and the 4th Monday Club met at Simply Italian for coffee and a chat. Christmas Lunch has been booked for the 12th December in the Horizon Suite of the View Hotel. The July Meeting will be held in the Sovereign Suite of the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club on the 9th July at 2pm, when Gilly Halcrow will give a talk on ‘The History of Shopping’. The Harbour WI membership has reached a maximum for the premises where it is held but visitors are welcome by prior arrangement with Frances Harrap on 01323 472649. Information is also available on our webpage at: www.shra.co.uk/wi THE HARBOUR W.I.

President Sandie Goman welcomed three visitors to the Harbour WI July meeting. Sandie congratulated member Julie Stone for having two of her photos used in next year’s WI Calendar - November and December!

Secretary Daphne Chamberlain then read out various correspondences from the East Sussex Federation and gave details of next years Federation trip to Denman College.

The afternoon’s speaker was introduced by Irene Scoble. There was a change of programme; from ‘A History of Shopping’ to ‘A Lifetime in Aviation’. Unfortunately the booked speaker had to cancel and recommended Peter Griffiths to take her place. He spoke about his 45 years of flying, having started by applying at the age of 16 to train as a pilot with BEA or BOAC. He was not accepted – there were 110,000 applicants! – so he tried the RAF and was offered a scholarship. Having finished the course he reapplied to BOAC, [who by then had merged with BEA], as he preferred the aircraft they were using. He was accepted and flew Boeing 707-436s … the first aircraft to be fitted with Rolls Royce engines. They did not however have GPS and had a periscopic sextant through the roof which had to be checked every 20 minutes! He continued his career working for Cathay Pacific and gained his command in under 5 years. The average time with BOAC was 19-20 years. He at first flew Lockheed 1011 Tristars and then Boeing 747s [Jumbo Jets] to Hong Kong until his retirement. Peter’s ‘Lifetime in Aviation’ was achieved in spite of his fear of heights!

Beryl Foster from Sovereign WI was the link delegate for the National WI Conference in Cardiff and gave the members her detailed and amusing report on the meeting which she attended with Jill Overton.

The Craft Club met at St Barnabus Church on the 16th July to continue with their appliqué. There will no Craft Club next month.

The Lunch Club went to The Smugglers in Pevensey on the 25th July and the 4th Monday Club met at Simply Italian for coffee and a chat. Christmas Lunch has been booked for the 12th December in the Horizon Suite of the View Hotel. Arrangements are also being made for a trip and tour of Brighton Pavilion.

There is no August meeting and the September meeting will be held in the Sovereign Suite of the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club on the 10th September at 2pm, when Kevin Gordon will be talking about ‘Sussex Graves and Gravestones’! There will also be an Autumn sales table.

Three new members joined from the waiting list at the Harbour WI September meeting. They were welcomed by President Sandie Goman along with one visitor.

Secretary Daphne Chamberlain then read out the correspondences from the East Sussex Federation including requests for entries for the Autumn Show [SOE] and thanked the members for all the donations to ACWW - jewellery, foreign coins, stamps etc. These will be handed over at the November meeting.

Irene Scoble introduced the speaker, Kevin Gordon, who gave an informative and amusing talk entitled ‘Sussex Graves and Gravestones’. The retired Transport Policeman took a job as a Mortuary Planner. His research into various undertakers led him to Cribb and Son who had established the largest mortuary in the world after the London bombings. They wanted to start a museum and asked for his help. This led to his fascination with gravestones etc. He showed slides of burial grounds in Sussex and tombs of various shapes and sizes. Only the hearts of the Crusade soldiers were brought home for burial, whereas by Victorian times the size of the tomb depicted how wealthy you were. And where you were buried mattered too. The nearer to the church door the better, so that people prayed for you as they went in. Graveyards are often much higher than the church foundations as more and more coffins are buried on top of each other! The oldest grave he has found is from 1615 in Lewes Cemetery.

The Craft Club met at St Barnabus Church on the 17th September to make felt poppies to sell at the next meeting, with funds going to the local British Legion. They are also continuing to knit or crochet poppies for C&H Fabrics window display.

The September Lunch Club will be at The Moorings on the 26th September.

The 4th Monday Club will meet for a coffee and chat in Simply Italian on the 24th and Christmas Lunch has been booked for the 12th December in the Horizon Suite of the View Hotel.

The next Marshdown Group meeting is at St. Barnabus on the 30th October with actor Tony Harris as Churchill.

THE HARBOUR W.I.

As it was the 11th Birthday Meeting for the Harbour WI, President Sandie Goman welcomed 7 invited guests from other Marshdown WIs and the catering committee supplied a delicious tea of sandwiches, scones and cakes for everyone.

The speaker Dean Caston came all the way from Rainham in Kent to give a talk titled ‘The History of the Royal Variety Show’. He told how the show had its first performance in 1912 for King GeorgeV and Queen Mary; and then after the First World War in 1919 it was performed again to raise funds for the veterans. It has continued with very few breaks since. There have been 88 shows during the last 106 years at 19 different venues, but mostly The London Palladium. Many famous performers have appeared, giving their services for free. Dean named a few of them and showed slides of their various acts. The funds raised these days go to providing most of the money needed for Brinsworth House, a care home for retired entertainers and their dependants.

The Craft Club met at St Barnabus Church on the 15th October to carry on making felt poppies to sell at the next meeting. They have already raised over £100 for the local British Legion. They also discussed future projects and ideas for Christmas decorations and gifts.

The September Lunch Club was at The Moorings on the 26th September and they went to The Castle Cottage Tea Rooms in Pevensey for a lovely Cream Tea on the 17th October. The Kings Restaurant in Sussex Downs College, where the students cook and wait on table under supervision, is booked for November.

The 4th Monday Club met for a coffee and chat in Simply Italian on the 22nd October and Christmas Lunch has been booked for the 12th December in the Horizon Suite of the View Hotel.

The next Marshdown Group meeting is at St. Barnabus Church in Langney on the 30th October with actor Tony Harris as Churchill.

The Annual Meeting of the Harbour WI was held on the 12th November. The whole Committee apart from one member [through ill health] agreed to re-stand and support President Sandie Goman for another year and were duly voted in. The Committee’s Annual Report was read by Irene Scoble in the absence of secretary Daphne Chamberlain; and Sandie gave the President’s Address. Gill Nokes, South East Sussex Federation Chairman agreed the votes for Sandie to become President for another year!

Invited guest Dorothy Porretti from ACWW then spoke about the way the funds raised by Women’s Institutes nationwide are used. ACWW stands for Associated Country Women of the World and is the official charity for WIs . None of the money collected goes to the administration costs. They are covered by the UN. It is all spent on projects. Projects, such as digging wells and supplying pumps in remote villages - so that children [usually girls] do not have to spend most of their days fetching water and can have time to be educated instead. No money is actually given, just ‘the nuts and bolts’ and the projects are aimed at making the lives of women easier and safer. The aims are for Health, Income, Education and Voice. Funds are raised from every WI in various ways but mostly with ‘Pennies for Friendship’. At every meeting, members are encouraged to put their loose change or ‘pennies’ in a bag for the ACWW. WIs across the country have also been recycling jewellery, watches, mobile phones, radios etc. to raise funds. This money is then used to pay for tools and materials to improve the lives of women worldwide.

The Craft Club met at St Barnabus Church on the 19th November where Irene Scoble showed them how to make delightful little Christmas snowmen using white socks! Last month they gave the local British Legion £211.00 raised by selling the poppies they made.

The Marshdown Group meeting at St. Barnabus Church in Langney on the 30th October was very enjoyable. Delicious cakes and very good entertainment, with actor Tony Harris as Winston Churchill. The Marshdown Group meet again on December 4th for a Carol Service and mince pies in St Nicholas Church Pevensey.

November’s Lunch Club was at Kings Restaurant in Sussex Downs College on the 28th November. The students waited on table as well as doing all the cooking. It was a lovely meal as always and the students were all given top marks by the ladies!

Next month The Harbour WI is looking forward to their Christmas Party on 10th December. Ann Chance, always popular, is entertaining members with ‘A Musical Extravaganza’! This is closely followed by Christmas Lunch at the View Hotel on the 12th December.

1 The 4th Monday Club met for a coffee and chat in Simply Italian on the 26th November. There will be no Craft Club or 4th Monday Club in December.

The Harbour WI meets every 2nd Monday in the month at the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club at 2pm in the Sovereign Suite, visitors are welcome by prior arrangement with Frances Harrap on 01323 472649. Information is also available at: www.shra.co.uk/wi

THE HARBOUR W.I.

The festive season started for the Harbour WI with a Christmas Carol service at St. Nicholas Church in Pevensey. Children from a local school acted out the Nativity and sang the accompanying carols This was followed by mince pies then lunch at the Ocean View restaurant in Pevensey Bay.

The December meeting was a party with delicious food supplied by the catering committee amid the lovely decorations in the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club. The entertainment was supplied by Ann Chance who strummed on her guitar and sang as well as telling some quite risqué jokes.

Two days later the Harbour WI went to the View Hotel overlooking the sea for their very nice Christmas Lunch.

Tickets have been reserved for the West End production of Calendar Girls at the Congress Theatre in August.

The Craft Club meet at St Barnabus Church on the 21st January and the Lunch Club are having a coffee morning at the Lansdowne Hotel on the 28th January with the 4th Monday Club meeting at 2pm in Simply Italian in the afternoon for those who want to go.

Next month at the January 14th meeting the speaker will be Neil Kirby, owner of the Langham Hotel with a talk about his life from ‘Park Lane to Royal Parade Eastbourne.’