Hobnobbing with Royalty

This is the centenary year for the WI movement which means there are many celebrations happening both locally and nationally. This year's Annual General Meeting held at the Royal Albert Hall was attended by the Queen who has been an official member herself for some 72 years. Amongst the 5,000 WI members who attended his event from each and every group in the country was our own president Lorraine Pengilley. She reported back on what a wonderful occasion it was with some inspirational women speakers and how she had a lump in her throat at the end of the day as 5000 committed women joined in unison to sing Jerusalem in such a magnificent setting. Lorraine's full report can be read on the Freeland WI website. Although Lorraine got to see the Queen and other Royals, Marilyn Trigg who went as our representative to the centenary garden party at Buckingham Palace got close enough to Royalty, in this case Camilla ,Duchess of Cornwall to engage in conversation. In spite of it being a rather cold and windy day the WI ladies stoically donned hats and fascinators and left their coats at home to a make this a stylish and memorable garden party. Marilyn told us of her visit and how she delighted in the friendliness , good humour and stoicism of all the attending WI ladies in the face of biting North winds. So in an evening of contrasts we gripped our pens, turned to our tables and it was eyes down for a night of Bingo. It was not taken very seriously but such fun,such fun. We also took time to have a bit of a chat amongst ourselves about what activities and speakers we might like to include in our 2016 program which the committee is currently putting together.