For our April meeting we were lead by Joe Hoare in an uplifting Laughter Yoga session, which involved a blend of playful laughter exercises and gentle breathing techniques designed to improve both mental and physical health. Laughter quickly became contagious, connecting attendees with each other. We really did discover how a little laughter can go a long way, leaving feeling energised and less stressed. What a joyful way to boost wellbeing!
Programme 2025
16 January
Swishing! Start the year in style with a clothes swap – clear out the old and herald in the new.
And a talk on Sustainable Fashion by personal stylist Becky Barnes https://www.beckybarnesstyle.com
20 February
Quiz night
Quiz night with a difference!
19 March
A fascinating, gory and glorious, insight into the life of a Victorian Surgeon with Geoff King
16 April
Tai Chi with Rob McKay https://nextdoor.co.uk/pages/rob-mackay-bristol-england-2
21 May
Mental Health Awareness – Anxiety causes and solutions, including hypnotherapy with Sally Hare https://healingroomsbristol.co.uk/amo-team/sally-hare/
18 June
A talk about Death and how women lead the way with Delia Ryding. https://www.divineceremony.co.uk
16 July, 7:15pm – at Castle Park (please note venue and time change)
Alice in Wonderland themed Treasure Hunt
20 August
Walk around the Neighbourhood
17 September
Line Dancing with Ashley Syms-Rees Dance
22 October
AGM & Sewing Workshop with Tweed & Bird
26 November
Christmas Wreaths. Pre-booking essential.
17 December
Festive Gathering at Bombas Tapas and Cocktails.
Additional charges may apply for extra events or activities.
Programme may be subject to change at short notice
TALK FROM HEAD GARDENER OF TYNTESFIELD
As the evenings get longer and we look to spend more time outside, we are excited to welcome Paul Evans, the Head Gardener of National Trust Tyntesfield, to our May meeting. He will be talking to us about the ‘potted’ history of the garden, what they have discovered over the last 20 years and plans for the future.
Plant and Seed Swap
In addition to our talk, please bring along with you any spare plants, seedlings or seeds for a swap with other members at the meeting.
Tuesday 19th May,
Doors open 7:45pm,
St Bonaventure’s Parish Hall,
Visitors welcome.
We were delighted to welcome Becky Purchas, Declutter Coach and Pro Organiser, from White Space.
Becky shared practical ways to bring calm into our homes.
She also covered her personal journey from the corporate world to registered decluttering and home organisation expert.
There was plenty of time for questions too so people left with simple ideas and gentle approaches to sorting, organising and letting go of things no longer needed, or at least the motivation to tackle that corner we’ve all been meaning to get to.
Community Event
We teamed up with Window Wanderland, to support their theme of ‘Hope’ by creating our unique window design, using our own ideas or provided templates.
We were delighted Lucy Reeves-Khan, the founder of Window Wanderland joined us for this session. Lucy talked about its history and led us in template making, so that we are all ready for this years event.
All materials were included, however
For more information on Window Wanderland go to https://www.windowwanderland.com
Our January meeting was very successful, with a lot of members and visitors alike interested in exploring the world of fermented foods and their benefits for gut health!
Local producers Nadia’s Vineyard (Kombucha) and Muti (Kimchi) joined us for a very engaging live demonstration and tasting.
We learned how Kombucha, a cultured living drink, and Kimchi, a cultured living food, are made—and why they’re so good for your digestion. Both are rich in probiotics, containing beneficial bacteria and yeasts that help support a healthy gut.
For more information go to https://www.eatmuti.com/ and https://naniasvineyard.co.uk/
Programme 2026
Meetings are free to members and we accept visitors with a requested donation of £7.50 cash or contactless.
Programme is subject to change but will be updated regularly on this site. Sign up to our monthly newsletter to receive updates.
20 January
Fermentation Demonstration with https://www.eatmuti.com/and https://naniasvineyard.co.uk/
17 February
Window Wanderland Workshop – come and get ready for our local Window Wonderland weekend.
This is a Community Event. There is a cost of £3 for visitors, £5 for a family group. Resources provided.
17 March
Decluttering Talk
21 April
Laughter Yoga
19 May
A talk from the Head Gardener at Tyntesfield and a plant, seedling and seed swap.
16 June (please note location change; Time TBC)
Sauna and nutrition talk at The Ardagh. Visitors £9.
21 July
Bristol Beer Factory – women in brewing.
18 August (location/time tbc)
Point to Point pub walk. A summer social get together learning interesting facts as we stroll along. This will be off site and a little earlier than usual.
15 September
Life Drawing
20 October
AGM & Egyptology Talk
17 November
Christmas Craft Carousel
16 December*
Festive Gathering
Additional charges may apply for extra events or activities.
Programme may be subject to change at short notice
*In addition to the WI meeting in December there will be a separate Wreath Making Workshop Community Event (not included in membership) to raise money for charity. This will be held in early December.
For December, instead of our usual meeting we booked a table at a favourite local spot.
This was a member only event and all members were welcome to join us on the evening.
Some members joined for a festive drink and fun and others stayed to dine.
There was delicious food, great company and fun conversations. It was an evening filled with laughter.
We also had our Christmas raffle and 3 lucky ladies went home with a fabulous hamper each.
Christmas Wreath making
This fun session was free for members and £28 for visitors (women aged 18+). The price included everything needed to make and take home a beautiful, traditional Christmas wreath. Spaces were limited and needed to be booked in advance.
Everything was included but we encouraged people to bring along fir cones, rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, holly, dried hydrangeas etc that they may have had in their garden, to share or add to their own wreaths. Some ribbons were provided and some people brought along ones they preferred.
Members: All members were welcome to attend but we needed to confirm numbers for material ordering.
Visitors: (women aged 18+) were welcome but needed to pay in advance to secure their place.
Gloucester Road WI 
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