Gloucester Road WI

In May, we were joined by Daisy and her mum, Heather, for a sign language lesson. Daisy is deaf and she and her mum are fluent in sign language which they shared with us by teaching us some of the basics, including key words as well as some interesting facts about language in the deaf communities around us. 

Pete Insole of Know Your Place Bristol, spoke about the Bristol City Council interactive history map, which has been expanding for the last ten years. 

https://maps.bristol.gov.uk/kyp/?edition=

We marked International Women’s Day with a discussion about how we’d marked the day.

Kyra Bond attended the meeting to give an overview of the work of our nominated charity for 2021, Womankind.

Womankind supports women in the Bristol area with professional counselling, group psychotherapy, befriending and a helpline service. Womankind is an established charity run by women for women.

Womankind help hundreds of women every year to improve their mental health and well-being so they can experience a better quality of life.

They recognise that the roots of our difficulties are often linked to personal life histories. They also recognise that the social and political environment in which we live affects our mental health.

It’s not always easy to ask for help but they would encourage you to not suffer in silence as talking to someone about your problems and how you feel can really help.

Womankind will work with you to understand your situation and can help you think things through so you get the support you need.

Belinda Kirk from Explorers Connect joined us at our meeting to talk about skippering the first women to Row Around The UK.

Belinda is the leading voice promoting the benefits of adventure on wellbeing and the founding campaigner of the #AdventureRevolution “I believe adventure is a necessity of the human spirit. The modern world has become too easy, too averse to challenge. This is having a negative effect on our physical and mental health. We need a revolution, to learn how to live adventurously” Her new book Adventure Revolution is coming out with Little, Brown later this year

An Explorer in her own right, Belinda has walked across Nicaragua, searched for camels in China’s Desert of Death, discovered ancient rock paintings in Lesotho, pioneered inclusive expeditions for people with disabilities, lead dozens of youth development expeditions around the world and gained a Guinness World Record for rowing unsupported around Britain.  An expert expedition leade rand Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Belinda has managed remote trips for, amongst others Ray Mears, Chris Ryan & Bear Grylls.

Belinda launched Explorers Connect, a non-profit organisation connecting people to adventures in 2009. Over 10 years she has encouraged over 30,000 ordinary people to discover a world of outdoor challenges and established Britain’s National Night of Adventure #wildnightout2020

Belinda talked about skippering the first women to Row Around The UK. To date no other women have achieved this and only 11 people on the planet. Its now evolved into the toughest rowing race in the world. The theme of her talk was about the importance of risking failure and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Belinda’s new book is now widely available
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventure-Revolution-case-living-boldly/dp/0349428239
https://www.waterstones.com/book/adventure-revolution/belinda-kirk/9780349428239