Gloucester Road WI

In November, we prepared for Christmas with a wreath-making workshop. Our committee organised and ran it using locally sourced and mainly compostable materials. The wreaths were on a moss base, allowing them to last throughout the festive season. We encouraged people to bring along fir cones, rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, holly etc that they may have had in their garden, to share or add to their own wreaths. Ribbons were provided but some people brought along their own.

As expected, this was a popular event and the evening had a great buzz to it. Pre-booking was essential as spaces were limited. Visitors were welcome but needed to email in advance to secure a space. The cost to visitors was £15. The event was free to members but booking was required. We confirmed reservation requests by email.

Julie McCalden came to talk to us about her mouth-popping, restaurant-style, Texmex-inspired salsas. Julie used to visit her Dad in the States every summer and ate in a Tex Mex restaurant with an unforgettable salsa, that she’s never found over here. Fast forward to the restaurant closing down, her Dad dying and lockdown hitting and you’ll find the start of her Salsa Story. We heard more about herself and got to sample her excellent salsas for ourselves. In keeping with the Tex Mex theme, we also discovered a bit about tequila and tantalized our taste-buds further, with a couple of tequila tasters.

In July Kari Thomas, a qualified shiatsu practitioner and mum of 3 teens came to talk to us about Shiatsu. Shiatsu is a physical therapy which uses a combination of pressure points, gentle manipulation and stretching to re-energise weak areas and reduce tension in the body. Kari told us about the history of shiatsu and how it can support our physical and mental well-being. She also shared her personal discovery of shiatsu and helped us explore how to listen to our bodies more effectively, to get the maximum benefits from the link between mental and physical health. There was also a live demonstration of shiatsu techniques on a lucky member!

In August, Katie Mack, one of our committee led a walk in the neighbourhood around the WI venue showing us lots of secret ‘greenways’ (footpaths and walkways that take us through green spaces, rather than sticking to roads and pavements) This continued the theme of supporting our mental health – by spending time in nature, and socialising as a community. It was also a real eye-opener to many about how much green space there is all around us – if we simply take the time to look. Or have a super-informative guide, like we did! Thank you, Katie.

In June we were out and about in central Bristol, with a tour from Haunted & Hidden Bristol. We met on Tuesday 13th June, at an earlier time of 7.15pm for a walking tour starting at 7.30pm. We met outside the cathedral on College Green and ended up at Kings Street, for a quick drink and discussion of the evening’s events, such as learning about a door at The Hatchett pub made from human skin!

Bristol’s Haunted and Hidden tour won the 2022 Trip Advisor ‘Certificate of Excellence’ and was voted No.1 on GWR FM’S ‘Top 20 Things to do in Bristol’. John was full of local knowledge, and a good story teller – with quite a few names drops including Paul McCartney who apparently came up with the song Elinor Rigby, while in Bristol. John says Sir Paul, has verified this personally for him!

In May we tried out some new dance moves at a new venue – St Bonaventure’s Parish Hall.   The venue gave us more space to move around and may become our new home.   Lots of us dressed up in our neon leg-warmers and got to test out our Fame dance moves at Mum Dance – a low impact, high sweat, dance fitness class set to school disco smash hits from late 70’s to early 90’s, where nobody cares if you go the wrong way! 

Mum Dance was founded by Hebe, right here in Bristol, and now has classes all over the country, as well as being featured on BBC News and as one of the top 4 dance classes in the in Ok magazine!