Author: crowlasludgvanwi

Did you know that 18 June is World Wide Knit in Public Day?!

To mark the occasion, a knitting day will be held at the Murley Hall on Saturday 18 June from 10am unti 4pm.

There’s no need to book and there’s no admission charge. Just come along and knit!

Help will be available for those who need it, and needles and wool will be on hand for those who want to learn.

There will also be refreshments, arts and crafts on display and for sale and a raffle in aid of ACE (Aiding Conservation through Education).

For more information, contact organiser Janet Pye on janetpye13@gmail.com, or just turn up and join in the knitting fun!

Several members from Crowlas and Ludgvan WI, along with members of Zennor, Connor Downs and St Wenns WIs, spent yesterday learning about bees.

This County event took place at a picturesque smallholding near St Eval on a cool morning and provided a fascinating and informative day learning about bees and beekeeping.

Apiarist Lucy’s passion for her subject was infectious and the morning’s talk enthused the group.

After a picnic lunch in the barn, it had warmed up sufficiently for beekeeping suits to be donned and, armed with a beekeeper’s smoker, everyone set off for the hives. Even the most nervous were brave enough to hold the frames for inspection and identify the queen, workers and drones, and see the nectar and honey on the combs.

With tea and cake to round off the day, the group left with minds buzzing with information and a newfound respect for the world of bees and the beekeeper.

(Thanks to Lisa Elsey for the report)

We couldn’t have chosen a better day for our May Coffee Beans outing! It has definitely been the best weather of the year so far!

A dozen of us met at the lovely Porthminster Beach Cafe for coffee and laughs. I say a dozen, but three of the group went to the Porthminster Hotel by mistake instead and had to be redirected!

We sat on the deck, overlooking the beach and soaked up some sun while we enjoyed our coffee. What a spectacular setting on a spectacular day.

You’ll hear a first-hand account of this year’s Spring Countdown from our delegate, Lis Davies, at the May meeting, but for now here are a few quick notes about what was a really wonderful day!

The theme for the day was the Queen’s birthday, and the Hall for Cornwall was awash with red, white and blue! So many WI members got into the spirit and dressed up appropriately.

In the morning, we heard speakers discuss the two resolutions up for debate and vote this year. Two gentlemen from the Co-op and a representative from Trussell Trust Food Bank spoke on behalf of the ‘Avoid Food Waste’ resolution; and afterwards two women affiliated with the Alzheimer’s Foundation spoke about the ‘Care in Hospitals for People with Dementia’ resolution. They all gave us a lot to think about.

We’ll be hearing our own speakers on these topics at our May meeting, and there will be plenty of time for a good debate.

In the afternoon, it was time for a bit of fun. We heard Lord Lieutenant Colonel Edward Bolitho speak, after which he made a valiant attempt to slice the birthday cake with his sword.

We then all sang ‘Rule Britannia’, led by the wonderful mezzo-soprano Karen Hurn.

Our Federation Board of Trustees really looked the part as they watched on in their patriotic finery.

We were then treated to a talk by keynote speaker Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine and author of The Queen’s Speech. She gave us a glimpse of life inside the royal palaces from a journalist’s viewpoint and some fascinating titbits about the royal family, especially the Queen.

The day was made even better by the display of the three winning Allsop Cup entries, including our own Crowlas & Ludgvan creation which placed third. Not only that, but the winners of this year’s Federation photography competition were displayed – Lisa Elsey and Helen Kestle each won three prizes and Mary Venn won one. So well done, Crowlas & Ludgvan!

Despite some very blustery weather last week, Shirley’s walking group all enjoyed their trek from Sennen Cove to Aire Point following the South West Coastal Path.

They were able to shelter from the wind and eat their first outdoor picnic of the year while admiring the fantastic views.

Click here to see a few more photos of April’s walk.

We had a fantastic afternoon at Julia’s house today!

Julia and Richard provided the delicious grub and drinks (we all marvelled at the pickled walnuts!) and the committee came through with their usual splendid array of desserts.

Our new bunting had its first outing.

But can you spot the mistake here?

The sky was blue, the sun was shining and the views were magnificent.

Though most of us felt it was still a bit chilly to be outdoors. But not Hilary!

Through our £5 per person charge for the lunch and a very successful raffle, we were able to raise some funds for our WI coffers as well as having a thoroughly lovely time.

Huge thanks to Julia and Richard for their generosity and for opening their home to us. And thank you to the committee for all the scrummy desserts, and to everyone who helped by supplying raffle prizes. Teamwork at its best!

Yesterday, Di Curnow’s house was overflowing with bunting in various stages of completion.

Val Puddiphatt organised the day with the aim of producing loads of lovely Crowlas & Ludgvan WI bunting that we can use as decoration whenever we need a stall, table or marquee at an event.

There were ladies cutting, sewing, ironing, pinning and painting everywhere you looked!

The final product is looking absolutely beautiful and I know we’ll all be proud to use our wonderful new bunting as soon as we can.

As the day coincided with the meeting of our Camera Club, a few shutterbugs came along as well. They captured images of our bunting elves hard at work, as well as some of the stunning views from Di’s house.

Click here for more photos.

Two weeks ago, a group of us visited the Bolitho Business Park to visit Poppy Treffry’s workshop, where her quirky, hand-made textiles are created.

Everything that Poppy sells in her shop in St Ives, as well as to her wholesale customers who include Fortnum and Mason, Liberty’s and Betty’s Tearooms in Harrogate, is made here in the UK; the majority of items are manufactured by her team right here in West Cornwall.

We had such a warm welcome at the workshop; Poppy outlined the history of her company and showed us her fabric designs and some of her product range.

Liz, Freya (a former member of Crowlas & Ludgvan WI), Pixie and Sara were hard at work on their Singer Sewing machines – models familiar to us all from our childhoods. The overlocking machine and “Psycho” (the Seiko beast of a machine used for stitching leather) were demonstrated.

While we were there small, zipped bags and badges were being made. Seeing all the different pieces which had to be joined together really made me (a non-sewer) realise just how much work went into producing what appeared (to the uninformed eye) a simple item.

The sun shone, the doors to the workshop were wide open, the team were friendly, patient and informative as they answered our questions over tea and cake. It was altogether a lovely afternoon.

Thank you to Poppy and her team, not just for giving their time so generously, but for providing inspiration for personal craft projects – and gifts! I’m sure that in the coming months many of us will be making our way to her shop in St Ives to buy charming, original, well-made prezzies.

(Thank you to Kathy Merrett for the report and to Ruth Airey for the photos.)

I’m pleased to announce that your Crowlas & Ludgvan WI committee for the coming year will be as follows:

Helen Kestle – President
Alison Latham – Secretary
Di Curnow – Treasurer
Lisa Elsey
Sue Knights
Kathy Merrett
Val Puddiphatt
Jane Twose

Today a group of coverall-clad women from Crowlas & Ludgvan WI could be seen peering under car bonnets at Penwith College.

The group was welcomed by tutor Chris and his assistants Stewart and Tish. First they were taught how to measure tyre treads, and then learnt about legal limits and tyre pressures.

After learning how to open the car bonnet it was fluid levels: coolant, oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid and windscreen wiper fluid. Finally, the group was shown how to check and replace wiper blades.

They all shared a superb cake made by Val and kept their own fluid levels topped up with plenty of coffee.

The tutors were actually on half term but came in in their own time to share their knowledge! So a big thank you to Chris, Stewart and Tish!

We have been offered a second day to cover changing a wheel and replacing bulbs.

Chris is also a scuba diving teacher and has offered us an evening at Redruth School’s heated pool. Stay tuned for further details!

(Thanks to Gail for the words and photos.)