Crowlas & Ludgvan WI

A stained glass workshop

October 1, 2015November 28, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

This week, 10 of us met at the Murley Hall to learn the basics of stained glass. Under the tutelage of instructor Claire Albert, we each made a beautiful stained glass suncatcher!

Claire had us practice cutting on plain glass first, using a special cutting tool and snippers. We made straight cuts, then curved cuts and then tried to cut following a stencil.

Once we had mastered our cutting techniques, we selected coloured glass and cut shapes from stencils provided by Claire. Some of us went for sun, some stars and some abstract landscapes.

Ruth's sunshine is looking beautiful — Ruth’s sunshine is looking beautiful

It was very tricky cutting the glass so that the pieces fit together perfectly, so we then used a grinder to help with shaping. After that, we wrapped the edges of our pieces of glass with copper tape before starting on the soldering – that’s the exciting bit! Using bits of solder, we joined our pieces together to get our finished products.

It was a fantastic day spent learning something completely new that none of us had ever tried before!

Click here to see more photos of the workshop.

Thanks to Claire for teaching us, and to Val for setting up the day and providing cake and biscuits!

It’s British Food Fortnight!

September 21, 2015November 28, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

It’s no secret that we WI members like our food. So why not celebrate the best of British food and support our local farmers and growers by marking British Food Fortnight (19 September through 4 October)?

Held in the autumn at the same time as harvest festival, British Food Fortnight is the biggest annual, national celebration of British food and drink. It was established in the wake of the Foot and Mouth crisis, in response to the fact that, though there are numerous food initiatives, projects and events taking place across Britain, there was no overall flagship event to bring them to the public’s attention.

Here are some of the things you can do to help celebrate British food:

1. When you are shopping make a special effort to seek out British food. Pause when you select your food from the supermarket aisle. Look at the label. Does it tell you where the food has come from? Does it provide a description of who produced it? And if it is imported, is there a British equivalent in-season? When looking to purchase products, keep an eye out for marks such as the Red Tractor logo (right).

2. Shop at local butchers, greengrocers, farm shops and markets that source locally and will be able to tell you a little about the person who produced the food you are purchasing.

3. Seek out food in season – look for, for example, the English plum, marrow and squashes, which are in-season during British Food Fortnight.

4. Cook a British meal for friends and family. Nothing beats the old favourites like cottage pie or apple crumble, and then sharing them with your loved ones. Consider inviting friends round for a British Food Fortnight Feast or make a special effort to get the family sitting around the table.

5. Pick your own. What is better or healthier than being able to enjoy fresh fruit selected and picked by yourself? Rummage in the hedgerows for blackberries or visit a fruit and vegetable farm and then get pickling, jamming and freezing. Trevaskis Farm currently has gorgeous runner beans, cooking apples and plums.

6. Go to a food festival. This weekend from Friday through Sunday is the Great Cornish Food Festival, on Lemon Quay in Truro. Around 60 producers and 40 chefs and food experts are taking part, with an exhibitor line-up that includes everyone from household Cornish names like Rodda’s and Sharp’s Brewery, to artisan producers such as Fowey Valley Cider and Buttermilk Confectionery. Chef Nathan Outlaw will be hosting the grand finale on Sunday afternoon, following a tantalising programme of masterclasses and demonstrations across two different stages, in company with a host of Cornwall’s top chefs and food experts.

WI Day Celebration

September 20, 2015November 28, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

The WI was formed in 1915 to encourage countrywomen to get involved in growing and preserving food to help to increase the supply of food to the war-torn nation.

Under the auspices of the Agricultural Organisation Society, the first WI in Britain was formed in Llanfair PG, on Anglesey, North Wales, and held its first meeting on 16 Setember 1915.

LLanfair PG Women's Institute — LLanfair PG Women’s Institute

One hundred years later, members of Crowlas & Ludgvan WI, Zennor WI, St Ives WI, Carbis Bay WI and Gulval WI met on Friday to celebrate that remarkable beginning.

A celebratory birthday cake, courtesy of St Ives WI

About 50 women came together to enjoy cream teas, some fun and games and spectacular views over Mount’s Bay.

Colleen, Liz and Pat have a go at boules

We also used the opportunity to raise funds for ShelterBox, a Cornwall-based international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter and vital aid to people affected by disaster worldwide. You’ll be pleased to hear that through our donations and raffle proceeds we raised over £350 for ShelterBox!

A very special thank you goes to Pippa Stiwell (Zennor WI) and her husband John for giving us the run of their beautiful home and garden.

Click here to see more photos of our WI Day celebration.

Super Sneak Preview!

September 18, 2015November 28, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

You’re the first to see the cover of October’s County News. Do you see anyone or anything you recognise?

Bath WI’s Community Garden

September 11, 2015November 28, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

Did you know that Bath Women’s Institute has created a beautiful community garden within the city’s Botanical Gardens in Royal Victoria Park?

The garden is entirely made up of edible plants and flowers. The idea is to inspire people to plant edibles that are not only useful, but beautiful as well.

The garden was featured this evening on BBC’s Gardeners’ World, and you can catch it on BBC iPlayer here. (The segment about the garden starts at 15:35.)

You can read about the garden here.

Our Visit to the Isles of Scilly

September 11, 2015November 28, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

This week, a lucky 13 of us took a day trip to Scilly to meet up with the ladies of St Mary’s WI. What a splendid day it was!

Ruth and Kathy enjoying some sunshine on the Scillonian.

The trip over on the Scillonian was beautifully smooth and we all sunned ourselves on the decks. When we arrived, we were met by Sue and Heather, two members of St Mary’s WI, who greeted us with a welcome sign. We then piled into two minibuses and were given a tour of the island – including the Garrison and Old Town, as well as the chapel hall where St Mary’s holds their WI meetings.

After our whirlwind tour, we were taken to Juliet’s Garden, a fabulous restaurant with enormous terraces overlooking the harbour. There, the rest of the St Mary’s WI members were waiting to meet us. I think there were about 25 of us altogether, all at a lovely long table!

Lunch at Juliet's Garden. — Lunch at Juliet’s Garden.

I can’t put into words how wonderfully warm and friendly they all were. The conversations were noisy and full of laughter and it was as if we’d all known each other for years! Or perhaps that was the wine. 😉

After a delicious meal and more laughs, we set off on foot to return to the ferry. On the way, we stopped on the Strand for ice cream. There aren’t many things nicer than ice cream on a hot summer day, looking out at beautiful sea views!

Karrie, Lis and Hazel enjoying a pre-ferry ice cream.

We cornered a stranger and asked him to take a big group photo!

After saying our goodbyes, we all boarded the ferry – and had a slightly chillier trip home!

What a fantastic day it was. Those of us who went certainly had a day to remember. We are so grateful to Sue, Heather, Peggy and the rest of the St Mary’s ladies for their generosity and kindness. They even put on some late summer sunshine for us! Best of all, I think we all made some really good friends.

Two of the St Mary’s WI members will be in Truro for the Autumn Council Meeting next month, so make sure you say hello!

And now we must put on our thinking caps and come up with a way to repay the ladies when they visit the mainland next year.

Click here to see more pictures of our wonderful day out.

Jane and the Firemen!

August 29, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

After our August meeting, Jane didn’t waste any time in ringing the fire station and getting her smoke detectors installed.

That’s definitely the smile of a satisfied customer!

Have you checked your smoke detectors yet?

Summer Barbecue

August 19, 2015November 28, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

Monday night was all about fun, food and fire safety!

We celebrated summer with our annual barbecue, and what a wonderful celebration it was.

Jane and Di manned the barbecue with great skill.

Before settling in to our lovely meal, we were given a brief talk about barbecue safety from Jordan Snook of Tolvaddon Community Fire Station. Jordan gave us pointers about both gas and charcoal barbecues, as well as on the use of disposable ones on the beach. We then also heard about general fire safety in the home and discovered that our local community fire stations offer free home fire safety checks! If you’re interested in arranging for some strapping firemen to come and make sure you’re safe, click here.

It was then barbecue time!

The Committee prepared a gorgeous spread of burgers, sausages and veggie kebabs, along with all sorts of delicious salads as accompaniments. Afterwards, we were served strawberries, cream and Jane’s marvellous meringues.

Sue can't get enough of those meringues! — Sue can’t get enough of those meringues!

We were so lucky that it was a beautiful warm evening. It was perfect barbecue weather!

On top of all that, we were visited by old friend Maureen Fordham who was holidaying in Corwall, and we also welcomed our newest member, Elaine Hughes!

Click here to see more photos.

Free Fire Safety Check for Your Home

August 19, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

Is your home fire safe? Are you aware of potential fire risks in your house? Do you have working smoke detectors?

All these questions were raised by Monday’s guest speaker Jordan Snook of Tolvaddon Community Fire Station. Many of you were interested in the free fire safety checks provided by your local community fire station, and Jordan was good enough to pass on the contact information to us.

If you’re concerned about fire safety in your home, you can have Penzance Community Fire Station come to you to perform a Free Home Fire Safety Check! They will also provide you with free smoke detectors if necessary and advise you on the correct placement of your detector(s).

To arrange for your check, either ring the Fire Station on 01736 336580 or click here to access a request form for a check.

A day out to Bodmin Plant & Herb Nursery

August 3, 2015November 28, 2015 crowlasludgvanwi

On Friday, Charlotte, Gail, Pam R and Julie set off for a CFWI day out to Bodmin Plant and Herb Nursery.

They were welcomed by the owners Karen and Mark and served lovely fresh coffee and homemade biscuits. They then split into two groups and went to the potting shed where there was a beautiful display of herbs with which Karen and Claire (the young woman in charge of the herbs section) described a variety of potting options, explaining the herbs’ uses and how to keep them at their best.