News

Operation Christmas Child

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This Christmas, why not brighten the life of a needy child?

 

Samaritan’s Purse ‘Operation Christmas Child’ project has been delivering shoeboxes full of presents to children all over the world since 1990. More than 113 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have benefited from this wonderful programme.

To participate, follow these simple steps:

  1. Wrap a shoebox and its lid separately.
  2. Decide if your gift is for a boy or a girl and select an age category (2-4, 5-9 or 10-14). Print the appropriate label by clicking here. Mark the correct age category and affix the label to the top of your shoebox.
  3. And now for the fun part: Fill your box with a variety of new gifts! Gifts may include toys (items that children will immediately embrace such as dolls, toy trucks, stuffed animals (with CE label), harmonicas, yo-yos, skipping ropes, balls, small puzzles etc.); school supplies (pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons or felt pens, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or notebooks and paper, solar calculators, colouring and picture books etc.; Hygiene items (toothbrush and toothpaste, bar of wrapped soap, comb or hairbrush, flannel; or other miscellaneous items (hat, cap, gloves or scarf, sunglasses, hair accessories, jewellery set, wind up torch, wrapped sweets with a sell-by date must be at least March of the following year). You can also enclose a note or greetings card to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. Do not include used or damaged items, war-related items such as toy guns, play soldiers or knives; chocolate or other food items; liquids or lotions of any type including bubbles; medicines; hand made or knitted stuffed toys; anything of a political, racial or religious nature; marbles or sharp objects; glass containers, mirrors or fragile items; or clothing, other than as listed above.
  4. Please include a £3 donation per shoebox to cover the cost of UK transportation and overseas shipping. You can either make your donation online by clicking here (scroll down to where it says Operation Christmas Child), or else you can write a cheque made payable to Samaritan’s Purse and put it in an envelope inside your shoebox, then secure the box with an elastic band. If you make more than one shoebox, just write one cheque to cover all your shoebox donations and put it inside one of the boxes.

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Completed shoeboxes may be taken to designated drop-off point between 1 November and 18 November. The list of drop-off points will be listed on the Samaritan’s Purse website after 1 October.

For more information, you can see a full explanatory leaflet here.

Cornish hedges are very trendy!

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Even Seasalt is hopping on the Cornish hedge bandwagon! They’ve just published a blog post all about Patrick Semmens, one of the founder members of the Guild of Cornish Hedgers.

And there’s a very pretty shot from the Seasalt catalogue featuring one of their models posing in front of a lovely Cornish hedge.

 

We thought this may be interesting to those of you who will be attending the CFWI Cornish Hedge day on 3 September and also to those of you who may want to enter 2015’s Allsop Cup competition on ‘A Year in the Life of a Cornish Hedge’.

You can read the blog post here.

 

Moonlight Memory Walk in Falmouth

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This years Memory Walk in aid of Children’s Hospice South West takes place in Falmouth on Saturday 27 September. The event brings together women of all ages who take to the moonlit streets to walk in memory of someone they have loved and lost.

By taking part you’ll help to raise vital funds to support the families who use the services of Children’s Hospice South West.

The event is a chance to reflect, remember and celebrate your loved ones, as we walk the 5 mile Falmouth route through the moonlit streets. The event is open to ladies only, aged 14+. The events begin with an uplifting memory ceremony, where your personalised candle bag will join hundreds of others aglow with memories. As the clock strikes 10pm, we’ll set off.

Each walker is asked to raise as much sponsorship money as possible. Your entry fee covers the cost of participation. To register, visit the website of Children’s Hospice South West.

Centenary Baton Watch! … Glamorgan

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We thought it would be fun to follow the WI Centenary baton as it makes its way around the country.

From the 19th through the 26th of August, the baton is with the Glamorgan Federation in Wales, before being passed on to Gwent.

On Wednesday, the WI baton spent the day at Llangatwg School in Cadoxton, and then visited the Aberdulais tinworks and waterfalls.

Glamorgan County Chairman Carolyn Davies holds the commemorative Baton with members of Neath WI at Aberdulais Falls.
Glamorgan County Chairman Carolyn Davies holds the commemorative Baton with members of Neath WI at Aberdulais Falls.

Sorry – we realise we should have begun this in January! We’ve already missed several months, but at least we can now begin the countdown to February 2015 when the baton comes to us in Cornwall.

Platter night at The Lime Tree

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The conversation and the wine were both flowing at The Lime Tree last night as eight of us got together for a lovely meal.

Gail Allen, Kathy Merrett and Val Puddiphatt
Gail Allen, Kathy Merrett and Val Puddiphatt

It was ‘Platter Night’ meaning we each had a choice of a Fishy Platter, Meaty Platter or Veggie Platter. We tried them all – accompanied by loads of delicious focaccia bread.

Wendy Allen and Hilary Elliff
Wendy Allen and Hilary Elliff
Janet Harrison, Pamela Roebuck and Gail Allen
Janet Harrison, Pamela Roebuck and Gail Allen

Well done, Joanna!

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Our friend Joanna Nankervis is back from the 2014 Transplant Games! In only her second time at the games, Joanna returned with a whole handful of medals! She picked up a gold medal for the freestyle 25m swim, beating her personal best time by six seconds, and also won silver for the 25m backstroke, silver for ball throw and bronze for a team tug-of-war event.

Congratulations, Joanna!

Read all about it here.

Don’t miss ‘Gardeners’ World’ tomorrow!

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Don’t forget to tune in to Gardeners’ World at 9:30pm tomorrow (Friday) on BBC2 to catch Dorothy Oliver’s grandson, Matthew.

 

Matthew is a horticulturist working at Hyde Hall in Essex. On this week’s episode of Gardeners’ World, he’ll be talking to Monty Don about the amazing dry garden at Hyde Hall about how they manage to keep their lawns looking pristine in such a hot summer.

Cape Cornwall Arts and Crafts Exhibition

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Crowlas & Ludgvan WI members Rosemary Gries and Pippa Lilley would like to let everyone know about the current Arts & Crafts Exhibition being held at Cape Cornwall School in St Just.

This fantastic exhibition is held in aid of Cancer Research UK, with 25% of all craft sales and 100% of all refreshments/raffle/etc proceeds going to the charity.

With over 400 exhibitors on site, you’re sure to be able to pick up some early Christmas shopping, or perhaps just a little treat for yourself! Items include oil paintings, ceramics, jewellery, woodcraft including beautiful turned pieces and carvings, photographs, scarves, children’s clothing and a variety of other items including some beautiful handmade rugs.

The Exhibition ends this Friday, 22 August and is open from 10am until 9pm (only until 7pm on the final day).

Barbecue Recipes

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Thank you to Rona Cowls, Alison Latham and Helen Kestle for sharing some of their favourite barbecue recipes below. If you have a good recipe you’d like to share with members, please email it to us on crowlasludgvanwi@gmail.com and we’ll get it up on the website so all can see it.

Rona’s Cucumber and Celery Relish

If you were lucky enough to have a taste of this last night – or, even better, to buy a jar – then you’ll know how delicious it is!

relish

Ingredients
3 cucumbers cut into 1/4″ cubes
2 large onions, skinned and chopped
4 sticks celery, trimmed and diced
1 green pepper, deseeded and diced
2 level tsp salt
4 oz granulated sugar
3 level Tbsp mustard powder
5 level Tbsp plain flour
1 level tsp turmeric
1/2 pint cider vinegar

Method

  1. Place vegetables in a bowl with salt. Stir well. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Drain.
  2. Mix sugar, mustard powder, flour, turmeric and vinegar to a loose paste.
  3. Put vegetables and spice mix in a preserving pan and cook over a medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
  4. Spoon into prepared jars and cover with vinegar-proof lids. Star in a dark place to prevent colour loss.

 

Alison’s Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes

A tasty side dish that can be cooked on the barbecue at the same time as your burgers.

grilled_rosemary_pots

Ingredients
1 medium potato per person
1 sprig rosemary
1-2 chopped cloves of garlic (1 clove per 3 or 4 potatoes)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Wash and chop the potatoes into half-inch cubes, leaving the peel on. Rinse a couple of times to wash away as much starch as possible. Drain and well and place in a bowl.
  2. Finely chop the garlic and rosemary leaves and add to the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil per 2 or 3 potatoes to the bowl and mix contents until the potatoes are evenly coated.
  4. Place the potatoes in a double layer of baking foil and seal by folding all the edges securely.
  5. Place on the barbecue for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. They are ready to enjoy when slightly browned and when they break open when you stick a fork in them.

Alison’s Barbecue Tip!
If you want a change to grilled vegetables and if you enjoy steamed veggies, prepare them to the desired size, then wrap and seal in baking foil with a small handful of ice cubes. Season with condiments of your choice. Simply place the package on your barbecue and your veggies will steam with your other barbecue items. The results will be delicious!

Helen’s Barbecued Chicken with Tarragon Butter

IF

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Tarragon butter:
100g unsalted butter at room temperature
4-5 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 shallot, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Marinade:
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. To make the tarragon butter, mash the butter together with the tarragon, shallot and seasoning. Scrape it onto a piece of cling film and roll up into a tight log. Refrigerate.
  2. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients.
  3. Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise to make 8 portions. Place in a dish with the marinade and leave for at least 30 minutes.
  4. When you’re ready to barbecue, drain the chicken and dispose of the marinade. Put the chicken on the barbecue and cook for about 5-6 minutes per side, until it’s nicely striped with grill marks and is no longer translucent.
  5. Serve with slices of the tarragon butter.