One of our members asked the committee this week if we could send out a list of all the dates of our subgroups for the month. There is such a list at the end of each newsletter, so to make it easier to spot I have added another elephant image to help you scroll down and find the information quickly.

Also included in this newsletter:

• Details on our main meeting;
• Progress on the Walk ‘n’ Talk fundraising goal;
• CAKE Fighters and the Trussell Trust;
• Programme planning for 2022-23.

Let’s get into it!

August Meeting

“The One Where We Do Jam”

This month we will be joined by Janice Jackson (note: that’s Janice Jackson, not Janet the singer) for a comprehensive romp through jam making and making preserves.

Her presentation “includes a variety of cooking methods for a wide range of preserves, made from seasonal and home grown produce, foraged and hedgerow fruits, forgotten fruits, making the most of a glut, reducing food waste, adapting recipes, and so on.”

These online cooking courses have been some of our most popular Zoom meetings as you can ask cooks any questions you have and get really close with their cameras to see exactly what it is that they do.

This meeting was timed just as all kinds of berries are coming into season, so if you have ever wanted to have a go at preserving – now is your chance to have a go!

The Women’s Institute is well known for jam, of course.

Have a look at these old photographs below…

Don’t Forget!

What to bring to the next meeting

• The Zoom link;
• Something to take notes on about jam making if you think you’d need to;
• That’s it!

Other News

Keeping You Posted: In Person Meetings

September looks possible but not a given

The Church Hall is still not available for us this month (August), as you might have guessed due to another online meeting.

The committee has kept in contact with Father Christopher about when the hall might be open again, and it is possible that we might be able to meet in person in September for our meeting about Autumn Foraging.

If not, this meeting can still be held over Zoom and the subgroups are slowly but surely moving offline for some much needed face-to-face contact (details of these subgroups are at the bottom of the newsletter).

When we are able to meet in person, we want to do everything we can to make you feel safe. No one will be made to feel uncomfortable for wearing a mask or for distancing, for example, and attendees will be encouraged to be mindful of each other.

Please get in touch if there is anything you are worried about in case we can help.

You can send the committee any thoughts you’d like us to consider ahead of the committee meetings (we meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month) or ask sit in on a committee meeting yourself.

We love it when members get involved so please don’t be shy!

Walk ‘n’ Talk

Over half-way!

The Walk ‘n’ Talk group are now at 68% of their goal to raise £500 for a bench at the Serenity Gardens!

It will be lovely to see the bench finally in place with The Hive WI name on it.

If you’d like to make a contribution, you can do so here.

CAKE Fighters

Looking back and looking ahead

It was fabulous to have Emma Revie, the CEO of the Trussell Trust, join us for CAKE Fighters last month.

Emma clearly has a huge heart and cares enormosly about what she does.

We talked a lot about how changes in society have led to the increase in foodbanks. The Trussell Trust ultimately campaigns for the end of food banks, but also encourages communities to support them while they are needed.

Food poverty is not about food but about people not having enough money for the basics. 1 in 5 people in the UK now live in poverty, including 4 million children.

Emma told us, “The statistic that keeps me up at night is that 68% of people who use foodbanks are disabled. That’s not right.”

We talked about how poverty can be very isolating and can be associated with feelings of shame. WIs can make a big difference here by making themselves known to their foodbanks, inviting users to come and meet with us, and by creating suppotive, empathic environments in which it is okay to talk about financial worries without shame.

Five things we can do are:

• Keep donating food and supplies to our local foodbank;
• Think about if we as a WI can host any social opportunities for foodbank users;
• Learn about the causes of hunger in the UK;
• Encourage conversation around foodbanks and poverty;
• Write to your MP to tell them that this is an issue that concerns you.

A podcast of the conversation will be released in week or so time.

Looking ahead and imaging when we can meet in person, CAKE Fighters might be able to work with Broxtowe Council to plant bulbs and wildflowers for pollinators in an area of Dovecote Park (or anywhere else that needs us!).

We would love to do this in collaboration with other community groups (perhaps even the foodbank) and other local WIs. Unfortunately the council is taking a long time to respond to this enquiry, but we have been advised that they generally welcome volunteers and often provide plants and bulbs as well.

We will keep you posted!

There won’t be a CAKE Fighters meeting this month, but we will be back in September.

The Hive WI in 2022

Programme planners wanted

Is it just me or does 2022 sound extremely futuristic?!

Our Programme Planner Michelle was busy obtaining feedback from Hive WI members about speakers and activities from this past year, and was also looking for volunteers to join the Programme Planning Subcommittee for 2022-23.

Michelle will be asking for suggested topics and speakers. Our suggested list from previous years is still abundant with possibilities but we want to make sure that it is still uptodate with your interests.

If you’d like to volunteer for programme planning then please get in touch. Volunteers will look at and discuss ideas for the coming year, and, if you can, send one or two emails to potential guest speakers to see if they are available or interested.

Regular Information

Let our elephants remind you what we’re up to!

Time and Location

We’re meeting at 19:30 on Zoom. Please email us for the link address or check our Facebook group.

The Hive’s August Calendar

What’s on when

• Wednesday 11, 19:30: Handmade Preserves
• Wednesday 18, TBC: Supper Club at The Frustrated Chef
• Saturday 21, 14:00 – Crafternoon
• Sunday 22, 10:00 – Walk ‘n’ Talk
• Wednesday 25, 14:00 – Cafe Society at Lady Jayne’s
• Wednesday 25, 18:30 – Committee Meeting
• Thursday 26, 19:00– Book Club: Normal People by Sally Rooney

Please contact The Hive WI or Hayley about the craft group as we can currently only meet in person in groups of eight.

Recurring Events

Your shortcut to the subgroups

• CAKE Chat: Every first Monday (19:00)
• CAKE Fighters: Varying dates and times
• Publess Quiz: Every four months (20:00)
• Main Meeting: Every second Wednesday (19:30-21:30)
• Crafternoon: Every third Saturday (14:00-16:00)
• Committee Meeting: Every fourth Wednesday (18:30)
• Thursday Book Club: Every last Thursday (18:45)
• Walk ‘n’ Talk: Every last weekend of the month (10:00)

Please get in touch if you would like to lead a subgroup.

For a list of the reading lists for our book groups, please go to our website or check the reminders on our Facebook group.

Walks for the Walk ‘n’ Talk will be listed on our website as soon as they have been planned.

Find Us Online

• Email: thehivewi@gmail.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/thehivewi
• Facebook group (members only): facebook.com/groups/thehivewi
• Twitter: twitter.com/thehivewi
• Website: thehivewi.com
• You can also search for us on Google Calendar using our email address.