Summer has hit us!
Try not to melt as you read our news…!
June Meeting
“Houseplants and Health”
Our very own Michelle is leading the meeting today!
Anyone who knows Michelle knows about her passion for plants, both indoors and in the garden.
She is also a pediatric nurse and one of the warmest, most lovely people you can hope to meet.
As well as teaching us about houseplants, Michelle will be combining her roles as gardener and medical professional and will be acting as a “green nurse” for the evening.
We’ll be learning about how plants can benefit our health, as well as learning tips and techniques in how to help plants flourish and nurse them back to health!
You can bring along your sick houseplants to hold up to the camera, share pictures, or simply ask questions.
Houseplants have become incredibly fashionable in recent years.
Houseplants can have a huge effect on your home – not just by how they look, but also by how they affect the air quality and humidity in indoor spaces.
Just being around plants has been shown to affect people’s sense of wellbeing.
Being around Michelle has proven to have a similar effect, too! 😉
Don’t Forget!
What to bring to the next meeting
- You will need the Zoom link;
- Your house plants if you have any to show;
- Any questions you might have;
- That’s all!
Other News
Making Space
Crafting in person… finally!
The times are changing!
Adhereing to safety regulations (see the list below), our crafters will be meeting IN PERSON this month 
at their old meeting place of Chilwell Road Methodist Church.
We will be keeping to the “rule of six”, which could mean meeting in two groups if more people are interested.
With that in mind, please let Hayley know if you are interested in coming.
The start time in the afternoon will depend on whether we have one or two groups.
In the craft Messenger group (please send us a message if you’d like to be added to it!), there were a couple of questions about whether or not there will still be a meeting on Zoom for those unable to attend in person.
Three people said they would be interested in this, so we will make this happen if interest remains on the day.
Here are the rules are meeting in person:
- No more than six people at once
- We must clean the table and chairs when we are done
- Windows and doors must remain open
- Masks must be worn unless we are able to sit with enough distance between us
- Drinks will not be provided to reduce unnecessary contact, so please bring your own.
Apart from that the old routine still applies: to cover the cost of the room hire the the cost of attendence is £2 (or £3 for first attendance or for guests), and we work on our own projects.
This was always such a lovely subgroup to be part of and I am sure our crafters will be so pleased to be back together in their creative space!
You can contact Hayley through Facebook, either by tagging her in our Facebook group or by direct message or through the craft Messenger app, or you can email thehivewi@gmail.com.
An Eye on July
Changing and making plans
The date for the removal of all lockdown restrictions remains the 26 June.
Originally our event for July was Zoomba (which is slightly ironic for our first non-Zoom meeting to be a Zoomba meeting…) but, at the last commitee meeting, the committee decided that it would probably be better to opt for an activity that allowed members to relax and socialise after a year of not having seen each other, as well as avoid an activity that would involve members getting very out of breath in a room together.
The latter didn’t seem very mindful of Covid!
We also wanted an activity that could be moved back online if it turns out that restrictions were still in place by the end of June.
We are putting plans in place, however, and we are in the process of putting in orders for handsanitisers, anti-bacterial wipes, and boxes of masks in case we are able to meet in person.
Because it is not yet known what the Government rules for the spacing among groups of people is to be, it is difficult to know how seating might be arranged.
Everyone attending the committee, however, was enthusiastic about the idea of finally being able to meet in person and just spend time togeher.
Once a date has been announced that indoor meetings can re-commence, we will need to know how many Hive members will want to come.
We don’t yet know when our hall will be available again so, as always, we will keep you posted.
CAKE Fighters: Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
…with Prof Stacy Johnson MBE
This month CAKE Fighters will be joined by Professor Stacy Johnson.
It’s roughly a year since Black Lives Matter made news across the UK, and since then debates and discussions have continued to endure.
Prof. Johnson thrives in such conversations. She received an MBE in her work in antiracism and teaching allyship.
This will be an interactive event and particpants will be asked to join in and share their own thoughts and feelings throughout.
We will be using breakout rooms and padlet (don’t worry if you don’t know what that is – all will be explained!).
We’re incredibly lucky to have Stacy join us and share her knowledge and ideas with us.
Here is an exceprt from her bio from her page on the Nottingham University website:
Stacy Johnson is an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham in the School of Health Sciences. After training as a nurse and completing a BSc in Health Studies at the University of Manchester, she read for a Masters degree in Economic and Quantitative Methods in Healthcare at City, University of London.
Stacy is in demand as an advisor and speaker on healthcare and Higher Education equality, diversity and inclusion. Since 2012, Stacy has been advising England’s Chief Nurse on matters affecting black and minority ethnic (BME) patients and staff as a member of the Chief Nursing Officer’s BME Advisory Group. She also lectures and researchers in the areas of healthcare leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship.
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/healthsciences/people/stacy.johnson
All women are welcome to join the event, whether they are in the WI or not.
You can invite your friends or RSVP here.
NFWI Annual Meeting
Tuesday
Yesterday I (that is, Rosa) was lucky enough to attend the Women’s Institute Annual Meeting.
I was invited to attend as I run our CAKE Fighters subgroup, which gleaned the attention of Nottinghamshire Federation of WIs.
It was an historic meeting as it is the first time in the WI’s 100 year history that the Annual Meeting took place online.
The meeting had three high profile guest speakers, including HRH the Countess of Wessex (who herself is a WI member), the head of the metrapolitan police Dame Cressida Dick, and Baroness Barbra Hays.
There were also two speakers from two different WIs who were there to propose the resolution and key NFWI campaign for the next year:
As well as these two speakers, there was a counter-argument (is this campaign the right thing for the WI to spend time and money on over the next year?) as well as an expert speaker – he is an oncology surgeon, but unfortunately his name slips my mind right now!
He emphasised the importance of early detection, but also said that it isn’t so much that women don’t know what signs to look for but that they don’t want to “waste” their doctor’s time in case they’re overreacting.
HRH the Countess of Wesessx and Baroness Hays both talked about the challenges women have faced over the last year due to Covid, loss of income, caring roles, and domestic abuse.
Dame Cressida Dick talked about how she thought things were improving for victims of domestic abuse in terms of awareness, police training, and public understanding.
She also said that organisations like the WI do so much for promoting that understanding as well as looking out for vulnerable people and the local services they need.
I felt proud to know that I am part of a WI full of women who are very much part of making a difference in this way.
I hope you feel proud, too!
Regular Information
Time and Location
The main meeting
Our main monthly meeting is every second Wednesday of the month at 19:30 on Zoom.
Non-Members and Guests
We’d love to meet you!
Guests can come to up to three monthly meetings each year as a guest before we ask them to consider joining officially as a member.
Guests can also come our subgroups – see below for our calendar.
The Hive’s June Calendar
What’s on when
Please note that the book club is meeting a week earlier this month due to clashing with CAKE Fighters.
The Publess Quiz has moved due to moving the book club.
- Thursday 3, 19:00 – CAKE Chat
- Wednesday 9, 19:30 – House Plants and Health
- Saturday 12, TBC – Hive Strollers
- Thursday 17, TBC – Hive Strollers
- Thursday 17, 19:00– Book Club: Room by Emma Donoghue
- Saturday 19, 14:00 – Crafternoon
- Wednesday 23, 18:30 – Committee Meeting
- Thursday 24, 18:30 – CAKE Fighters
- Sunday 27, 10:00 – Walk ‘n’ Talk
- Wednesday 30, 20:15 – Publess Quiz
Main Events and Subgroups
Programme 2021
- January 13: Kitchen Ceilidh
- February 10: Zero Waste Heroes
- March 10: Annual Meeting
- April 14: Supporting the Serenity Garden
- May 12: Resolutions
- June 9: House Plants and Health
- July 14: TBC
- August 11: Handmade Preserves
- September 8: Autumn Foraging
- October 13: National Trust Gems
- November 10: The Alexander Technique
- December 8: TBC
Subgroups 2021 (subject to change)
- CAKE Fighters: Days and times vary
- Publess Quiz: Every third Thursday, 20:15
- Walk ‘n’ Talk: Every first weekend of the month on alternating Saturdays and Sundays – times vary, as do Government rules and advice
- 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
Click here for more information on our subgroups.
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
The Hive WI 