Shaw & Whitley W.I.

WE had  no meeting in August, but we had a very successful coffee morning at the Reading Rooms on 3rd August.

Members met in Bath and we saw ‘Lady in a Van’ at the theatre which was a great day out, thank you Geraldine and Jackie for arranging.

September meeting.     Sylvia opened the meeting and welcomed members and guests, the minutes were read and signed. Matters arising; The Grand Auction for the Denman appeal raised over £2,000 on the day, and some items are to go to a specialist auction, so hopefully more to come.

Future events; “Songs from the Sixties” at Westbury on 30th January, 2018. The annual Carol Concert to be held in Salisbury on 7th December. Wet Felt Flowers 2nd December to be held near Swindon. Flower arranging at the Reading Rooms on 5th October 1.30pm. We will also be having a stall at Shaw School hall on 25th November selling scarfs and jewellery etc.  9 members will be attending the AGM at Salisbury on the 11th October.

We then welcomed our speaker for the evening Mrs.Cathy Berry from the Historical Society with her helpers Mr. and Mrs. Maslen. She showed us slides of old Melksham and what a treat we had – it was like turning the clock back on time. Potato pickers from Bromham, Maggs woollen mill in Spa Road, Sawtells (the feather factory), Hurns, Melksham flour mills, Wiltshire Dairies, the Avon, Lowbourne school, St Michael’s national school, the first hospital in the town and the building of the new hospital in Spa road. There was so much information, it was a job to visualise all the changes over the years, and we were all engrossed by the slides and knowledge. Geraldine gave the vote of thanks.

The raffles were won by Geraldine and Lin, and we finished our evening with coffee and biscuits.       

Carol Hughes.