Sutton Veny Village Message Board

There is a new breed of WI starting up in our area.... WI Lite is a new twist on the Womens' Institute, attracting younger women and offering contemporary activities and events.

On Wednesday 18th February, fifteen potential members turned up at the Sutton Veny Village Hall to meet with two representatives from the Wiltshire WI Federation. We discussed everything that was involved in running a WI, and the ladies answered any questions the group had about everything from fundraising to sourcing speakers. By the end of the meeting, the group unanimously voted that they wanted to get the ball rolling and get set up as an 'official' WI Lite!

Sutton Veny WI Lite launches at 8pm on Wednesday 1st April at Sutton Veny Village Hall, and will meet every first Wednesday of the month thereafter for lots of laughs and the odd glass of wine. We aim to take the best bits of traditional WI and give them a bit of a makeover. Our reason for being is to have fun, try new things, meet new people and connect with the community.

At our first event we will learn how to mix and show off a few alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails (and of course sampling a few!) and then, just for fun, there will be a "getting to know you" speed dating style social evening. This will be a very social night, so the Sutton Veny WI Lite Walking Bus will be in operation!

Everyone welcome, please come along and see what we are about. There is a WI annual membership fee of £29. Alternatively, non members can attend each meeting for £3 donation before deciding to join.

If you want to know more, please email info@suttonvenywilite.co.uk

An Update ...................

The launch meeting of the Sutton Veny WI Lite was a great success and just the way we hoped it would turn out when we started talking about setting up a WI group at the end of last year.

The committee were as pleased as punch when 40 women from the local area streamed in through the doors of Sutton Veny Village Hall on Wednesday 1st April. A great night was had by all, with many ladies signing up as official WI members by the end of the night, and many more expressing their interest to come along in May.

There was much amusement as Joe Jones, our suave cocktail connoisseur and crooner for the evening, ably demonstrated how to mix three fabulous cocktails with the help of some of the ladies. This was then followed by an entertaining “speed” getting-to-know-you session. The hall buzzed with chat and laughter and the girls clearly enjoyed themselves, making new friends & getting to know each other better.

We meet again on Wednesday 6th May at 8 pm, when a Breast Health Care Specialist will be talking on breast checks and everything else we ladies need to be doing to stay healthy. A bra expert from Bravissimo will also join us, so chuck out those saggy, grey overwashed monstrosities and prepare for the revelation of a properly fitting bra!

May Update:

With families to raise, businesses to run, gardens to tend, DIY to be done and cocktails to mix, the members of Sutton Veny WI Lite are the archetypal 21st Century Superwomen.

We found time in our busy lives to meet as usual on the 1st Wednesday of this month to greet three marvellous speakers for our “Boob Do”. For openers, Breast Care Nurses Sonia and Shirley from Salisbury District Hospital gave us an eye-opening look at breast checks and answered many individuals’ questions about breast health. With survival rates for women and men with breast cancer never having been higher, this was an extremely positive and informative talk.

Our members then took another step towards gorgeousness, thanks to Anna Prince, PR Manager for Bravissimo, who demonstrated the Three Step Check for the perfect bra fit. Anna showed us how to celebrate our curves and look and feel great, and did one-to-one bra fittings with as many girls as possible throughout the evening.

Our next event is Authentic Indian Cookery made Easy on Wednesday 3rd June at 8pm in the Sutton Veny Village Hall and as usual, women from all over Warminster and Villages are invited to attend. There is a WI annual membership fee of £29. Alternatively, non members can attend for a £3 donation on three separate occasions before deciding to join.

The recent sunshine has not been the only thing to heat up the members of Sutton Veny WI Lite. In June’s event we were thrilled to have a hands-on demonstration of “curry in a hurry” from one of our own members, Sonia Jelfs.

Sonia, whose origins stem from Northern India has always had a passion for cooking. Since starting her own family she has been collecting recipes from her family to pass down to her children. She wants them to maintain some Indian traditions and culture, and thinks food is an excellent way of doing it. We were thrilled that she agreed to teach us how to create traditional Indian dishes good enough to impress friends and family, but which combatted the myth that Indian food is heavy and difficult to cook.

Under Sonia’s watchful eye, our volunteers donned pinnies and helped to create a mouthwatering meal of chicken in a tandoori sauce, spicy kidney bean curry, and potatoes in a mustard sauce- all recipes that were fresh, light and simple to cook, and all in under 30 minutes. With appetites whetted, we could hardly wait to savour the creations and we were given recipes to take home with us.

Sonia also brought along a few of her beautiful handmade saris for us to try on. Arranging the yards and yards of silk was a complicated business, but they were elegant and comfortable to wear, and stayed put once draped properly!

At 8pm on Wednesday 1st July, our event is a chocolate demonstration with award winning guest speakers Lick The Spoon, as featured on The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Nigella Lawson’s website. We will also be staging our own Great Chocolate Challenge. Bring along your own fantastic chocolate creation for us all to sample, and the most fabulous will be awarded a prize.

http://www.suttonvenywilite.co.uk

At this month’s meeting, Sutton Veny WI Lite found the perfect excuse to indulge in most girls’ weakness- chocolate!

And not just any chocolate- our guest speaker was Diana Short from Lick The Spoon who is on a meteoric rise, and we feel privileged to have met her. A chef for twenty years, having her young sons meant that after her maternity leave, Diana like many of us needed to come up with something that was going to let her work flexibly around her family but still allow her a career. And in the few months since she began working with chocolate, Lick The Spoon has won two prestigious Gold Awards at the Taste of the West Awards amongst others, been featured on the Alan Titchmarsh Show and Nigella Lawson voted Diana’s Mint Filigree Egg as her Egg of Choice this Easter. And all are still created in Diana’s own kitchen- although a dedicated Wiltshire factory is soon to open later this year.

Diana allowed us to sample some of the world’s finest white, milk and dark chocolate from Peru, Equador and Venezuela and, like fine wines, she helped us to attempt to discern their complex flavours, explaining that each take their characteristics from the very environment in which they grow.

Diana also then taught us a few tricks of the trade in chocolate making, showing us skills that we are all now eager to put to good use in our own kitchens. With her guidance we managed to create some beautiful filigree chocolate boxes and truffles. Diana is presently recruiting trainee chocolatiers, and a few of our members would make good candidates!

We also staged our own Great Chocolate Challenge, in which our members brought along their own favourite chocolate recipes for us all to sample. It did start to feel like a record breaking attempt at chocolate eating and proved that you CAN have too much of a good thing! It was very hard to decide our favourite but without doubt Bev Ewart’s Truly Scrumptious Rocky Road was worthy of first prize, with Tina Biggs’ Chocolate Pots a strong runner up. Recipes can be found on our website http://www.suttonvenywilite.co.uk

It was a fabulous evening, even though a few diets were blown, but we can work it off on August 5th, when we host our Sizzling Salsa Evening, with instructors from SalsaMojo who will fast-track us from novices to Latino dancers in one evening and give us the confidence to take to the dance floor and party!

The WI Liters were transformed into salsa divas in August with a dance class from “Salsamojo”. Our talented dance instructors John and Shanon managed to find natural grace and style in even those of us with two left feet.

After a few sangrias to make us a little sassier on the dancefloor, we discovered that Salsa is definitely the Latin way to lift your spirits. Everyone was up and dancing and enjoying themselves and we were amazed by how John and Shanon got us all looking like (semi!) professionals in under two hours. A few of us caught the salsa bug that night!

Wednesday September 3rd is our ecofabulous Swish (Clothes and accessories swapping party). All WI members/non members who would like to Swish or want more information, please contact Suzanne on 01985 213935 or Debs on 01985 840493 beforehand for Swishing vouchers. These are free in exchange for good quality donated clothes or accessories well before the event please (no jewellery or supermarket own brands please). All welcome so tell your friends.

In true WI style there will also be an educational opportunity and a chance to sharpen our sartorial skills from our Style Consultant guest speaker. So even if you don’t wish to Swish, please come along.

Swap Shop for the Smart Set

The Sutton Veny WI Liters hosted a Swishing event in September where members and friends could bring along their unwanted clothes and swap them with other people.
The event also featured a talk from style consultant guest speaker, Julie Merrifield from House of Colour in Devizes, who started the night off with hints on optimising wardrobes with accessories, clothes and styles that flatter different colour tones and body shapes.
Swishing is an environmentally and economically friendly way of getting new outfits without splashing out, especially at a time when every penny counts. It has grown in popularity with swishing events taking place frequently across the UK and our members now know what the excitement is all about.
Members donated their good quality unwanted clothes in advance and collected tokens which could be swapped for items of clothing at the event. It was a real success with many items of high end clothing, shoes and accessories that had been languishing in wardrobes given in before the event and more on the night. Most people picked up something and some members left the event with armfuls. It is nice to think that our unwanted items might now be treasured by new owners. It was lots of fun and we’ve been asked when we’ll do it again, maybe next year?
The left over clothing was donated to chosen charity Dorothy House Hospice’s shop in Warminster.
Next WI Lite meeting: 7th Oct 8pm Fabulous Feet- please bring your own washing up bowl for a DIY Foot Pampering session with Helen from the Body Shop. Also All about Reflexology with Val from Top to Toe.

You can dance, you can jive at WI Lite 'Mamma Mia Sing-Along' fundraiser

If you’re the type of Mamma Mia! fan or ABBA die-hard who can’t resist singing along with the soundtrack, the Sutton Veny WI Lite has an event for you and as many friends as you can get in a conga line this month.
Wiltshire’s newest WI group, who have held many fun-filled evenings since their launch in April, is holding a Mamma Mia Night beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday 17th October at Sutton Veny Village Hall.
Lyndsey Regan from WI Lite, said the idea for the event came from the ongoing popularity of Mamma Mia! and ABBA as well as the Sutton Veny Village Hall’s recent acquisition of a fantastic new audio/visual media system.
The fundraiser will screen the best singalong bits of the 2008 film adaptation of the Broadway musical that took a romantic comedy plotline and attached hit songs by 1970s and ’80s international pop stars ABBA. The event will include a bar, Mamma Mia! singalong, ABBA quiz and ABBA-oke and the whole event will be presided over by drag queen Dame Sparkle Fanny. There will also be a fancy dress competition with prizes for Best Group or Individual ABBA or Mamma Mia! inspired costume. Organizers say everyone is welcome and hope those attending will bring friends with whom to sit and sing. The fundraiser will feature open seating rather than reserved seats to facilitate that. More information is available from http://www.suttonvenywilite.co.uk

October saw the WI Liters putting an extra spring in their step! We felt our poor old feet - hard-pressed and walked all over - needed with a bit of a thank you and after all, bad feet can ruin the hottest strappy stilettos and that's not glamorous at all!
So this month, we were all treated to a DIY foot softening treatment with Helen Robertson, Southwest Regional Manager from the Body Shop. Helen showed us how to take away the stress of the day with a relaxing customized foot soak, before pampering our feet with an exfoliating foot scrub. Our feet were then treated to a range of fabulous smelling Body Shop moisturisers which were great for dry skin and tired feet.
Next we learnt about the benefits of reflexology and what it can do for feet as well as body with Val from Top to Toe Wellness Centre in George Street, Warminster. Reflexology uses specific touch techniques of applying pressure to reflex points of the feet and hands. Val explained that reflexology on the feet is an alternative health technique said to improve stress, anxiety, chronic lower back pain, and other health issues. She demonstrated the technique on one of our members who certainly looked like she enjoyed the relaxing treatment.
And now we know how to give a little TLC to our tootsies, we need to make sure they are properly kitted out. So we welcomed Cat Travers, PR manager for Duo Boots who explained that at DUO, style is nothing without fit, which is why they offer an extensive range of calf fit women's leather boots and a beautiful collection of shoes in regular and width fitting options. And the good word is spreading with Duo appearing on ITV's This Morning, Channel 4's How to Look Good Naked, and GMTV, in the same week as meeting with the WI Liters!

We now know when your feet feel good, you feel good! Our next event is a creative Jewellery making workshop with designer jeweller, Ruth Facey. Join us on Wednesday, November 4th, 8pm at Sutton Veny Village Hall. We’ll have the tools of the trade and you’ll leave with an amazing handmade piece of jewellery that reflects your own personality and ideas. Why not bring along any old beads/charms you have for an exciting recycling project.

It’s not often that as grown women with careers and busy family lives we get the chance to sit down and learn a new creative skill for ourselves, and so it was a pleasure to have two hours hands-on tutorial at the last meeting of SVWI Lite with the Travelling Jeweller Ruth Facey.
A simple design can turn out to be a thing of beauty in the right hands. Like many experts, the talented Ruth made the art of jewellery making look deceptively easy, and after a brief explanation of the tools of the trade and a demonstration of how easy it is to make a beautiful pair of earrings or pendant, we were let loose. Most of us realized that this was not going to be as easy as it looks however and I don’t think I was the only one to get so frustrated at the start that I wanted to throw it out of the window!
Ruth helped us to come up with our own designs, and we had also brought along old beaded jewellery that had been languishing in our jewellery boxes to recycle into our ideas. With Ruth’s expert guidance, we were able to avoid frustration, straighten any kinks (hammering silver is a great stress reliever!) and each produce several unique and pretty pieces. We also had a great sense of pride in having really accomplished something!
Our creations can be seen on http://www.suttonvenywilite.co.uk along with how to get involved. Our next meeting is Wed 2nd December for a Christmas Wreath Making Workshop with Lucy Pitman. Please note our 2010 programme begins on February 3rd, as there is no January meeting.

Sutton Veny WI Lite know that our programme needs to be something special to draw busy mums, career girls and all round superwomen out of their homes on a cold winter’s night. Our February event did not disappoint and was in fact our most enlightening so far.
We invited Linda Anousta to help us understand what is in the commercially mass produced products that fill our bathroom cabinets. Anousta Products Ltd has been creating and manufacturing natural skin, hair and mouthcare products since 1999 and Linda has a real passion to provide safe and effective products made from just natural products. Linda is an enthusiastic speaker and gave an impassioned and interactive talk about some of the questionable ingredients in day-to-day products such as toothpaste, soap, and shampoo. It was all food for thought and a good number of us will be looking at the list of ingredients and steering clear of more toxic toiletries.
Our next meeting is Wednesday March 3rd and is our AGM. April 7th is our first birthday and definitely one for the diary! We meet in Sutton Veny Village Hall, but we have members from up and down the Wylye Valley. Come and find out what we’re all about!

March saw the end of a very successful first year for Sutton Veny WI Lite, one of the first WI’s in the UK with a more contemporary agenda. Not so much Jam and Jerusalem, but instead, Margarita and Mamma Mia. In their AGM reports, the committee told the members they were proud of what had been achieved. Nationally, the WI is enjoying a resurgence of popularity and because of groups like Sutton Veny WI Lite, the average age of the WI is declining and the organisation has adopted a new modern image.
The Treasurer gave an overview of our finances, in a healthy state thanks to successful fundraising and increasing membership, which all means we can afford even better speakers and events for 2010. The Secretary gave a review of the diverse events of 2009 and outlined our objectives for another fabulous year.
The President then thanked the founding committee and the members for helping to make the first year such a success. With some enthusiastic new faces joining the 2010 committee, we are all looking forward to the next year.
After the business end was concluded, the girls picked up needles and launched the first off-shoot group , our yet to be named Knit and Natter, which from April, will meet on the Second Wednesday of each month in the village hall. Knitting has hip credentials now, borne out by a surprising number of members who already knew what they were doing! The rest of us had a go and soon got the knack, making a start on little knitted vests for rescued battery chickens.
Our next meeting is our first birthday and champagne tasting on April 7th and definitely one for the diary! It’s a party and there’s champers so dress to impress! We welcome all newcomers, £3 non member entrance. To become a member bring £29.50 cash or cheque to the next meeting. We meet in Sutton Veny Village Hall, but we have members from up and down the Wylye Valley. Come and find out what we’re all about!

The WI Liters enjoyed a hugely entertaining champagne tasting at our last meeting – everyone enjoyed it thoroughly and it was a great way to celebrate our first birthday. The event was led by one of our own, Suzanne Mahoney, who worked for over ten years as a Champagne buyer and knows a thing or two about bubbly. We learned how Champagne is made, how to serve and store it, the differences between a Non-Vintage and Vintage Champagne and how the bubbles got there in the first place! And of course the icing on the cake (or should I say the bloom on the grape) was a quiz which went to a tie break- the winners were the team who came up with the funniest mnemonic to remember the names for bigger champagne bottle sizes, (Magnum, Jeroboamm, etc …it was a little bit rude so I won’t repeat it.)

Our next meeting is Wednesday 5th May. We are very happy that it has been overwhelmingly decided by members that this year's WI resolution is calling for the mandatory labelling of food with the true country of origin. We are always keen to buy British! Did you know that currently sausages are labelled British if they are made here, even if the pigs are from Continent? Our meeting will investigate this further, with a passionate speaker, Caroline Wheatley Hubbard from the Ginger Piggery, leading the debate and helping us to better understand the issues (and she’ll bring some yummy samples too). Knitters or would be knitters please note: Our brand new Knit and Natter meets on 14th April, 8 pm at the SV Village Hall- all welcome.

Being a new WI, Sutton Veny WI Lite hadn’t really got involved with campaigns before. Over the years the WI have famously campaigned on a wide range of issues that matter to women and their communities, including Equal Pay in 1942, Breast Cancer Screening in 1975, Aids in 1986. Today’s campaigns range from climate change and ending violence against women to the plight of the honey bee.
This month saw our first opportunity to get involved and debate whether we backed the 2010 resolution that it should be mandatory for food to be labelled with the true country of origin. We were guided through some of the issues by Caroline and Jo from the Ginger Piggery, Boyton and while we are always keen to buy British, interestingly, once we considered the wider issues it wasn’t as cut and dried as one might have thought. We did, however, unanimously support the resolution as a step in the right direction. Afterwards our members were treated to some tasty samples of Boyton Farm’s own local produce and walked away with some recipe ideas too.

This month we are also pleased that a photograph entered by member Christine Baker has been featured in the WI Federation Calendar for 2011, entitled Working Wiltshire. Well done Christine!

Our June Meeting (Wed 2nd) is a Ceroc Evening, so break out your swishy skirts and dancing shoes. £29.50 membership, £3 for visitors.

Remember too that Finish the Row Meets from 8 pm every 2nd Wed of each month for knit and natter. The girls are moving to The Upstairs Gallery of the Organ Inn- all welcome.

This month, Sutton Veny WI Lite was introduced to a fabulous new past- time: Ceroc, a dynamic blend of Jive and Salsa dance moves imported from Paris and sweeping Britain's dance halls.

The craze attracts 500 new "ceroccans" each week in Britain, and has built up quite a following, including a class with 60+ regular members in Warminster. So we had to give it a go!

Our teachers were Zoe and Richard from Ceroc Live who both teach all over the Southwest. Their fun relaxed teaching style left us with some great moves, smooth style and a smile on our faces. One night is all it takes to learn a few basic moves to get you dancing. By the end of our evening I was surprised - we had actually learned four moves and how to put them together to make a routine!

I think one of the secrets of the popularity of Ceroc must be its simplicity. For beginners, there is no complicated footwork to overly worry about. It was uplifting and enjoyable, so if you have always dreamed of gracing the dance floor, even if you have two left feet, Ceroc is for you!

Our Next meeting is Wednesday July 7th, with Hypnotherapist Kim Dyke. Kim practices locally and offers treatment in Stress, Anxiety and Depression, Fears and Phobias, Confidence and Self Esteem, Weight Control, Anti-Smoking, Pain Management and Hypnobirthing for Childbirth. Come along to Sutton Veny WI Lite in July (8pm SV Village Hall) and find out how Hypnotherapy Really Could Change Your Life!