Many members are confident users of the internet and shop regularly on it; others anticipated a time when they would use it, all realise that it is not possible to turn the clock back to a more golden era when a daily excursion to the shops with a basket over one’s arm was a feature of many women’s lives.
Overall the feeling of the meeting was that the resolution lacked definition and clarity and the meeting voted to oppose it. However, we all feel a responsibility towards supporting our local shops and services and will continue to support them in whatever way we can.

Chidham WI report April 2013

Driving for Freedom was the subject at our April meeting. This charity,which is based at the Goodwood Estate, provides coach driving for the disabled who would not be able to ride a horse. The Duchess of Richmond has been very supportive and has even provided land for a paddock with facilities for the ponies, riders and volunteers.

Although some drivers can climb into the carriages with the aid of steps and help from the volunteers, ramps for wheelchairs, which are clamped in place, mean that nobody is excluded. Volunteers are on hand at all times to ensure the safety of the drivers,

The success of this organisation was obvious from the slide show of riders who were clearly enjoying the freedom and independence provided by carriage driving.

Chidham WI report March 2013

Unfortunately, our speaker was snowed in this month and was unable to give his talk on the policeman's lot. Instead, members enjoyed the chance to socialise over tea and cakes and to catch up on local news and events.

Chidham WI June report
Lesley Chamberlain, a voluntary assistant county organiser for the Sussex arm of the National Gardens Scheme, gave a talk which covered the basics of design in a garden with a particular focus on easy maintenance and a relaxed approach to planting. She used examples from planting at Chelsea and other gardens in the National Gardens Scheme to illustrate her ideas. Did you know that all the plants at the Chelsea Flower show are in pots ready for easy dismantling at the end of the show?
see http://www.ngs.org.uk/

The main business of the May meeting was the resolution shortly to be debated at the National Conference of the WI at the Royal Albert Hall at the end of May. The motion “calls upon the Government to increase investment in the training, employment and retention of midwives in England and Wales to ensure services are adequately resourced and are able to deliver a high standard of care.”
There was lively discussion on the motion with many members expressing concern about the wording of the motion; however the motion was carried by a small margin.
Judy Wilson, WI advisor was in attendance at the meeting.

Chidham WI April meeting
Sarah Beard “Herbs in our Gardens”

Herbalist Sarah Beard gave a lively and enthusiastic talk about the history of herbalism and the uses of herbs in the present day.

The earliest written account of herbalism dates from AD 50 but it is clear that the oral tradition predates that with the Druids. Herbalists have often been a “persecuted breed” and in the early part of the Second World War herbalism was illegal. However, herbalism is now recognised as having a valuable part to play in health and welfare and many pharmaceutical companies would like to know more about the properties of plants and how they can be exploited.

Chidham WI March meeting

Malcolm Wells, MBE gave a talk on the work of Canine Partners for Independence, a charity which transforms the lives of people with disabilities by pairing them with trained dogs who assist in all aspects of daily living. After a lengthy training for the dogs and a shorter assessment for the humans, both undergo a residential period where they bond before going home. The talk was truly inspirational and left us all wanting to know more about this wonderful work.
Canine Partners is based near Midhurst but you may already have seen the dogs and their trainers out and about in Chichester. Find out more from caninepartners.org.uk.

Chidham WI February meeting
The speaker for the February meeting was Sue Biddle, a graphologist, who gave an introduction to handwriting analysis.

Although the first graphology book was published in Bologna in 1625, it was not until 1919 that “brain writing” was taken seriously in Britain. Graphology is now used in recruitment, forgery detection, compatibility testing, and self-development activities.

Our handwriting is as individual as are our fingerprints and it changes throughout our lives, depending on our experiences and our psychological health. Although we all probably started out with a basic style, spacing and letter formation can dramatically alter the appearance of writing in the adult phase.

Our signatures can range from being purposefully designed (Jimmy Saville) to being totally illegible (late Richard Nixon), but beware - they say a lot about us.

In 1999 communities were invited to create a map in any medium to celebrate the millennium. Caroline ‘volunteered' to design and co-ordinate the project for Chidham using fabric. She showed us her original drawings using maps owned by the County Council, and her overall design incorporating many local landmarks as well as flora and fauna specific to this area.
Over 200 questionnaires were distributed in the village, from which a small group volunteered to work on the map. Caroline produced ‘kits' with clear instructions with fabric so that small sections could be worked on at home and then assembled to create a coherent design. The main techniques used were ‘stitch and flip' patchwork, fabric painting and embroidery.

The subject of the 86 th WI Birthday meeting in December was “Dickens at Christmas”.
Vera Hughes and David Weller from Chester House Productions performed readings in costume from a range of texts, starting with The Pickwick Papers.
The sombre “Christmas Day in the Workhouse” told a heart rending story of starvation in 19th century England, apparently based on the Andover workhouse.
It ended on a lighter note with Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation in “A Christmas Carol” into a generous and enlightened employer to Bob Cratchet.

Everyone was pleased to join in with festive tea and birthday cake. Christmas presents were distributed to everyone as they left.

Chidham WI reaches out across the world!

Our initial contact came via the Chidham and Hambrook Village website and proves the importance of maintaining a vibrant WI input on the world wide web.
This year we made and sold 48 puddings.

September 2011 meeting report

“One Day's Service. A lifetime of Support”

This motto is the bedrock for the work of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Families Association (SSAFA) which works through paid and voluntary workers to support service and ex-service personnel and their families in times of need.

After a short introduction to the history of the Association which was founded in 1885, Michèle Chapman-Andrews went on to describe her work as a voluntary case worker in Portsmouth . She spoke movingly about meeting the needs of service personnel and their families in a practical and friendly way. Anyone who has served in the Forces is eligible for assistance and this extends to their dependents as well. The SSAFA staff deal with housing, debt, the provision of aids for living, respite care and anything else which comes their way. They work with charities and benevolent funds to get access to funds but do not directly allocate money themselves.

This little known charity has been doing amazing work for 125 years and will no doubt continue to be needed in the future.

Chidham WI July meeting

The last meeting before the summer break was a garden party. Thirty eight members enjoyed a Chidham cream tea, raffle, bring and buy, and general social time in one of our member's lovely garden. Hats were worn!

Over the summer break there will be walks and the annual quiz at North Mundham where we will be represented by two teams.

Visits are by appointment; staff members are available to lead the tour and are a fund of information. This is well worth a visit.

The walking group enjoyed a walk and picnic on the Trundle. This was made even more interesting by the sight of the now well known horse's head sculpture being loaded and taken back to Goodwood on a low loader.

At the May meeting we debated the two resolutions which will be presented at our national conference in June. One resolution concerns the development of huge, factory style dairy and pig farms – “ mega farms” – for which planning permission is being sought and the other asks the government to protect local libraries in spite of economic difficulties.

The diverse habitat which supports plants and wildlife in and around Chichester Harbour was the subject of a slide show and talk by Richard Williamson.

Members are familiar with Richard's interesting weekly articles in a local newspaper, so the meeting was very well attended with several people bringing visitors.

The national importance of the harbour and shoreline ecosystems was beautifully illustrated with slides, accompanied by Richard's fascinating explanations and anecdotes. Who will forget the heron hitching a ride on a fish lorry in Holland , taking regular trips from the quayside to Amsterdam, or the chicken travelling on a lorry from Sussex to Edinburgh .
Several members were presented with birthday posies, and a birthday card was given to Oscar who regularly attends our meetings with his grandmother, Margaret Briggs.

Gail is a local photographer who has travelled to many difficult parts of the world. She has become involved in work supporting the SOS Children's Villages which operate in countries undergoing crises and which provide non-governmental aid to children.

First Aid

Chidham and Hambrook can now rest assured as 12 WI members are now ready to leap into action with resuscitation techniques if the need arises! Linda Habgood, a First Aid trainer, kindly donated a free training session this month. Members were brought up to date with current thinking in First Aid and given the opportunity to practice on long suffering dummies.   We also know whether Holby City and Casualty are getting it right. (They aren't)

Denman College

Fourteen members travelled to Marcham, near Oxford for a day visit to the WI college which offers a wide variety of day and residential courses to members and no-members. The college was founded at the end of WW2 with the aim of widening educational possibilities in the field of cooking, craft and lifestyle courses to women. The original house has been added to and the accommodation is now comparable with a good quality modern hotel.

Her love of decorative needlework led her to join a quilting group who raise money for various local charities. A six month project entitled ‘Chinese Whispers' illustrated the creative nature of appliqué and patchwork. It involved small groups of about 6 members. Working in sequence, all six designed and stitched their own sampler inspired by the previous member's work. The finished sequence showed the gradual progression from a simple group of fruit, cheese and a bottle of wine through various beautiful samplers finishing with a picture of a cottage.

Janet was a very informative speaker with a very lively and creative mind, coupled with a very wry sense of humour. The members were very impressed by her beautiful quilts and samplers which illustrated her talk.

Chidham WI web report for January 2011

Our advertised speaker was unable to attend the meeting because of illness. Bob Read stepped into the breach and entertained us all with some rousing games of Housey Housey (Bingo to some!) and a quiz designed to get the brain working after the long holiday. It was much enjoyed by all.

Chidham WI December report
The festive season got started for Chidham WI with an early Christmas lunch at the Park Hotel Chichester. Over forty members enjoyed a traditional meal and good company in pleasant surroundings.

Our meeting on December 14 th was a special occasion as we celebrated our 85th Birthday.

June Moran, the WI advisor attended the AGM and paid tribute to Delph Archer who has retired from the Presidency this year after thirteen years of consecutive service. Delph's enthusiasm and capacity for hard work has contributed hugely to the success of Chidham WI and its continued existence in the village today. Delph was presented with a special book which records her time in office through photographs.

Chidham WI web report October

Diane Levantine from The Snowdrop Trust spoke most movingly about the birth, development and work of the Trust. Their nurses, counsellors and volunteers currently work with eighty four children and their families across West Sussex, providing financial and emotional support to children between the ages of 0 - 19 with serious, life threatening or terminal illness. Formed seventeen years ago, the Trust now raises and spends over £300,000 a year to ensure that help is available when needed. The needs are unique to every family and so is the help which is given. We were all struck by the simple and sane message from Diane – you listen to what people need and want, and then you try to make it happen.

The snowdrop represents” Hope and Consolation” in the language of flowers and that is surely what Diane and her co-volunteers are trying to achieve. We were all very affected by her talk.

www.thesussexsnowdroptrust.com

As part of the St. Mary’s celebration of their 800th year, Chidham WI organized an exhibition of their own archive which covers 85 years of WI presence in the village.

This exhibition, originally compiled by the late Doreen Stewart, provides a fascinating account of the beginnings, development and daily life of families and organizations in the village. As a WI we have added to the exhibition and we hope that our archives will be just as interesting to future generations. A number of visitors enjoyed the opportunity to look at maps and photographs and to read some original minutes from the early days of the WI.

Copies of Doreen Stewart’s book, “Some Aspects of the History of Chidham and Nutbourne”, price £5, can be obtained from Delph Archer or Ann Read.

Chidham WI meeting September 13th At the first meeting after the summer break members met for Alan Green's lecture on the Georgian buildings of Chichester . This fascinating talk held everyone spell bound as Mr Green revealed the secrets of Chichester 's medieval buildings with their later facades and the new Georgian buildings which are so familiar to us today. We all intend to spend time in Chichester looking up to see the Fareham chimney pots which are a feature of the houses in the city!

Sept 18th 2010, Local History, Chidham Village Hall
Are you interested in history? Are you interested in the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people?

Chidham WI is holding an exhibition of maps, photographs, and scrapbooks about the people who have lived and worked in Chidham and the local area for several hundred years. This is a rare opportunity to see artefacts which not usually on public display.

The exhibition will be open from 10am – 4pm on Saturday, 18 th September in Chidham Village Hall. Entry to the exhibition is free.

Chidham WI will be serving coffee and cake in the morning and cream teas in the afternoon.

July meeting

On one of the less good days of the summer, we met in the garden of Bickley for our garden party. However, the threatening rain held off and we all enjoyed a magnificent Chidham cream tea.

Although we do not meet in August, many members will be walking, cycling and swimming as part of the WI TRI challenge. We'll be posting photographs later in the year! We shall also be sending teams to the summer quiz in August and have already held a swop afternoon to exchange fashion gems we no longer need.

The autumn programme will begin on September 14 th with a talk on the history of Chichester by local historian, Alan Green.

A new way of life growing foods without chemicals and modern intensive methods was a dream turned into reality by our speaker, Maggie Haynes.

After a career in the army she bought a field in 2005 and set about putting her ideals into practise. By involving the local community, and in particular the children, the field now has a young orchard, raised vegetable beds, soft fruit, a pond, beehives and a wild flower meadow.

Chidham WI May Resolutions Meeting

The Resolution ”This Meeting urges HM Government to introduce clear and mandatory country of origin labelling on all meat, poultry and fish products sold in this country” was carried unanimously by the meeting after some discussion.
It was felt that we should aspire to the highest standards of animal husbandry and the best possible food production environment for the well being of the population and this would not be achieved without the full and effective backing of legislation.

Monica Sutcliffe from “Pets as Therapy” gave us an interesting outline of the work of the charity. The stars of the show were Layla, a rescued labrador who is already working to lift the spirits of all she visits, and Brodie, a member's labrador who accompanies the walkers regularly.

Brodie was put through a short series of tests to see whether he would be suitable for the work and we were delighted to see him do well.

Gillian Hale, giving the vote of thanks, commented on the atmosphere of relaxation in the room and attributed it to the presence of these lovely dogs.

April meeting
At our April meeting members were entranced by a delightful talk from Richard Williamson on Kingley Vale and its wildlife. We enjoyed his photographs and account of the changes which have taken place over recent years and were kept awake by the intermittent use of bird whistles and calls!

The end of World War 2 celebrated at Chidham School on 25th February

As part of the 800 year celebrations for St Mary's Church, Chidham WI took part in an evening of nostalgia at Chidham School . Our contribution was a short dramatisation of our monthly meeting, which happened to coincide with the broadcast on the wireless that hostilities had ceased.

The short play was written and directed by Michele Chapman Andrews, whose research revealed a preoccupation with food, and the fate of loved ones who were in the armed forces or were prisoners of war. Resourceful women found ways of feeding families on meagre rations. Many kept chickens, and eggs were a good source of protein. Through a series of short sketches these concerns were discussed in the context of a regular WI meeting. The recording of the actual broadcast by the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was a moving finale.

Nineteen members took active parts and a great deal of care was taken to ensure authenticity. Costumes were borrowed from the WI costume collection in North Lodge, Chichester , as well as member's own clothes which were ingeniously ‘reworked'.

Michele insisted on careful preparation for the ‘big night' and everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed the rehearsals.

Chidham WI March web report
for our meeting on 9th March. 

Beauty tips for the older skin

Our speaker, Hannah Churcher, was probably the youngest person who has addressed one of our meetings.  She gave a very informative talk about the care and makeup for the 'mature' skin.

She spoke with some authority, as she had trained for three years in Spain and now works on television programmes such as The X factor and Deal or No Deal. 

Members were eager to question her about the various stars she has 'made up' for television, so we learnt a few trade secrets about well known celebrities.  

Linda Barron volunteered for a 'half makeover' so that we could see the effect of good makeup.  She was clearly delighted with the result.    

Having cancelled the January meeting because of bad weather, members were very pleased to be able to meet together in February. The increasing membership meant that the village hall was filled to capacity to hear Professor Mike Whittle talk about his time working on the Skylab space mission 1973-1974.

Professor Whittle held the meeting spellbound with his talk about his work as a research doctor. His three years at Houston on secondment brought him into contact with all the major players of the time and he was able to show us photographs and film footage which he had taken during launches and space flights. He illustrated his talk with anecdotes and descriptions of the more practical aspects of space flight and we learned that astronauts are rather superstitious people! There is also very little we now do not know about the collection of human waste and how important it is for the research which followed once the astronauts returned to earth! We were also struck by the low tech repairs which were carried out to the Skylab after things had gone wrong on the launch.

This was a really memorable afternoon and very much enjoyed by everyone. Michèle Chapman-Andrews, giving the vote of thanks, spoke for everyone when she said that Professor Whittle had made her understand physics for the first time.