Ballabeg Womens Institute

REPORTS from Valerie Kneale (Press Officer)

June 2010 Meeting

The June meeting of Ballabeg WI began by the President, Mary Cringle, welcoming everyone. Mary gave a report from the recent Council meeting held in Douglas, when we were honoured by the presence of Ruth Bond, Chair National Federation W I, coming over from England to talk to us.

The forthcoming summer outing to Milntown was discussed along with arrangements for the Agricultural show.

Best wishes were extended to Janet Southam, who had not been well. Birthdays celebrated in June were Val, Ann, Elsie and Janet. The competition for a vegetable animal was won by Elsie Gawne .

Following the meeting, Mary welcomed the Speaker, Mr John Kennaugh, describing him as a good friend, Capt of the Parish of German, to name but a few of his achievements, but mainly a keeper of the countryside ie a farmer. Members had a wonderful evening, listening to Johns’ happy memories from his childhood. John said he had been a long time supporter of the WI, starting with his Mum. Johns earliest memories went back to happy times living in an isolated farm on the lower slopes of South Barrule. In those days the young respected their elders and life was happy and secure. His memories included country smells, ploughing, the animals and the satisfaction of growing food for other people. Summing up, John thanked God for allowing him to be so fortunate to be a country boy and to have been able to love the countryside, together with its people. He felt fulfilled and contented. He recommended taking an opportunity when presented to you and to follow your dream.

The next meeting is to be held in Ballabeg Parish Hall on July 21st (not the Methodist) when the speaker will be Mr G Corkish.

May 2010 Meeting

Last Wednesday the Ballabeg Womens Institute were given a delightful insight into the National Memorial Arboretum situated in Staffordshire, by member Janet Southam . The Arboretum covers an area of 150 acres consisting of trees, wildlife and in particular Monuments. We were shown photos of some of the most interesting memorials. Members were surprised to learn that there had been 50 conflicts since the end of the Second World War and that 16,000 deaths had occurred of British citizens. The Central point in the Arboretum was a stunning piece of Architecture for all the Armed Forces, this Memorial honoured all who have lost their lives servicing their country. We also heard about the Millenium Chapel of Peace and Forgiveness, this chapel is supported on 12 trunks of Douglas Fir representing the 12 Apostles. At 11 am each day a light shines on the altar followed by a 2 minute silence with a recording of the Last Post and Reveille. Each monument told a tale of heroism and sadness and ranged from the first monument of a Polar Bear in tribute to the 49th Infantry West Riding Division , Burma Railway and the Basra Wall Memorial to name only a few out of a total of approximately 400, including a wall in recognition of the W I movement. The site is now looked after by the Royal British Legion.

Prior to Janets talk we offered birthday congratulations to Margaret Tasker, Delegates were arranged for the forthcoming Council Meeting and arrangements were made for the buying and subsequent planting of flowers at the Ballabeg Railway Halt.

The next meeting sees Mr John Kennaugh talking on Farming Memories, to be held on Wednesday 14th June at Ballabeg Methodist Hall, 7.30 pm.

Ballabeg WI on Tour. - April 2010.

Members met at the Friary in Ballabeg, the ancestral home of our First Lady, wife of the President of Tynwald and Institute President, Mrs Mary Cringle. 24 Members were present in all their finery with posh hats and waving Manx Flags. Each member was given a tipple of white wine and we got on the bus. President Mary Cringle welcomed every one and then read out the Monthly Newsletter.

We all proceeded to Ballabeg in Lonan and then on to the Laxey Pavilion Garden tea rooms for a sumptuous afternoon tea.

Member Mavis Pullen who was celebrating her 80th birthday this month received a lovely pot plant from Mary.

Driver Mr John Webster gave us a potted history of the 60yr old bus called Lady Rossen and we all sat back for a slightly bumpy ride back to Ballabeg and to enjoy the rest of the outing we sang a few traditional bus songs to suit the mood.

A most enjoyable way to spend an afternoon was had by all.

January 2010 Meeting

The January meeting opened with Mary Cringle welcoming and wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

Business matters were discussed before the Speaker for the evening ie Mr Mike Porter, retired Head of Music at Castle Rushen High School, gave a brief but amusing resume of his life. Mr Porter explained that although he came from a musical family his father did not have too much faith in his ability. However Mr Porter went on to prove his seriousness by reading and learning from all the musical books he could find and eventually taught himself to Grade 4 level. Whilst helping in Lancaster Cathedral he was taught to play the organ by a Reginald Dixon, this gentleman was strict but a great mentor and influenced Mikes entry into the Royal Academy. Finishing at the Academy, Mr Porter had many opportunities but eventually went into teaching. This in itself was quite an experience – his first post was in a rough school and following an incident with a student Mr Porter was left feeling he had a protection squad looking after his interests.

Sandra Tasker celebrated the only birthday in January and the competition winners for a Christmas Card were 1st Margaret Tasker, 2nd Elsie Gawne and 3rd Doreen Young.

The February meeting will be held in Ballabeg Methodist Hall on February 10th and all will be made welcome.

Christmas Party

Last week the Ballabeg Ladies had an enjoyable party, when they were joined by members of neighbouring Institutes. After time for a general chat and a chance to get to know one another the group were entertained by The Young Magicians of Mann who gave an excellent and Polished performance. Including the illusion of cutting a guest in two and a member losing her Head. A wonderful supper was served and the evening finished with the organising committee Singing We wish you a Merry Christmas. Everyone received a gift as they left for home The next meeting is to be held on January 13th when all existing and new members will be made Most welcome.

Before the party commenced a Cup was presented by The President Mary Cringle to Elsie Gawne and Janet Southern who were joint winners of the Yearly Competition.

September Meeting

Members at the last meeting of the BALLABEG Womens Institute were informed on the role of a Befriender. Marie Porter the Southern Scheme coordinator came along to the meeting. She explained that the role of a Befriender was to offer help to the isolated and elderly people (over 60) in the community either by visiting their homes or by offering practical advice.

The Befrienders role is to chat to people and help out with tasks that the users cannot do themselves. They offer advice and help to organise community gatherings eg lunches and parties.

To become a Befriender a candidate would be interviewed for suitability, have a period of training and then be matched to a possible user with similar interests. The user having given their permission first.

With regard to fund raising people of all ages are encouraged to help, in particular students and school children - where long lasting relationships have been formed.

The competition for the evening was for a teacup filled with sweets - these cups would eventually be given to Users as Christmas presents. The competition winners were 1st Doreen Young. 2nd Carol Bridson and 3rd Elsie Gawne.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 14th October.

The last couple of months have gone by very quickly in the Ballabeg WI. In May a few members attended the Annual General Meeting where we learned that our member Janet Southam had won the Bursary which awarded her with financial assistance for a trip to Denman College. After the business was dealt with we had an entertaining talk from the guest speaker, Mrs Pat Ashcroft, on her experiences and escapades whilst treking through the wilderness of Patagonia.

The meeting in June saw Mr Phipps produce a film presentation from this travels in Thailand. We were shown many slides of exquisite temples and buildings including parks, flowers, scenes from markets, The Khwae Bridge and a Budhist Palace. He also showed us scenes from a snake farm and crocodiles. The show was concluded by a beautiful sunset taken on a night time river cuise. Mr Phipps final scenes were from his wedding, where he married his Thai Bride! All in all it was a very entertaining evening.

The July meeting covered a Fashion through the ages Show - when Mrs Caldwell showed us a small part of her collection of clothes that she had been given over the years. The collection was extensive and went back over 150 years, including underwear, wedding dresses, hats, jewellry, day-dresses and clothing from the war years. A number of the items were complete with the history of their origins.

Many members took part the in the Agricultural Show both in the exhibition tent and helping provide refreshments.

An enjoyable walk was held last Monday when we strolled through the glen at Glen Helen and finished the evening off with an enjoyable supper in the Hotel. Hopefully more walks will be planned in the future.

Our forthcoming August meeting is to be an outing to the show The King and I - with tea at the Gresham Hotel first.

May Resolutions Meeting

A world without bees could mean we have 4 years of life left! Ballabeg WI unanimously supported the National Resolution to help save the Honey Bee. The Honey Bee plays a vital role in the pollination of food crops and in view of their accelerating decline in the United Kingdom the WI are urging the British Government to increase funding for research into their healthand to increase awareness of their problems.

Members have had a busy month - many attending courses and craft classes. During the meeting members were entertained by fellow members who related stories of past experiences eg Mrs Cringle, the President, told us about her experiences from the 1982 flood when their house was filled with 3-5ft water sweeping her off her feet. Margaret Tasker then told members of how she had a life long ambition to travel on Concord, this was achieved in Dec. 1999 when she travelled to NY at 350 mph. Ann Cottier showed us a small part of her 80 strong collection of owls and finally two more members told us amusing stories of thieir experiences while nursing.

Margaret Tasker was the only member to celebrate a birthday. The next meeting will see Mr Phipps taking us on a "Trip to Thailand" All old and new members will be made most welcome. All in all everyone had a very entertaining evening.

Our Speaker for the April Meeting was Mr Roy Wilson from the Lions Club. Mr Wilson explained that the Isle of Man branch was part of the International Organisation, which was first founded in 1917 in the USA. The organisation has a membership of over 42 thousand and operates in 205 locations. The Club has been running in the Isle of Man for 40 years and has the full backing of the Department of Health and Social Security The group are non political and non sectarian. They provide a service for the local communites, eg they were instrumental in the
creation of the gardens at Newlands as well as helping out needy families when requested to do so.

Birthdays for the month were celebrated by Doreen Young, Annette, Berry and Mrs Hebron and Mavis Pullein.
Competition winners for a Handy Hint were won by Ann Cottier, Tricia Bull and Brenda Kneale.

The next meeting is to be held on13th May which will be a Members Evening, when the Resolutions for the forthcoming AGM will be discussed. We will also have a trading stall.

In closing the Womens Institute have been instrumental in the provision and positioning of a seat at the Ballabeg Railway Station and will shortly be planting the flowers in the tubs - as we did last year.

For the month of March, Mary welcomed back a previous member Mrs Kathleen Lowey. After the business had been discussed our President welcomed a well known friend, Mrs Elsie Faragher who showed us many slides from a holiday she had had in Malayasia. Her talk started off by remembering Manx Airlines - when we would be handed around sweets for the journey. Elsie did the same for us, before we set off on our journey to Malayasia! Elsie had many beautiful slides including various forms of religious temples, mosques, scenes, plant life and buildings, not forgetting a wedding celebration which she and her husband were invited to take part in. We were left with the impression that Malayasia was a very clean and well organised country. The slide show finished with a magnificent sun set. Gill gave the vote of thanks and hopes that one day she may visit the country.
Competion winners - for an Item of Jewellery - were 1st Katherine Bridson, 2nd Gill Thompson and 3rd Peggy Corkish.
Birthdays celebrated during March were Jenny Cain, Katherine, Brenda, Edwina, Glynis and Mary.
Our next meeting is to be held on 8th April when the Speaker will talk on the Work of the Lions Club.

Our February  meeting was held on 11th.  Our President Mary Cringle welcomed everyone including a guest from Tennesse - Mrs Linda Campbell- apparently Mrs Campbell has been coming over to the Island for 26 years.   After the business Mary Cringle then welcomed our speaker - Doctor Linda Cottier - a retired School Teacher.  Mrs Cottier talked to us on the Works of Archibald Knox.  She showed us many examples of his works consisting of Norse, Celtic and Art Nouveau Designs.  His specialities were sketching and designing.  He spent time at Liberty & Co, London designing work for them before returning to live on the Island.  He will be particularly remembered at St Ninians High School where he was commissioned to  compose an illustrated Book of Remembrance in memory of those who previoulsy attended the school  and in particular past pupils who died in the Great War.  This book can still be seen today at the School.  A distinctive design on this book are birds  - if the birds beaks were open the person was still alive and if closed the person had died during the War.  All members were enthralled with the evening and a vote of thanks was given by Mrs Margaret Tasker.   Birthdays celebrated during February are Rene Paradise and Margaret Gale.   The competion for A Piece of Manx Pottery was won by Doreen Young.   Our next meeting is to be held on llth March when the Speaker will be Mrs E Faragher.

January 2009 Meeting

The Ballabeg Womens Institute held their January meeting on the 14th January.  A larger number of members turned out on what could only be described as a wet and windy evening.The Speakers for the evening were Delaine Mylchreest and Su Collins who entertained us with humorous sketches and poems , which were extracts from books written by Pam Ayres, Victoria Wood and Joyce Grenfell.  We all had many laughs.   Sandra Tasker and Rose Mary Woods celebrated birthdays.  Competition winners were 1st Janet Southern,2nd Elsie Gawne and 3rd Jenny Cain.  

Our next meeting is to be held on 11th February and all old and new members will be made most welcome.  Speaker Dr Linda Cottier on Archibald Knox.

A little reminder - our  Annual Concert is to be held on February 27th and 28th in the Parish Hall - ring 823357 for tickets.

August 2008 Outing

The Ballabeg WI had an enjoyable night out for their August meeting attending the Gaiety to see Guys and the night was enjoyed greatly by all.

September 2008 Meeting

  For the September meeting there was a minute silence in memory of 3 long standing members - Mrs Mary Cringle, Mrs Rene Curphey and Mrs Beryl James - a sad time for all.  Our speaker for the evening was John Phipps who gave a talk on Angkor Watts - which was slides on Temples in Cambodia and slides on Christmas Markets in Lubenka.   We also welcomed a new member - Mrs Hebron Dawson.  

October 2008 Meeting

  The October meeting was held last week when 19 members were present after the singing of Jerusalem the  business was discussed before welcoming Jim Cottier who was helped by his wife Ann  to give us a slide show and talk about his recent Cycle Tour of Ireland .  The trip started in Dublin to raise money for the charity - "Wish upon a Dream".  This charity is for terminally ill children.  Jim road approximately 100 km a day in predominantly wet conditions, completing 1011kms in 10 days and travelling through 20 Counties.  Ann who accompanied Jim was enjoying the trip and treated the event as a holiday!   They had their own tent which was pitched at various places each night.  One of the places visited was .Ballamonay the home of Joey Dunlop  and the Giants Causeway - which was a much smaller area than they expected.  The trip finished in Belfast.  The total money pledged to date for the effort is £2,800.   The vote of thanks was given by Marg Tasker who was quick to tell Jim that our weather was no better here than it was in Ireland!   Birthdays for the month were Eileen Fidler, Carol Bridson and Jen Sleight.   Competition winners were- Jenny Cain, Edwena Reid and Eileen Fidler - the subject being a holiday Souvenir.

  The next meeting is 12th November which will be the Annual General Meering.  All members urged to attend.  

July 2008 Meeting

Our meeting for July was opened by Mrs Mary Cringle who welcomed Elaine Ronan as a guest.

The business was discussed and arrangements were finalised for our entry in the Southern Agricultural Show.
Our outing, which will cover our next months meeting, is a trip to the Gaiety Theatre to see " Me & My Gal" after
having tea at the Gresham Hotel.

Kath Fargher was our only member to celebrate a birthday this month.

The competion for a Storm Photograph was won by Mary with Kath Faragher and Carol Bridson being 2nd and 3rd.

The Raffle was won by Carol Bridson.

The Speaker for the evening was Brian Rae who gave us an interesting talk on the weather. Brian told us that he was not only trained in weather forecasting but had to have media training as well. He jokingly told us that in his early days on the media front, to help build confidence, he was told to be go back to the Island and promote the Womans Institute!! Weather effects our lives in many ways and the science has certainly progressed since the days of Magnetic Symbols to Satellite imaging. Brian agreed that long range forecasting still had a long way to go but the short term forecasting was now quite accurate.

Refreshments and general "chatter" followed before the evening closed.

May 2008 Meeting

The meeting was taken by Mary Cringle and Janet played the piano.   Members were advised by Mary Cringle that the flower tubs were in place at the Railway station and that we all should pay a visit and a rota was drawn up for watering.   Rosemary Woods gave a report, following her visit to the National AGM in Liverpool.  The resolution on Bottom Trawling was defeated in its present form but the motion for Mental Health Patients in Prison was  passed.  

Our speaker for the evening was Mr Juan Watterson who gave us a talk on his first year as a MHK.  He  told us his interest in politics went back to an early age and  that he took part in the Junior Tynwald whilst still at School.  He obtained his degree as a Chartered Accountant at Lincoln University and whilst there he took part in the Commonwealth Youth Parliament.  When standing for a MHK in 2006 he had no great expectations at getting into Government. He thoroughly enjoyed the 3 months taken off work for canvassing and had many interesting moments whilst visiting over 3500 houses. He had experience in rescuing sheep, helping a lady instal a telephone - who thought he was a Manx Telecom Engineer also chatted to a man from the other side of the bathroom door!  He was delighted, but shocked to find that he not only was successful in getting into Government but also topped the Poll.   He described the various duties he now carries out including sitting on numerous committees.  His main achievements to date saw the DHSS coming onto Budget , the use of rail cards on the railway for the TT period, Social aspects on Immigration to name a few. 
He concluded his witty and enlightning talk by saying that there was a lot of fun as well as hard work sitting in Tynwald.  

The competion for the month for an Unusual Coin was  won my Annette Berry, 2nd Mavis Pullein and 3rd Mary Cringle.   The meeting concluded with Brenda Kneale giving the vote of thanks.

  Our next meeting is to be held in the Arbory Parish Hall on July 16th when Brian Rae with be giving a talk on Weather Forecasting.   All welcome

April 2008 Meeting

The April Meeting was held on Wednesday 9th and was taken by Gill Thompson. Gill welcomed two new members i e Carol Bridson and Elsie Gawne.

During the business section, members were advised that the proposed idea to put Flower Tubs at the Ballabeg Railway Station was welcomed by the Commissioners and that they they would also like to contribute. The date of 12th June was agreed for the College Lunch. Invitations had been received from Port St Mary and St Marks District W I to attend a birthday lunch and a Roman Orgy respectively.

Birthdays for the month were Annette Berry, Mavis Pullein, Rosemary Woods and Doreen Young.

The competition for "A Perfume Bottle" was won by Sandra Tasker, who also got a second, 3rd place going to Doreen Young.

Our Speaker for the evening was Gillian Wilson from the Macmillan Nurses. Gillian gave us an enlightning talk on the Macmillan Nurses. The organision was a registered Charity and the Isle of Man shared the same network as Merseyside. The orgainisation was originally formed in 1911 following the Death of a Douglas McMillan. His son watched his father suffer and die from cancer. As a consequence Mr Macmillan Jnr formed the Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer. From this point more information and advise was made available to all people with cancer, working with the help of voluntee nurses.
The organisation today prides itself on giving Practical, Medical, Emotional and Financial support and pushes for better cancer care working alongside or with the National Health Service. Not only do they help patients but also help the carers and families. Today there are paid nurses carrying out the work and the organisation relies heavily on donations for their income. They could not do what they do without this financial support.
With improvements in screening, diagnosis and treatment , more and more people are living with cancer for longer. They often spend less time in hospital and more time at home.

There are numerous information leaflets availlable within the Island and during Tynwald Week there is to be Mobile Infomation bus travelling around the Island.

The vote of thanks was given by Anne Cottier.

Our next meeting is be held on 14th May and as usual all will be made most welcome.

March 2008 Meeting

The March meeting was held on 12th March when our Speaker for the evening, Doreen Bromwich, a previous Federation Secretary, gave us an interesting talk on the Womens Institute Archives.  This was based on "To Keep or Not to Keep"  The main points being that all records should be kept that had any Evidential Value, i e Minutes and Account record books, Personal items belonging to our own WI  Institute  i e photos and tropies should of course be kept.  Doreen warned us about the risk of using staples and pins as these rust.  Also to label and date all photographs.  A lot of National  W I keepsakes are kept in the Womens Library in London.  

The competion for the evening - for an Old Programme was won be Annette Berry, 2nd Tricia Bull and 3rd Mary Cringle - Tricia's actually being the oldest at 1928 on Rushen Abbey Gardens.  

Birthdays for the month were Brenda Kneale, Glenys Beech, Edwina  Reid, Jenny Cain, Cathrine Bridson and Mary Cringle.   The raffle was won by Jenny Cain.

  During the business section of the meeting it was decided that our Summer Outing would be a visit to the Gaiety to see "Me and My Girl"  with supper at the Sefton on 6th August 2008.  

Our next meeting is to be held 9th April when the Speaker will be Gillian Wilson who will talk about the MacMillan Nurses. As usual all old and new members will be made most welcome.  Meetings start at 7.30 p.m. at the Ballabeg Methodist Hall

February 2008 Meeting

The monthly meeting for February was delayed due to the rehersals for the Concert.  It was held on 27th February.   Our president Mary Cringle opened the meeting by thanking everyone for making the Concert a huge success.  During the business section, it was decided that we would  be entering  the Southern  Agricultural Show competition.   The Speaker for the evening was Donald Gellion who gave us a talk  and slide show entitled "Manx Bits and Pieces".  He had a tremendous amount of interesting facts and a wealth of knowledge especially on the South of the Island.  One particular point of interest was a picture of a milestone in Douglas where distances to other towns ware taken from.  This stone is near the Sea Terminal.  

Birthdays for the month were  -  Mrs Rene Curphey,  Margaret Gale,  Edith Cannell , Rene Paradise.  

The competion was won by  - Sandra Tasker,  2nd  Brenda Kneale and 3rd Margaret Gale.  

Our next meeeting is to be held on Tuesday 12th March when Doreen Bromwich will be talking about the W I Archives. On the 9th April Gillian Wilson will be talking on the MacMillan Nurses.  AS USUAL ALL WILL BE MADE MOST WELCOME. the meetings strart  at 7.30 pm in the Ballabeg Methodist Chapel Hall.  

January 2008 Meeting

Our January meeting was opened by our newly appointed President Mrs Mary Cringle, who welcomed us all
and wished everyone a Happy New Year. After the business was completed we were entertained by
Angela Peacock - a former West End Dancer. Angela gave us a mixture of stories about her experiences with
extracts from some of the musicals that she performed in. She told us many amusing stories of jokes that had
taken place during performances (which she hoped the audience did not see) - including one about a kipper left under
a piano for a week!! The vote of thanks was given by Mrs P Bull who said she appreciated what went on behind the
scences, having been on the local stage herself.

Refreshments were then served and the results of the competition for a Silk Rose were announced. The winner
being Mrs Brenda Kneale followed by Mrs Peggy Corkish and Mrs Kath Fargher.

Birthdays for the month were for Mrs Sandra Tasker and Miss Rosemary Wood. Sandra also won the raffle,
held to raise money for the Bursary fund.

The next meeting will be 13th February at at Ballabeg Methodist Hall starting at 7.30 p.m. The Speaker will be
Donald Gellion. All existing and new members will be made very welcome.

Christmas Party

Our Christmas Party was held on Wednesday 12th December at the Ballabeg Methodist Hall. Various invited guests from other Institutes attended and a good time was had by all. We set the evening off with a quiz and Irish bingo to get everyone relaxed. We then enjoyed a buffet that had been prepared by the members and the evening finished with a visit from Father Christmas and concluded with a rendering of "We wish you a Merry Christmas."

Press Officer: Val Kneale Tel 822731