The April Fulham WI meeting will take place on Monday 12 April at 7:30pm.  We will be having a Clothes Swap and Knitting evening. 
 
Our speaker/knitting instructor will be Martha from Rowan Yarns.
Rowan Yarns is an internationally renowned company that produces yarns and patterns for hand knitting.  Its name has become synonymous with quality, creativity and variety in terms of the range of colours, designs and fibres available.  It publishes a magazine with patterns and features twice a year and various other pattern brochures, many of which are now collector's items.  It also has knitting experts, or "Design Consultants", on hand in store to assist with any knitting queries.
Martha has been a Design Consultant with Rowan for almost two years.  In that time she has been confronted by so many different knitting queries, which really attests to the intricacy of knitting. She has also given many classes and has seen beginners through to the completion of their first garment.  It has been so much fun and Martha is glad that she gets to work with a hobby she loves.  She is also constantly knitting in her spare time and runs her own knitting group that celebrated its first knitting anniversary with a knitting trip to the yarn shops of Prague.

All knitting supplies will be provided by Fulham WI.

Clothes Swap Details
 
If you wish to take part in the clothes swap, please bring up to 3 unwanted and quality condition items on individual hangers.  For each item you will be given a ticket stub.  15 minutes will then be spent looking over others’ contributions before using your stub(s) to ‘purchase’ an item of your choice.  Clothes and accessories will be swapped separately, however both count toward the total of 3 items.  Any unwanted pieces will be donated to a charity shop.
 
 
As always, the meeting will be in the upstairs room at the Peterborough/Southern Cross pub on the New Kings Road (on the junction of Wandsworth Bridge Road) nearest tube is Fulham Broadway.  Please find here a link to Google Maps for directions.  We look forward to welcoming new members and returning members alike.
 
 
May Meeting Speaker
Monday, 10 May
 
The next speaker will be Mikaela Davies on the Alexander technique.  She will be giving a brief overview of the Alexander  Technique and how it works.  She will explain how it can help not only with specific problems - such as back pain, repetitive strain injuries, and stress - but also its importance in areas such as sport, the performing arts and simple activities such as lifting objects without causing pain or damage..
 
 
Theatre Group: Mrs. Warren's Profession by Bernard Shaw
Wednesday, 19 May from 7:30pm
 
We have 25 discount top-price tickets for £29.50 each, available at the April meeting.  If you can’t make it please email us and we can arrange.

What is Mrs Warren’s profession? Her daughter Vivie has never really known much about her mother. A prim young woman, she has enjoyed a comfortable upbringing, a Cambridge education and a generous monthly allowance. Now she has ambitions to go into Law. Is it conceivable that all this privilege and respectability has been financed from the proceeds of the oldest profession? How will Vivie react when she finds out the awful truth about her mother’s ill-gotten gains?
 
Shaw’s ultimate test of a mother-daughter relationship is one of his most witty and provocative plays. Written in 1894 but banned from performance until the racy 1920s, Mrs Warren’s Profession lays bare the rampant hypocrisy of Victorian society and its constrained morals.
 
Theatre Group Dates
We have set the following dates for 2010 theatre outings.  Please enter them into your diary and we will work out what we want to go and see nearer the time.
 
Tuesday 15th June
Tuesday 14th September
Tuesday 30th November
 
Jewellery Making
Friday, 21 May from 6:30 – 9pm
Come along for the evening and make a beautiful cocktail ring (or two).This is a fun filled, creative class (non-creatives are very welcome!).
Throughout the evening the expert tutor will guide you through the full process of making your ring from scratch. We will use a mixture of crystals beads, pearls and semi-precious stones combined with silver or gold wire to make your statement ring.  Not only is this class a great evening with like-minded others but you will also have a range of pieces to take home with you. Most people make at least 2-3 cocktail rings on the night and it is a great, fun activity to do after work for a relaxing and creative evening.
 
Full payment of £40 is required to book your place.  The fee includes all materials and as much tea, coffee and biscuits as we like.  Venue is near Chancery Lane in the heart of London.
 
 
Polo in the Park
Saturday, 5 June
 
Following the success of last year, we are planning another trip to the Polo in the Park at Hurlingham Park.  More details to follow, however please do let us know if you are interested so that we can get an idea of numbers.
 
Jam making

Saturday, 12 June
The wonderful Betty Domini will again be teaching us how to make jams and chutneys at her school near to Raynes Park.  There will be a Jam Festival at the WI’s Denman College from 20-21 November, so if you are at all competitive please plan to put your newly acquired skills to good use! 
We have 10 spaces left.  Cost is £10 and you can sign up at the April meeting. 

Parsons Green Fair

Saturday, 3 July

Use your skills from the jam making to whip something up for the Parson’s Green Fair!  This is a hugely profitable fundraiser for the Fulham WI, and all donations are welcome.  Individual cakes/cupcakes/cookies are more successful.  If you are unable to attend but would like to contribute, please let us know so that can be arranged.

Fencing Taster

Central London Fencing Club are having another fencing taster on Wednesday 2 June, which will be open to the public.  Details are available on their website.

xFulham WI

The March Fulham WI meeting will take place on Monday 1 March at 7:30pm.  Our speaker will be Captain Henry Finnegan of the Welsh Guards.
 
SPEAKER
Captain Henry Finnegan of the Welsh Guards
"International military operations in Afghanistan since 2001, now known in the UK as OPERATION HERRICK, have increased in size and breadth to match the International Security Assistance Force’s (ISAF) growing geographical intervention.  Initially, ISAF’s mission was not effectively described by the media, and the public thus lacked understanding.  Now there is a huge amount of media attention driven by several factors including the growing casualty figures - attributed to the dire lack of protected mobility; the public‘s concern about Britain’s global political position; and the huge economic pressures.  Whatever the reasons, we are all far more aware of what is going on out there.  However, on return from a deployment in Afghanistan  everyone wants to know what the actual experience was ‘like’.   And that is what I shall cover.
The Welsh Guards Battle Group returned home in October last year after an intense summer tour.  Although I will describe what the Welsh Guards were doing and their operations in Nad e Ali, which is at the heart of the ongoing OPERATION MOSHTARAK, my main focus will be to attempt to give a picture of what life is like on the front line in Afghanistan: the daily routine of a Guardsman, living conditions, interaction with locals, the constant patrolling and operations in severe heat, the morale, the risks of road travel with I.E.D.’s, was there anytime to relax... Essentially, I hope to tell you what we lived through for six months in Afghanistan.”

As always, the meeting will be in the upstairs room at the Peterborough/Southern Cross pub on the New Kings Road (on the junction of Wandsworth Bridge Road) nearest tube is Fulham Broadway.  Please find here a link to Google Maps for directions.  We look forward to welcoming new members and returning members alike.
 
EVENTS
International Women's Day
Monday, 8 March from 10:30am - 2pm
 
This is an important day for many women all around the world. On this day, many people celebrate the achievements and strengths of women.  As part of the NFWI's Women Reaching Women project, this year we will celebrate International Women's Day by supporting Women for Women Internationals' "Join me on the Bridge" campaign. This campaign will bring women together by meeting on bridges all around the world to show that women everywhere are united in building the bridges of peace and development for our global future.
Together we aim to pressure the international community to fulfil its obligations to meet the Millennium Development Goals, promises made by world leaders in 2000. Each has specific targets, most of which are not on track to be fully achieved by 2015, meaning that millions more women die unnecessarily in childbirth, and millions of girls are denied the basic education which would improve their lives and the lives of future generations.
We don't want women and girls to be forgotten. To raise awareness, we will be leading a walk in London at 10:30am from Victoria Embankment Gardens to the Millennium Bridge where all participants will join together on the bridge for a photo opportunity at 12:00. Please do join us for this significant day and show your solidarity with women worldwide. Please bring either a white banner, sheet, piece of fabric or t-shirt (if you are artistic, painted with your vision of peace).  If you would like to attend, please email us with your contact details.
 
Theatre Group : Private Lives Starring Kim Cattrall
Tuesday, 9 March from 7:30pm
 
We are going to see Kim Cattrall in Private Lives at the Vaudeville Theatre.  If you have not already booked, unfortunately we are unable to get any more tickets for this performance.  We do, however, have a waiting list, so please let us know if you would like your name added.
 
 
Fulham WI Archery Taster Session
Saturday, 27 March at 2pm
 
Fun, have-a-go, 1.5 hour archery session at an Islington venue.  Includes a safety briefing to start the session, insurance, equipment hire, individual instruction for each person to shoot the first three arrows, tips and advice from an archery instructor throughout the session. The session lasts for 1.5 hours and they've promised to get everyone hitting the target.
 
Friends are welcome.  The cost is £20 per person, cash or cheques payable to '2020 Archery.'  If you would like to attend, please email us your contact details.  You will also be able to sign up and pay at the March meeting.
 
Possible Event: Fulher's Brewery Tour and Beer Tasting
29 March - 2 April
 
The lovely ladies who run Fulher's Brewery in Chiswick have invited us to attend a tour and beer tasting at the time of our choosing during their annual 'Cask Ale Week,' which is a celebration of Britain's national drink.  This would be an opportunity for women to taste and learn more about beer, and they in turn are interested in learning about the WI.  We will do a count at the March meeting but please do let us know if you are interested and we can arrange.
 
Clothes Swap/Knitting Meeting
Monday, 12 April from 7:30pm
Our next meeting will be a knitting stitch 'n' bitch evening, along with a clothes swap!  More information will be given at the March meeting and a detailed e-mailer will follow.

Possible Addition to Theatre Group: Mrs. Warren's Profession by Bernard Shaw
Wednesday, 19 May from 7:30pm
 
We are able to get discount top-price tickets for £29.50 each if we have enough numbers.  We will be taking names of those interested at the February meeting, but please email us if you know that you would like to see it.
What is Mrs Warren’s profession? Her daughter Vivie has never really known much about her mother. A prim young woman, she has enjoyed a comfortable upbringing, a Cambridge education and a generous monthly allowance. Now she has ambitions to go into Law. Is it conceivable that all this privilege and respectability has been financed from the proceeds of the oldest profession? How will Vivie react when she finds out the awful truth about her mother’s ill-gotten gains?

Shaw’s ultimate test of a mother-daughter relationship is one of his most witty and provocative plays. Written in 1894 but banned from performance until the racy 1920s, Mrs Warren’s Profession lays bare the rampant hypocrisy of Victorian society and its constrained morals.
 
Theatre Group Dates
We have set the following dates for 2010 theatre outings.  Please enter them into your diary and we will work out what we want to go and see nearer the time.
 
Tuesday 15th June
Tuesday 14th September
Tuesday 30th November

xFulham WI Committee

We've got lots of upcoming events on our schedule and would love for you to join us! 

In particular we would like to draw your attention to our next Theatre Group date on Tuesday, 9 March.  Please see below for details:
 
International Women's Day
Monday, 8 March from 10:30am - 2pm
 
This is an important day for many women all around the world. On this day, many people celebrate the achievements and strengths of women.  As part of the NFWI's Women Reaching Women project, this year we will celebrate International Women's Day by supporting Women for Women Internationals' "Join me on the Bridge" campaign. This campaign will bring women together by meeting on bridges all around the world to show that women everywhere are united in building the bridges of peace and development for our global future.

Together we aim to pressure the international community to fulfil its obligations to meet the Millennium Development Goals, promises made by world leaders in 2000. Each has specific targets, most of which are not on track to be fully achieved by 2015, meaning that millions more women die unnecessarily in childbirth, and millions of girls are denied the basic education which would improve their lives and the lives of future generations.

We don't want women and girls to be forgotten. To raise awareness, we will be leading a walk in London at 10:30am from Victoria Embankment Gardens to the Millennium Bridge where all participants will join together on the bridge for a photo opportunity at 12:00. Please do join us for this significant day and show your solidarity with women worldwide. Please bring either a white banner, sheet, piece of fabric or t-shirt (if you are artistic, painted with your vision of peace).  If you would like to attend, please reply to this email giving us your contact details.

Theatre Group : Private Lives Starring Kim Cattrall
Tuesday, 9 March from 7:30pm
 
Tickets are still available for our theatre outing on Tuesday 9 March to see Private Lives with Kim Catterel and Mathew MacFayden at the Vaudeville Theatre (on Strand ) starting at 7.30pm.  We have top price tickets in the stalls with a 20% discount – so we are only paying £39.50 a ticket.
 
We need to confirm numbers by Sunday 14th (and pay for them) so please let us know if you would like to join us.  Cheques to Fulham WI can be sent to Katrina Quinton, 1a Chepstow Hall, 29 Earls Court Square, London SW5 9DB or if not possible brought to the March meeting.
 
Please let us know if you would like to attend by replying to this email with your contact details. 
 
 
Fulham WI Archery Taster Session
Saturday, 27 March at 2pm
 
Fun, have-a-go, 1.5 hour archery session at an Islington venue.  Includes a safety briefing to start the session, insurance, equipment hire, individual instruction for each person to shoot the first three arrows, tips and advice from an archery instructor throughout the session. The session lasts for 1.5 hours and they've promised to get everyone hitting the target.
 
Friends are welcome.  The cost is £20 per person, cash or cheques payable to '2020 Archery.'  If you would like to attend, please reply to this email giving us your contact details. 

x Fulham WI Committee

Author David Waller is giving a free talk on his new, impressively researched and engaging biography of Gertrude Tennant, a formidable 19th Century hostess, entitled "The Magnificent Mrs Tennant".   The talk will be held at Richmond Lending Library on 23rd February from 18.30-19.45. 

David was runner-up in the Biographers' Club Prize 2009 for "The Magnificent Mrs Tennant" and has published two other books.  He currently works as a writer and business consultant.

Here is a teaser about the book:  Gertrude Tennant's life was remarkable for its length, but even more so for the influence she achieved as an unsurpassed London hostess. The salon she established when widowed in her early fifties attracted legions of celebrities. This book recovers the lost life of Gertrude Tennant, drawing on a treasure-trove of recently discovered family papers.

More information about the book can be found via amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Tennant-Runner-up-Biographers-Prize/dp/0300139357/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265203797&sr=1-1

This is not a sponsored event, but Fulham WI members have been invited to attend.  Although the event is free, booking is essential.  Tickets can be reserved either by calling the library on 0208 940 0981 or online via www.richmond.gov.uk/libraries.