Poringland's 100th Birthday.

Poringland WI 1920 - 2020

On May 13th Poringland WI celebrated its Centenary very differently to the plans the committee had been planning. Our local Radio station was contacted and gave us a nice mention. We also received a letter from the Queen; it appears the Queen does not send cards to organisations, only people, for special occasions. There was also a small keepsake of a special printed chocolate square.

Unfortunately the party with a cooked meal for all members and a Jazz band for the evening's entertainment had to be cancelled. Instead several members got together to make a toast to the WI going forward to the next hundred years via Zoom.

I wonder what new technology will be in place by then and how the WI will celebrate it. Thanks to the Norfolk WI News being sent vial email and many of our members contacting each other by phone, we have managed to keep in contact with our members while we have not been able to have official meetings. Congratulations to all other WIs who have anniversaries this year. Lets hope we can all be together soon but until then ‘Stay Safe’

Pam Cooper

Update during Covid

The last few months have seen Poringland WI change their way of how to keep in touch with members when the meetings had to start being cancelled.

It was agreed all members especially those who live on their own received phone calls from committee members as everyone appreciated a friendly chat. Birthday flowers have been replaced by delivering Birthday cards.

Poringland is also lucky to have 25 of its members on line which has enabled us to forward the Norfolk WI News directly to them along with our monthly newsletters, other  members have received printed copies. This method has been repeated with all the correspondence received from the office especially information on scams, our magazine editor also included a quiz one month with answers provided in the next months newsletter.

Our February meeting  was a craft evening and members designed Triangles for bunting to be used at our 100 year celebrations on May 13th. Unfortunately the party was cancelled, however the day has some nice memories; early in the morning the local radio congratulated us on our centenary, every member received a commemorative chocolate and we received a letter of congratulations from the Queen.

In the afternoon several members proved they are ready to keep up with  technology  and we joined up via Zoom for a toast and sang Jerusalem. Several people singing together proved to be a challenge as the singing was not in sync.
The committee has now held a meeting/chat by Zoom several times.

Other activities that have been taking place are making laundry bags for nurses and
adding additional embroidery to our top table cloth marking our Centenary Year along with stitching the bunting together on the tape ready for nexts year's delayed celebrations.
Pam Cooper.

WI GET TOGETHER AUGUST 12TH @ 2PM.

August 12th meet outside on grass behind the Community Centre weather permitting (only cancelled if raining) please bring your own chairs. Time from 2pm. Unfortunately there will be no toilet facilities in use at centre, also car sharing/lifts for members will have to be arranged by themselves as WI cannot be reasonable for lifts taking place.

Wymondham Walk January 2020

Several WI members enjoyed a walk around Wymondham and the Abbey, we finished with a very enjoyable meal at the Station Restaurant.


   

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Whitlingham Walk.2019

WI Jumble Sale January 11th 2020

Event.

CATEGORY                JUMBLE SALE

EVENT START.          10:30 to 11:30  (open from 9am for Donations) 

DATE.                          SATURDAY  JANUARY 11th 2020

VENUE NAME            

PORINGLAND COMMUNITY CENTRE .

OVERTONS WAY. 

PORINGLAND.

NORWICH. 

NR14  7WB

WI Subscription 2020

 The subscription is set at £43.

 The WI subscription year runs from January to December.

 New members joining the WI for the first time, i.e. who have not previously been a member of any WI in the past 10 years, will pay a pro-rata subscription depending on the quarter in which they join. The rate per quarter is shown in the following table:

    Date of joining 2020
       Total subscription fee
     1 Jan – 31 Mar
 £43.00

     1 Apr – 30 Jun
   £32.25
     1 Jul – 30 Sep
      £21.50

    1 Oct – 31 Dec
  £10.75

  WI members can belong to more than one WI, by paying the full membership fee to the first WI, and a further £21.10 to any additional WIs at any time of the year. There is no pro-rata rate for dual membership.

 WI subscription and dual fees are paid directly to the WI/s you wish to join.

Joint Visit of Wednesday Club and WI to Peter Beales Rose Gardens.on July 3rd 23019.

July's meeting was our annual outing which this year was to Peter Beales Rose Garden  for a talk and tour of gardens followed by lunch .     We were shown how to T-bud new varieties and help to keep the rose trees available for sale at the nurseries. This is a very interesting procedure you require a rootstock plant  select a flowered shoot about 30cm with three or four growth buds. Remove the foliage, cut away a healthy bud with a strip of bark extending about  2.5cm above and below bud. Cut the root stock just deeply enough to pierce the bark and make a T-shaped  incision at a height of 15-30cm, ease the flat of the T outwards, insert bud secure using a rubber binding,  when shoot develops in the spring cutoff growth above bud.   We then walked around garden with our excellent guide discussing the many gorgeous roses and learning  that they had won a gold at Chelsea flower Show again this year, bringing the total gold medals won to 20.

Walk on June 18th 2019

Several members, husbands and friends enjoyed a very informative walk by Lesley around Caistor St Edmund in very nice weather

After the walk we  all enjoyed a very nice lunch at the Dove.

Caistor St Edmund is a village and former civil parish on the River Tas, now in the parish of Caisto St Edmund and Bixley, near Norwich.  The parish covered an area of 6.55 square kilometres (2.53 sq mi) and had a population of 270 in 116 households at the 2001 census,^[1][2] the population increasing to 289 at the 2011 Census.^[3] On the 1st of April 2019 the parish was merged with Bixley to form Caistor St Edmund and Bixley.^[4]

Caistor St Edmund
St Edmund's church, Caistor St Edmund

Venta Icenorum (Classical Latin: literally "marketplace of the Iceni",^[2] Caistor St Edmund was the capital of the Iceni Iceni tribe, who inhabited the flatlands and marshes of that county and are famous for having revolted against Roman rule under their queen Boudica in the winter of AD 61.

The town itself was probably laid out, and its first streets metalled, approximately in the first half of the second century.and a mile or two from the Bronze Age henge at Arminghall.  It lies on the River Tas.

Best foot forward

Bad back so taking a rest

Church in back ground

Lesley waiting for rest of us to catch. up.

Hidden Tunnels and Walk around Norwich. May 2019

Journey below the streets of Norwich to discover curious tunnels and hidden undercrofts

12 of us travelled below Norwich’s streets to discover what lies below The Missing Kind headquarters in Castle Meadow.

Its a perfect example of the city’s hidden history, two flights of stairs below the street are tunnels which may or may not lead to Norwich Castle, a 15th Century undercroft and evidence of two houses which date back to medieval times.

There’s also lots to discover above ground where you learn about the history of Ponds shoe shop, which used to be located in the building.

The picture below is a view from the Ribs of Beef where we had lunch

Dragon Hall

Dragon Hall is a Grade-1 listed medieval merchant's trading hall located in King Street, Norwich, Norfolk close to the River Wensum, and since 2015 home to Writers' Centre Norwich. It is thought to be unique in being the only such trading hall in Northern Europe owned by one man. The building stands close to the River Wensum on King Street, the main road through the city in the fifteenth century, with excellent river transport links via Yarmouth to the Low Countries, Flanders and the Germanic states. Dragon Hall is now acknowledged as one of Norwich’s medieval architectural gems and an iconic building in the city.

The Great Hall on the first floor was built in the 15th century, but some parts of the site are much older. Archaeological research shows evidence of a Saxon hut c. 1000 beneath the Hall. On the northern part of the site, in the late 13th century, the Abbey of Woburn in Bedfordshire had a fish processing operation with various outbuildings and a track to a staithe or quay on the River Wensum. There was also a boundary wall with a large brick arch to give access to King Street. In about 1330 an L-shaped domestic 'hall house' owned by John Page, was built on the southern part of the site with an undercroft and an entrance on the south side from Old Barge Yard.

In about 1427 Robert Toppes, a Norwich merchant, re-developed the site as a commercial complex. He built his first floor trading hall on top of part of the 14th century domestic hall house and on top of the existing boundary wall and brick arch. He retained the 14th century entrance to the hall house for his customers. From the entrance passage his customers went up a new staircase to the first floor trading hall. This was a timber construction of seven bays with a crown post roof, decorated with carvings in the spandrels of 14 dragons. The hall was constructed with English oak, using some 1,000 trees. Clearly Toppes wanted to impress his customers. At the rear of the building he created a yard space with access to the river for his imports and exports, a warehouse area under the hall and a new stairway down to the extended undercroft from the yard. Part of the hall house was retained as a ground floor reception area.

Centenary Salver - Saturday 6th April 2019

THEME CELEBRATION

A freestanding display to include your choice of five items from the following classes, which will be judged individually. 1 Fresh floral exhibit 2 Handmade card (no envelope or inside greeting) 3 five decorated fancies 4 Piece of hand embroidery 5 six confectioneries in a box 6 Item of crochet 7 Handmade jewellery (any medium) 8 Gift wrapped item (any medium)

Poringland WI. 5th Place

1st.

3rd

2nd

4th

WI Walk March 2019

After meeting at the church in Mulbarton we set off for a circle walk through very pleasant farmland, we crossed over a lake walking over very old wooden planks where the swan pictured was majestically swimming, a large tree had fallen during the high winds a few weeks ago hence another photo.  The banks were full of yellow flowers and the weather was very kind to us. The walk finished with a very enjoyable lunch and natter and everyone saying they had enjoyed themselves. 

February's WI walk around Norwich

Several members and 3 husbands enjoyed this months walk around Norwich on a lovely warm sunny day.
We met outside John Lewis and walked down Timberhill and learnt the history of the Gardeners Arms (Murderers).The licence of the pub can be traced back to 1841.
Down to London Street into Princess Street to Tombland via all the small lanes that we walk pass daily. Walked along the Quayside into Cowgate, passed the Art collages back up to  Bedford Street, stopping at St John Maddermarket where we were lucky to  meet a guide 
who gave us a short talk  on the church ending the walk with lunch at the Guildhall Cafe.

Bowls Development Alliance News: WOMEN’S INSTITUTE PARTNER WITH WOMEN CAN

WOMEN’S INSTITUTE PARTNER WITH WOMEN CAN

The Bowls Development Alliance is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with the National Federation of Women’s Institute (NFWI).

The partners will be working together across the country to provide opportunities for WI members to get involved in the sport of bowls. This project is part of the national WOMEN CAN project which aims to encourage more women to play bowls, coach bowls and volunteer in bowls.

Currently only 39% of the bowling club population in England are women, and this campaign has been developed to increase that number to 45% by 2021.

Anna Coulson, WOMEN CAN lead, said: “We are very excited to be working with the Women’s Institute on this project to encourage more women to become involved in the sport. We hope that we can inspire more women to join the bowling community and enjoy the playing and social opportunities the sport has to offer.”

Lynne Stubbings, Chair of the NFWI, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Bowls Development Alliance on this exciting new project which will inspire and empower WI members to become involved and participate in the sport of bowls. This programme is open to all members, regardless of age or ability and we hope that it’ll be successful in increasing the percentage of women in the English bowling community. For members who already have an interest in bowls, and others that have never played the game before, the programme will offer fun, friendship and a chance to get active outside of WI meetings.”

For more information on this exciting new programme and the WOMEN CAN campaign please contact Anna Coulson anna@playbowls.org or visit the Play Bowls website where the campaign video can be viewed at www.playbowls.org/womencan showcasing what the sport can offer women of all ages.