Polegate

POLEGATE WI: At our February meeting, our president Avril Parrini gave members updates on various members who had had falls or operations recently and said they were all progressing well. She asked members for ideas on encouraging new members, as Head Office has asked WIs to try to increase their numbers, with a prize at the end for the most successful. Our members had chosen various charities to which they wished to donate some of our funds and Avril reported that cheques had been sent off. The secretary gave details of the various events coming up, in particular 2 Seafront walks in Brighton and Eastbourne and the Centenary Garden Party and Fair at Fairlight Hall on 6th July. Members were also told of another shop offering a 10 percent discount to WI members, Little Miss Sew and Sew at the Enterprise Centre, which will be very useful for those members interested in crafts. The treasurers gave details of various fundraising efforts made and were also ready to take subscriptions from members who had yet to rejoin.

Avril then introduced our speaker Andy Dinsdale, whose talk was Beach Cleaning – so much for identifying strange things on our beaches, a very topical subject at the moment. It is quite incredible the odd things found and so many are dangerous to marine life. Andy gave one example of a whale found with 30 plastic bags in its stomach. These fill the animal’s stomach and make them think they are full, so they end up starving to death, quite horrific. His experiences certainly made our members stop and think and Avril thanked him for such an interesting and thought-provoking talk. Tea and the raffle followed.

Our meetings are held at 2.15pm at Polegate Community Centre on the second Thursday of each month. We are an informal and friendly bunch, so why not come along and see for yourself, you will be very welcome. Please ring Avril Parrini on 01323 489332 for further information.