May 2026

A Message from Kate

It was lovely to see so many of you at the April meeting where we learnt about the lives of the brave women of the SOE during WW2.

Since then we have received the sad news about the sudden death of Pat Martin, which has been a shock to us all. Pat had been an active member of our WI for many years; she regularly attended the monthly meetings and also supported our trips out, the lunch club and other activities. Pat was a valued committee member for a while and kept us on our toes, especially regarding the needs of members who may need extra support. She was always ready to contribute at the monthly meetings and never let her health issues affect her social activities. She will be missed.

I would like to express our thanks to Krysia for her brilliant mystery raffle prizes. Her ideas are incredibly innovative and last month’s, which was related to spies, was amazing, so thank you Krysia.

May’s meeting is about the Resolutions and whether we support them or not. There will also be a session about IT, we will be asking you for ideas for speakers etc., choosing our new charity to support and drawing out names for the bursary winners for this year. I look forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes

Kate

Birthday Greetings

Many happy returns to members celebrating their birthdays in May

Sue J., Shirley Shaw, Jane, Norma, Victoria, Emma

IMPORTANT NOTICE-Register and Evacuation Procedure-It is important that you sign in BEFORE finding a seat at the beginning of the meeting. This is for your safety as, if we have missed adding you to the register and we have to evacuate the building, we will not have an accurate record of who is in attendance. This also applies if you arrive late or leave the meeting early. Please let Linda McD. know (or Sally in Linda’s absence). Our evacuation meeting point is on the field opposite the car park entrance.

Monthly Meeting

Thursday, 21st May

7.30pm

Resolutions, IT support and choice of charity

Rota Volunteers- Door-Deborah   Cake-Margaret L.   Raffle-Margaret L  Meet & Greet-Ann L., Krys

We would be grateful if those of you on meeting duties please arrive by 7.15pm. If you are unable to attend the meeting please contact Linda McD. so that she can send out an email to fill the slot. Thank you.

April Meeting Report-Attendance: Members-35  Visitors-2  Income: Visitors-£10  Raffle-£47  Cakes-£15

Raffle

June Meeting-Birthday Social-Our coming of age party with fun, games and cake.

Reminder-The bar at the Sports Club is card only. Please note that tap water is freely available from the bar.

Heatons WI News.

Renewal Forms-All forms have been collected/delivered. Please complete and make payment as soon as possible if you have not already done so.

Charity Nominations-We have only received one nomination which is from the fundraising group.

Transport for Sick Children (TFSC).

TFSC were founded in 1977 by a retired paediatric nurse. Transport for Sick Children  covers the whole of Greater Manchester but aren’t restricted by borders and will take children further afield if necessary. Based in Broadstone Mill they rely on volunteer car owner/drivers to provide the service. These volunteer drivers transport accompanied children to appointments and then either wait or return later to take the family home. The service is free to all children attending an organised appointment. Volunteers are reimbursed their fuel costs but give freely of their spare time. Some drivers carry out one journey a month, others are on the road most days of the week.

We would like the Heatons WI to contribute to this very needy charity .

Heatons Film Club-Emma and Annette are setting up a film club. This will be monthly, depending on films available. There will be a signup sheet at this month’s meeting for those interested in joining.

CFWI Quiz-Congratulations to the quiz team who have made it through to the final.

 Toppers-As part of our 18th birthday celebrations we are hoping to dress the post boxes around the Heatons, showcasing what we do. If you would like to be involved please get in touch with Sally or Linda. If you have any contributions please bring them to this month’s meeting. Thank you.

Quiz Group-Would anybody like to set up a Heatons WI quiz group? There are quizzes around the Heatons, for example at Rocksalt each Tuesday evening, and we wondered if members would be interested. Please contact Angela B if you are interested.

Pat Martin-Pat’s funeral will be held on 3rd June at 10.30am at St Winifred’s Church, Heaton Mersey followed by the New Chapel at Manchester crematorium.

Raffle Prizes-We are always in need of prizes for our monthly raffle. If you have any new and unused items to donate please see Perveen. Please note that if you bring an item to the monthly meeting it will not go into that evening’s raffle. Perveen will hold it over until another meeting.

Heatons WI Events

Saturday, 27th June-Trip to Harrogate. Unfortunately due to a low take up of places on the trip we are having to raise the price to £15 and we are also opening it up to friends and family at a cost of £20. Please contact if you wish to book a place. If we do not have more members going we will have to cancel.

 ‘Harrogate is a charming spa town perfect for relaxing, featuring the historic Turkish Baths, relaxing walks in the Valley Gardens, and afternoon tea at the famous Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms. Visitors can also explore the Royal Pump Room Museum to learn about the town’s spa history, browse boutiques in the Montpellier Quarter, and visit the nearby RHS Garden Harlow Carr.’ Members of the RHS can take another adult into the gardens on their membership. If you would like to visit Harlow Carr, but are not a member, we could buddy you up with somebody who is. Please put monies into an envelope with your name, amount and “Harrogate Trip”. We will be leaving at 9.30am with the coach leaving Harrogate at 4.30pm.

 North East Cheshire Group News

If anybody is interested in any NEC Group activities please contact Angela S. 

Cheshire Federation News

If anybody is interested in any Cheshire Federation activities please contact Angela.

For further details all these activities have been sent out previously by email.

CFWI Virtual WI-If anyone is interested in joining, as a dual member, or has a friend who would be interested in finding out more, please contact Angela.

Thursday, 4th June-Annual Meeting via Zoom. Observer tickets are available, on a donation basis, costing £5 for individuals and £20 for larger groups. Closing date for registration is 19th May.

Friday, 12th June-Jodrell Bank Visit, Show and Lunch. 11.00m-2,00pm. £26 per person. Closing date 19th May.

Wednesday, 8th July-Literary Lunch. Jane Costello, a Sunday Times bestselling author of 16 novels. Hartford Golf Club, 12 noon to 3.30pm. Tickets are £34. Closing date 22nd May.

Friday, 17th July-Paint and Sip. Painting workshop inspired by the Greek Island of Santorini. At WI House, White Friars, Chester. 2.00pm-4.00pm or 6.30pm-8.30pm. All materials and a fruit mocktail included in the price of £30. Closing date 9th June.

Thursday, 9th July-Violence Against Women, A Workshop of Action. At WI House, White Friars, Chester. 10.00am-3.30pm. £15 per person. Closing date 25th June.

Friday, 10th July-Event for New Members-At WI House, White Friars, Chester. 10.30am-12.30pm or 2.00pm-4.00pm. This is for members who have joined in the last few years. £5 per person. Closing date 26th June.

Thursday, 16th July-Congleton Hydro Talk and Lunch-Holmes Chapel Community Centre, Station Road, Holmes Chapel. 11.00am-3.00pm. £18 per person. Cloing date 16th June.

Digital Friend-We are looking for a member to take on this role. You would be a contact for our WI who helps others with everyday digital tasks, such as joining online meetings etc. You would have support from the Website and Social Media team at Cheshire Federation. Please let Linda if you would be interested.

Member’s Notice Board

If you have a notice you would like to be included in the Members’ Notice Board section of the newsletter, or know of any local events other members may be interested in please send details to Linda McD. 

Saturday, 13th June-Coffee morning in aid of Action for Children, 10.30am - 12 noon at Heaton Moor United Church. Everyone welcome. Any donations of cakes will be gratefully received on the day. Please note this coffee morning takes the place of the President’s coffee morning for June.  Come and meet your WI friends here for a chat over a cup of coffee and cake!

St. Martin’s Foodbank-1st Wednesday of the month. Please drop off at Kate J’s house. There will be a box for donations on the drive if the weather is dry or in the porch if wet, from 10am until the evening. URGENTLY NEEDED ITEMS: Long life fruit juice, long life milk, tinned rice pudding, tinned tomatoes, toothpaste (for adults and children), toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, cat and dog food, carrier bags. Other requested items-snacks such as individually packed chocolate bars, cereal bars, breadsticks and crisps, sanitary towels,  tinned fruit, baked beans, tinned rice pudding, tinned vegetables (sweetcorn, peas, carrots),  rice, tinned soup, dried pulses (lentils, chickpeas), pasta sauce, sugar, toilet rolls, soap (bars), cat food.  They do not currently need nappies.

The Children’s Society-The shop at Moor Top is in need of books, jigsaws, DVDs and CDs. If you are having a clear out please could you take them to the shop where they will be gratefully received.

Recycling 

RNIB Stamp Collection-Shirley Shaw is collecting used postage stamps for the RNIB. She will bring boxes to WI meetings for members to put their used postage stamps in. You will need to separate UK mainland from the rest of the world, including Isle of Man, Jersey etc. Shirley will collect and send them to the RNIB, who get £20 per kilo.

B&Q is recycling plastic plant pots, small electrical items, batteries, light bulbs and fluorescent tubes

John Lewis is recycling duvets and pillows.

Superdrug Pharmacy at the top of Merseyway Shopping precinct is collecting empty medicine blister packs.