September 2026

A Message from Kate

The Gay Gordons were great fun-taking part in the dancing was exhausting but definitely amused all the onlookers, so a good evening was had by all.

As you know President’s Coffee is held on the second Saturday of every month, mostly at the Heaton Pub. It is difficult to find a suitable venue on a Saturday which is why we have it at 11.30. I would like to rename it, mainly because I often can’t go and the name doesn’t really reflect what it is. At committee we also decided to change the day as Saturdays are often busy. It will be called the Monday Coffee Club and will be at 11.00am on the second Monday of the month, starting on October 12th and we will meet in La Habana (next to the Co-op) at Moor Top. If members still want to meet on a Saturday that is fine but I would need a volunteer to co-ordinate it. We will review how the new arrangement goes.

We are looking for a volunteer who would be happy to open their garden to the public at the Open Gardens event next summer. This would mainly be so we could have a stall selling cakes etc. where there would be more footfall than where we were last year. Please think about this and contact a member of the committee if you could help.

We have had enquiries about opening another evening book group, if you are interested there will be a signup sheet at the September meeting.

The talk in September is by the Blood Bikes Organisation. We have been trying to get them for a long time and they have a reputation for giving a good talk so I look forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes

Kate

Birthday Greetings

Many happy returns to members celebrating their birthdays in September

Suze, Wend 

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, 17th September

7.30pm

Speaker-Kevin Lever “Greater Manchester Blood Bikes”.

Rota Volunteers- Door-Krys   Cake-Pat McG.   Raffle-Sue W., Anna   Meet & Greet-Chris B, Emma

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.

Raffle

August Meeting Report-Attendance: Members-32   Visitors-1    Income: Raffle-£40  Door-£5  Cakes-£50

October Meeting-Mark Nyman “Happy Scrabbling”.

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

Heatons WI News.

Future Payments-Now we have our new online bank account set up, our preference would be for you to pay for future events by BACS. We will still take cash/cheques but it is easier for our treasurers if payments are made online. 

The important thing would be to put in the right reference e.g. Chatsworth Trip. You will always be told what the reference should be. If you pay by cash or cheque, you must put them in an envelope with the amount, your name and what it is for. 

Pens for Sale-We will be selling the surplus pens bought for our birthday at the monthly meetings. They will be £1.50 each.

Thursday, 16th September-This is WI Day. Wear purple, white and green to show your membership and support for the WI.

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

Friday, 16th October-Fundraising for Transport for Sick Children. 1.30pm-3.30pm at the Moor Club, Heaton Moor Road. Cakes, a raffle and a table top sale. Drinks available for purchase. All are welcome. Please come along to support our charity for this year. Please see the attached poster.

Dates for Your Diary

Thursday, 26th November-Please note the change of date. Chatsworth Trip. The cost is £20 which can be paid with cash or by Bacs, reference Chatsworth Trip. If you are unable to attend the meeting please contact Perveen at perveentariq@gmail.com to add your name. This has now been opened up to female friends and family. We will leave at 9.30am and be back at approximately 6.00pm.

Wednesday, 2nd December-Christmas Lunch at Cure. A £10 deposit is required by the October meeting either with cash or by Bacs, reference “Xmas lunch”

Wednesday, 9th December-Christmas Dinner at Cure. A £15 deposit is required by the October meeting either with cash or by Bacs, reference “Xmas Dinner”.

Further details of all three events will be available nearer the time.

If paying with cash please put money in an envelope with your name, the event and the amount.

North East Cheshire Group News

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

Tuesday, 10th November-Autumn Meeting.  7:30 pm at Poynton Civic Hall. The speaker is Lesley Smith with her presentation of Florence Nightingale, one of the most influential women of the Victorian age. This fascinating portrayal explores her courage, conviction and extraordinary vision that changed the future of healthcare forever.

Many of you may have previously seen Lesley’s presentations of Boudicca, Queen Elizabeth I or Sex and the Tudors.

Tickets – costing £6.00 – will be available at both our September and October WI meetings. As Lesley Smith is a very popular speaker, it’s suggested to buy your tickets early! Please place cash in an envelope with your name, the event and amount.

Cheshire Federation News

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

Details of all of 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 B. 

Sunday, 27th September-World Rivers Day. A day of litter picking. 11.00am at Norton Priory Car Park, Runcorn.

Wednesday, 22nd October/Tuesday 10th November-Artificial Intelligence (AI) Virtual Training.

Saturday, 24th October-“You Only Die Once”-a murder mystery evening at Frodsham Community Hall, CW6 7PQ, 6.00pm. Tickets are £17, WI members only. Closing date-21st September.

Thursday, 19th November-A Morning of Festive Fun, Japanese Kokodama. 10.00am-12.00noon at Byley Village Hall. Tickets are £30. Closing date-19th October.

Thursday, 19th November-An Afternoon of Festive Fun, Sugarcraft Decorations. 1.00pm-3.00pm at Byley Village Hall. Tickets are £15. Closing date-19th October.

Tuesday, 1st December/Thursday, 3rd December/Saturday 5th December-“Open House at Christmas” at White Friars, Chester. 10.30am-12.30pm or 1.00pm-3.00pm.Tickets are £5 and include tea/coffee and a bacon bap (plant based and gluten free options available). Closing date-30th October.

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 know if you would be interested.

NFWI News

Wednesday, 16th September-This is WI Day. Wear purple, white and green to show your membership and support for the WI.

The WI Diary 2027 is now available to order from the WI Shop. The diary has a RRP of £6.99. This year's diary features beautiful cover artwork by WI member and artist Paula Milner (The Crafty Lass) of Boddington WI, Northamptonshire Federation. The slim pocket diary is perfect for staying organised on the go and includes a week-to-view format, detailed calendars, and additional pages for notes and telephone numbers.  https://shop.thewi.org.uk/

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 Mc.D

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.

Didsbury Singers are looking for new members. Tuesday evenings, 7.00pm-8.30pm at St. Cuthbert’s RC Primary School, Withington. Book a taster session at www.didsburysingers.uk. 

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.