Our tidy fairies Brenda, Janet and Gill

Garden Festival Trophy 2016. Members are invited to submit a press report of a WI meeting in September 2115 – The WI Bicentenary. £3.50 per entry. The report must be created by one person, be no more than 500 words and produced on one side of A4 paper. Closing date Thurs 4th

August

Rosemary Palmer Trophy. Create a Tea cosy in any medium, cost £3.50 per entry; must have been completed in the last 2 years and be the member's own work. Only one entry per member. Closing date 30th

June 2016; entries will be displayed at the Annual Council Meeting in October 2016

Freda Houldcroft Trophy Design a leaflet keeping the Time to Talk campaign alive and spread the message about organ donation. Use your creative flair, any medium, think about size and how you propose to use it. £4 per leaflet, one entry per WI. Closing date 31st July.

Lady Denman competition. Using not more than 500 words, write a letter to yourself drawing on your life experience and imagine what you would say if you had the opportunity to guide/warn your younger self.

Elizabeth Bell challenge 2016 Launched in March to allow for the new digital area on the WI moodle to be complted and available for members to access. Wis will be challenged to create a digital story showing the impact that the WI has had on their community

Are you interested in joining a woodwind band, playing in a recorder ensemble, a WI ukulele group or joining a choir – see Gill for details

ANSLOW WI – May 2016 Newsletter

Happy May birthday to: Joyce Eames

OUR NEXT WI MEETING TUESDAY 14th June

Competition School photoCakes and teas Barbara Goodwin, Janet Fishbourne, Judy Harris

Wednesday 11th May Anslow Parish Council Annual General meeting 8pm Anslow Village Hall. All WI members are invited to attend; a short report from our WI will be given.

Tuesday 31st May preview reception, Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd

June Staffordshire County Show . County Showground, Stafford. ST18 0EB

June Big Cuppa month How about holding a coffee morning to cele-brate HM Queen's 90th Birthday and raise funds for Katharine House Hos-pice. Ring 01785 270808 for free bunting, posters, balloons and other support materials

Sunday 10th July We are hosting an afternoon tea at Anslow Village Hall for the Retford History Society, we need volunteers to make cakes, scones and sandwiches, loan small teapots and help on the day. Any profit will go into our funds.

Thursday 28th July. Visit to Renishaw Hall, coach pick up points Trentham Gardens, County Showground, Uttoxeter. £27.50, non members £28.50. Closing date 23rd June

Wednesday 31st August, 3pm Visit to Foxfield heritage railway, tea & biscuits, a talk on the history of Foxfield and how to build your own full size train set, a 5.5 mile train trip follwed by afternoon tea. £17. Closing date 29th July

Thursday 8th September. Visit to Chatsworth House, including a talk by Lord Burlington on Chatsworth's Renewable Energy Programme, refreshments on arrival and coach pick up from Stretton. £40, non members welcome. Closing date Friday 29th July.

Tuesday 11th October 10.30am 98th Annual Council Meeting, Stafford. Speakers Becci Bryant, Chief Fire Officer and John Kettley, weather consultant, broadcaster and presenter. £12. Delegate required (no charge) to report back to our meeting. Closing date Thursday 25th August.

Monday 17th October Rolleston club Autumn Group meeting hosted by Anslow, speaker Bill Tidy. Competition: a card

Tuesday 15th November Markets Day, County Showground, 10.30 am-3pm. ~Speakers Neil Hurst (celebrating Britain's golden era of music hall and variety) and Toyah Wilcox (nine lives in the spotlight) £12. Collecting now

Suggestion boxDon't forget to submit any suggestions/ complaints/compliments in person or via the suggestion box Signing in to meetingsPlease remember to sign in at our meetings and give apologies for anyone who is ill.

Committee: would you like to join our committee and have a say in how your institute is run? Additional members would be most welcome

ACWW project: support for sustainable livelihood through distribution of milch animals (cows) to landless poor Dalit women and raising their family income level to address household poverty; Initially 20 women will be supported. We need to raise £3,000; £132 was carried over from the previous project and £368.56 has already been raised.

Supporters club draw – no winners this month

Hanging 'brasket' competition A sustainable gardening project with the help of Sutton Seeds. One entry per WI; fill an old bra with plants and send in the photograph & content list of plants by Wednesday 31st August 2016.,

Advance notice, 2018 calendar: Staffordshire WIs in action. Maximum 3 landscape photographs per member, the judges like clear, uncluttered photographs that will stand out well in a calendar. The entry form will be sent out with the October Cornerstone news.

Organ transplants The West Midlands has the lowest number of available organs for transplant in the country. WI members have done well making the 'time to talk' to relatives to make their wishes regarding donation known, however there is a great need to improve the current situation. Can you help raise awareness of this situation amongst your friends and relatives? More information is available at nhsbt.nhs.uk. The short video exemplifies the value and importance of people being on the organ donor register.

Diary dates: Spa Day at Burton college 17th June; 70th Anniversary outing – afternoon tea at Branston Golf club 28th July, £10.

Flower meadow – our land girls

ScrapbookWe are still looking for a keeper of our photographic archive

November and December – NFWI open days in London. 2 hour visit; £5 to include commemorative photograph in the style of the front cover of WI life. See Gill for details