A5 Layout - Parish of Greater Whitbourne

Whitbourne W.I.Well, it seems a long time since wemet in the small hall in June as ourJuly meeting was in a beautifulgarden and there was no Augustmeeting. Fifteen of us met at the Liveand Let Live and had a very goodmeal.The weather is changing and it’sfeeling a bit colder in the evening, buttonight is fine, but cold, so we arehoping for a quick business meetingas usual. Many welcomed us after theholidays and began with birthdayposies. Next year’s programmefeaturing plenty of outings,demonstrations and council meetingswas read out. Secret Santa alsoreared his head ready for theChristmas Party where there will alsobe entertainment.Rachel, our speaker for the evening,was from the College for the Blind.The RNCB was founded in 1892 andprogressed from match selling toShrewsbury and Hereford in the1970s. When their Victorian buildingwas bought by Hereford College, theymoved over the road to a purposebuilt building. The College caters forall age groups and teaches a widerange of subjects. All students areencouraged to be as independent aspossible. Rachel showed us a gadgetto put on the side of a cup to assessthe level of liquid in a cup whichbuzzes when a safe level is reached.Braille is still taught as it is stillnecessary for them to learn it if theirfinger tips are sensitive enough. Lotsof fundraising takes place to fund thestudents who come from all over theUK as well as overseas. Studentsfrom abroad are self-funded. Eachstudent has an timetable designed fortheir individual needs as they oftenhave other disabilities as well asimpaired sight. Guide dogs are withthe students at all times so thebedrooms are big enough toaccommodate a dog. Two thirds ofthe students succeed in getting jobs.Heather gave the vote of thanks forsuch an interesting talk. We then hadrefreshments and a sociable chat.Next meeting is on October 8th —’Owls’. Linda GreyClifton upon Teme W.I.The summer has been very busy forthe WI; we attended the Clifton Horseand Dog Show in August where Bethand her wonderful team of ladiesprovided the refreshments for theoccasion.Our meeting this month was wellattendedand our speaker was DavidBarry, a professional wine taster,whose subject was ‘Confessions of awine taster’. David took us throughhis life’s work, reminding us of pastdrinks and prices – who remembersdrinking a Babycham? David alsotasted spirits such as gin andexplained the herbs that go intomaking it; he explained that it wasn’tonly tasting but rubbing the drinksinto your hand and smelling it.The talk was rounded off with a winetasting of both red and white wines,the part we had been waiting for. Weused our new-found knowledge to trythe wines and also to enjoy them.If you would like to come along to theWI, new members and visitors aremost welcome. Our next meeting in6 October 2013