Ely City WI have been very busy. Both new and existing members have been involved in lots of different activities, events and projects and it seems as though there’s no intention of slowing down!
The past six months have flown by and have given members many opportunities to try something new, be involved in some important campaign work and also continue to build and strengthen friendships.
May 2022, saw the unveiling of a City Centre Jubilee-themed craft bomb. Having been planned since 2021 members got together to crochet, make pom-poms, create bunting and construct foam flower decorations in red, white and blue. The exterior of Ely’s Council Offices, the Market Square and other public green open spaces were ‘craft-bombed’ and made a fantastic impact. We even appeared on local news and radio.
June 2022, members gathered to litter pick in our popular and busy Riverside area. Given the popularity of this area, the beautiful weather and the most recent celebrations, the litter pickers found that there was very little litter and managed to gather their rubbish in to one bag. However, it’s not the quantity it’s the, er, quality and some rather interesting objects were retrieved including a fingernail (false), a giraffe (toy) and a cat collar – but no cat!
July 2022, was a month spent raising awareness for ‘Plastic Free July’. With lots of tips, hints and useful ideas put forward by members, for members via our social media platforms; 31 suggestions were shared in order to assist in going plastic free.
October 2022, members got crafty again to create a crocheted display to raise awareness on the issue of Modern Slavery.
We are now busy preparing for our November 2022 Remembrance Craft Bomb which will see Ely Market Square awash with crafted poppies.
Of course, the campaigns and projects are not the only thing that keep us busy. We have our monthly meetings which have included an array of interesting speakers giving some fascinating demonstrations and talks. We have had everything from flower-arranging, hat collecting and ghostly folklore as well as a memorial session for the late Queen and a celebration of the accession of the King.
In the summer some of our members got together for a treasure hunt around Ely which was so much fun and, naturally, was finished off with some home-made refreshments!
Ely City WI are also lucky enough to be able to run a number of sub-groups each month too. These include a Diner’s club which is very popular and also meet ups for morning coffee and afternoon tea.
For now though, members are participating in some random acts of kindness by creating and distributing small, hand-made bouquets of flowers around the city for a random stranger to find. The idea behind this is to spread some joy to others.
Quite simply, this act captures a lot of what our WI is about. Spreading joy and reaching out to others.
If you would like to get involved with Ely City WI then we would love to meet you. A growing, friendly group we are always open to new members and you are more than welcome as a visitor to one or two of our meetings to see what we’re all about.
The WI is open to women over the age of 18 and allows you to get involved in events at a local, federation and national level. By joining us you will be able to make a difference in your community, try out different activities, access learning opportunities and make new friends. Ely City WI has members from all walks of life and as a member you will have access to 11 main meetings a year, all of the sub-groups, our private social media groups and 8 copies of the WI magazine ‘WI Life’ per year.
You can visit our website: https://wielycity.wixsite.com/home or find us on Facebook (just search Ely City WI). You can also email us at elycitywi@yahoo.com
Press release from Ely City WI
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