Aston and District W.I. Report

Aston & District W.I. February 2025 Report

Our President Glenys Inight welcomed all members and visitors to this, our first meeting of 2025.

After singing Jerusalem, we continued with the correspondence.

• Voting for the Resolution.
• Entering the Federation Quiz to be held at Faddiley in April.
• Darts Group to meet for practice on 11th February at the home of Mrs. Lomas.
• Luncheon Group are meeting on Friday, 14th February at 12 noon at the Bhurtphore Inn,Aston.
• The Walking Group will meet at Acton Car Park at 10:30 am on Wednesday, 12th February,followed by lunch at the Farmer’s Arms.

Member Barbara Davies celebrated her 90th Birthday last month and Mrs Heather Pass presentedher with bunch of lovely flowers

Our President then introduced our speaker, Christine Stewart, to present her illustrated talk,entitled ‘Lighthouses and Safety at Sea’.

She began her talk by saying she was born and brought up on the Isle of Skye, coming from aseafaring family.

She told us that the very first lighthouse in the world was at Alexandria in Egypt followed many,many years later by the first in England in the grounds of Dover Castle.

We were told about ‘Safety at Sea’ over the years; the storms around our coasts, accompanied byslides of lighthouses. The safety of shipping and the wellbeing of seafarers have been the primeconcern of Trinity House, incorporated by Royal Charter in 1514.

The English Channel, especiallythe Dover Straits, is one of the busiest shipping lanes of the world and are of prime importance toTrinity House.

Captain Robert Fitzroy who, whilst on the five-year voyage with Charles Darwin on HMS Beagle,
kept a log of the weather and developed a method of forecasting which led him, in 1854, to found
the Meteorological Office.

It was an informative talk about the perils faced by those who go down to the sea in ships and themany methods which have been developed to protect them.

The vote of thanks was given by Sue Thomas.

Our competition was a torch which was won by Rosalind Mason.

Members enjoyed tea and cake accompanied by a little quiz compiled by Irene Wiliamson following which the raffle was drawn.

Our next meeting will be on Friday afternoon, 7th March at 2;00 pm at Broomhall and SoundChapel when the talk will be ‘Moulton Glass’ from Northwich, the competition being a ‘GlassOrnament’.

Visitors and new members are always very welcome. For further information please take a look atour web site: – www.astonanddistrictwi.org.uk

Diane Joslyn