Audlem WI April Members Meeting

Audlem WI April Members Meeting

Well, imagine this, it's a typical day at Audlem's WI meeting. The room is filled with polite chatter about cryptocurrencies and what to cook for tea, when suddenly, like a whirlwind of floral-printed fury, our members rose from their seats and launched into action, executing a flawless coup d'état, taking over the meeting with the finesse of seasoned revolutionaries.
Yes, it's that time of year again... 'The Members Meeting'!
Before our President Brenda was completely usurped from her chair, she thanked Sheila Jones for all her hard work finalising our annual programme of speakers for the year. Believe me, this is no mean feat and I suspect Sheila's either got the charm of a hypnotist or the bribery skills of a mafia boss!
Susan Kaufman was also thanked for doing a professional job of printing our new programme and Chris Rhodes whipped up some lanyards for the entire group to wear like a pro seamstress! We proudly sported them like VIPs at a badge fashion show. What a talented group we are.
Jenny Sech is setting up a craft group with several members already signed up, but if anyone else would like to join she will be happy to accommodate them, and June Perry put out a plea for more members to join the Mah Jong Club – full training given! Finally, I was awarded a certificate for constructing a Press Release for the WI to publicise....their standards must be slipping!
Pat Jones, acting as 'President' and Anne Huntbach as our 'Secretary' dove back into their old jobs like they were reuniting with a long-lost sock in the laundry – slightly surprised it was still there, but ultimately relieved they hadn't lost it for good.
Our last Members Meeting was in 2019, pre Covid, and we all looked slightly bemused trying to recall the occasion as Anne H. read out the minutes.
Finally Pat Jones introduced our speaker, Ray Elks who was going to tell us about 'The Royal Secrets of Spode'. He appeared to have a stash of delicate bone china tucked away beneath the proud embrace of a Union Jack, like a proper British secret agent, so we couldn't wait to see what he would be revealing!
Ray used to be the Director of Personnel before becoming the Visitor Centre Manager at Spode and was the Chairman of Tourism in Stoke on Trent.

Josiah Spode, a leading light in the ceramics industry, embarked on his pottery journey starting with terracotta pots that probably looked like something even his mother wouldn't proudly display. But oh, he didn't stop there! He upgraded to earthenware, probably thinking, 'Hey, let's make something that won't crumble at the slightest touch.' And then, the revelation struck him like a bolt of lightning – bone china! Ray still believes his is the best bone china ever made.

To become an engraver at Spode, you'd need the patience of a saint and the lifespan of a Galapagos tortoise – eight whole years! And let's not forget those talented and skilled poor souls whose health took a nosedive thanks to some of those ancient processes.

Ray hobnobbed with royalty like it was a hobby. Princess Margaret, bless her royal bladder, even had her own designated pink throne whenever she graced their offices. Not only did Ray rub shoulders with her Highness, but she also enhanced the Charity Balls he organised.

And oh, dear Prince Charles! When he visited the Spode factory, all the Spode girls lined up, fluttering their eyelashes, trying to plant a kiss on the poor lad, who was probably blushing like a ripe tomato! Ray met both Princess Diane and Queen Camilla, both had endearing personalities, although he felt Camilla evolved King Charles from a flimsy twig into a sturdy oak tree! One Spode group visit to the Palace resulted in a Royal corgi sinking its teeth into a colleagues trousers, the Queen apparently couldn't contain her laughter.

During his talk Ray passed round some beautiful delicate pieces of china, produced for major Royal occasions, complete with 22 carat gold edging, some of which had been delicately completed using just one horse's hair!

Thank you Ray for igniting our curiosity and keeping us engaged from start to finish!

Birthday flowers were handed out to Susan Davies, Penny Holden, Doreen Hubbard, Suzanne Manser, Betty Minns, Christine Rhodes and Wyn Yates.

Until next time, remember, when life hands you lemons, make lemon drizzle cake and invite the WI over for tea!