Etchinghill WI celebrate birthday with sing-along and a glass of fizz

It was an uplifting evening as Etchinghill WI celebrated their 78th birthday party. Our special guest this evening was the county chairman for SFWI, Helen Mancy.

Fran Brian started off by outlining forthcoming outings with Fordhall Farm booked for June 13. Other trips being looked at are Tutbury Castle for July and Chatsworth House and Gardens in November.

Fran then went on to read out a report written by her mother, a founder member of Etchinghill WI. Coincidently this report was dated May 8, 1946 exactly 78 years ago to the date of the evening's meeting.

The first meeting of the fledgling WI group was chaired by a Mrs Upton and was held in her sitting room. In the early days, the women got together and organised various fund-raising events. The monies raised from these events was used to build the village hut. This then became part of the modern brick building of the village hall we now know. It was interesting to hear from this report, about the various activities that the members were involved with during those early wartime years.

The evening’s entertainment was provided by singer Paul Birch and we had great fun singing along to songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s and to complete the celebration, we enjoyed a wonderful and varied buffet provided by our members and a refreshing glass of Buck's Fizz.

Margaret Devey thanked Paul for his wonderful music and presented Helen Mancy with a lovely plant as a memento of our fun evening.

We meet every second Wednesday at the village hall in Etchinghill. New members are very welcome so, if you are interested in joining us come along for a taster session. Alternatively, you can contact us at etchinghillwistaffs@gmail.com.

By Kathy Baxter - Contributor