An Historic Event for Staffs WI
History came to life at Whiston Village Hall at the weekend when over 100 members of Staffordshire WIs were treated to a captivating talk by Nell Gwynne aka Lesley Smith, curator of Tutbury Castle.
Mistress Nell Gwynne kept her audience spellbound with a poignant account of her short but interesting life. Having escaped from her drunken mother, Nell sheltered and cared for her younger sister before becoming one of the first actresses allowed on stage in 17th century England to portray a woman.
As ’pretty witty Nell’ her fame as a comic actress led her to become one of the mistresses of Charles II, giving him two sons.
After an enthralling dip into the past, the Events Committee members, with the help of Whiston WI members, served a delicious cream tea.
The hall looked stunning, with tables decorated with fresh flowers. There was a lovely atmosphere as members chatted and the sun shone, despite the terrible flooding the day before.
Verity Conner, Chairman of the Staffordshire Federation Women’s Institutes Events Committee said, ‘What a wonderful afternoon in the company of Nell Gwynne. My thanks go to the workers who decorated the room, made the scones, served tea and washed up all with smiles on their faces in true WI style’.
Join us for another entertaining day at the County Showground
Here Comes Spring!
Speakers at the Here Comes Spring event proved that age is no barrier to following your dream. Staffordshire author Phillipa Ashley was 41 when she wrote her first novel and now writes 3 a year! Louise Grey started her sustainably sourced jewellery business, Silver Sentiments – in Staffordshire – in her fifties and the Keynote Speaker, Nancy Birtwhistle swapped baking recipes for cleaning product recipes in her sixties! Her tips and recipes for eco-friendly products you can make at home (and save you money) can be found by searching Pure Magic Cleaner (her most versatile formulation)
It was a great day all round- excellent speakers and many stalls to satisfy the need to shop, too. Well done the Events Committee!
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