Moving forward …

A NEW VENUE

WeyBay can sadly no longer have the use of the Vic Bars on the Esplanade as the hotel has been sold.  We would like to thank the management and staff at the New Vic for their very good service that they have provided to WeyBay.  We all have very happy memories of the meetings and the parties that WeyBay has enjoyed there.  

The Committee has been very busy and has looked at various other possible venues in the town centre.  Several factors had to be considered when choosing a venue for members; a large enough meeting area, parking, bus route, walking distance, plus a monthly rate the WI could afford. After a lot of leg work and consultation, Sheila Vogwell, President and the committee are pleased to tell members that the new WeyBay venue will be the Weymouth Angling Club on Commercial Road, Weymouth.  The meeting date to the third Tuesday of the month.   

Exciting news - arrangements for the popular annual bike ride have been sent out to members by email.  And the first lunch club has been arranged at the Kings Arms in Portesham.  The walking group is now inviting WeyBay members to join. Details are on the Things to Do page or contact a committee member.  

The sun is out in Weymouth, the beach is crowded and there is definitely a feeling that things are becoming more 'normal'.  Enjoy the walk, the bike ride and the lunch club and we hope to be back to normal meetings soon in the new venue.

Photos taken by members on their walks around our lovely town.

ZOOM MEETINGS
WeyBay committee have been meeting using Zoom throughout the restrictions and the book club has continued in the same way.  With normal meetings looking unlikely in the near future a series of Zoom meetings for all members have been arranged.  

On St Patrick's Day members got together for an Irish based quiz organised by committee members. The second meeting was a 'visit' from Baroness Bolsover - 'Join the Victorian Baroness Bolsover as she demonstrates the essential DO'S AND DON'TS of Afternoon Tea Etiquette. Bring along a napkin, teaspoon, cup and a saucer and learn how to become the Crème de la Crème of the Tea Party. Take a step back in time as the Baroness recollects her Afternoon Tea experiences in the reign of her beloved Queen Victoria and discover the answer to some of life’s most difficult dilemmas, Milk or Tea first? Her Ladyship looks forward to answering your questions at the end of her presentation after which Afternoon Tea will never be the same again!'  Thirty nine members enjoyed the Baroness' lively presentation and thanked WeyBay President Sheila Vogwell for making it happen.  There is certainly a contrast between the formality of Victorian tea parties and our own habit of throwing a teabag into a mug but the pleasure of meeting up with friends to exchange news and a smile remains the same - although for the moment we will have to rely on Zoom!

The next Zoom meeting is Face Yoga with Polina.  In this workshop you learn all about Face Yoga, a natural method of exercising your face to lift, tone and sculpt your facial muscles.  Sounds fun !
A NEW BOOK CLUB
A second WeyBay book club 'The WeyBay Well Read' has been set up.  Marissa Ronzitti invited 10 members to join her in forming the new club and very quickly had a full response. The first book for the group to read will be Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.  Marissa has suggested reviewing books every other months, as with lockdown relaxed there is suddenly a lot less time for reading.  The existing book club, now called 'The Cover Girls', has been running successfully by Jill Thomas and has continued to meet on Zoom during the restrictions.  Jill has sent us a lovely article about the club which has been reproduced on the Things To Do page and including the current reading.
We should mention other clubs that continue to meet although not all the members are currently in Weybay.   

Reading has been an important diversion during the last year and we look forward to having more recommendations of new books from the book club members to pass on to you. 
ANNIVERSARY ALBUM
The celebrations for the ten-year anniversary of WeyBay WI in April 2020 were suddenly and very disappointingly put on hold (it is still hoped to have some celebrations in 2021) but it was decided to put together the memories of the first ten years into a photo book.  What a lot of memories and a lot of work to put them together into a coherent format to reflect the diverse activities, and the fun that everyone had.  The photo book is now published and will be available to see when the WI is able to have its next meeting.  But reminiscing over the past years has reminded us again of  how important WeyBay has become for so many members and the certainly that it will continue to provide this support to members again as we come out of the pandemic.  

Photo shows the original poster in March 2010 inviting everyone to come to the first meeting and a memory of the first venue at The Clipper in St Thomas St.
  

COMMITTEE MEETING 
During the summer months when lockdown was eased (seems like a long time ago now) WI committee had its first socially-distanced but face to face meeting since early spring, at a harbour cafe on 22nd July.  Unfortunately not all Committee members were able to attend the meeting. 

The book clubs have continue to meet using Zoom and the walking group has started up again.  To comply with lockdown regulations it is restricted to six people per group.  Jo White the organiser will send out weekly messages to members offering dates, on a first come basis.  

Photos show what a wonderful part of the world WeyBay is lucky enough to have on the doorstep. The walking group had a good view of the cruise ships currently anchored in Weymouth Bay.

 We received notification yesterday that Denman College (the WI Centre for learning) will close, it has been struggling to operate for some time.  This will be sad news to members who have enjoyed the courses and events .

THINGS TO DO
Have you checked out our Things to Do pages?  The WeyBay committee have been busy arranging trips and get-togethers for WeyBay's lucky members.  In the next weeks there are a cycling day in the New Forest and a visit to Morton Church planned as well as the monthly 'coffee mornings with a walk' and newly formed Lunch Club.  Keep an eye on the website to see what's going on or find out details from the monthly meetings.  

WeyBay members have joined an institution that was started 1915 and now has 205,000 members in 6,800 WIs.  It is the largerst voluntary women's organisation in the UK.  WeyBay is part of the Dorset Federation based in Dorchester. 

Each WI is self-governing within the framework of the WI constitution and rules.  

The WI is a diverse organisation open to all women with WIs in towns, cities and villages.

Denman College is an adult education centre in Oxfordshire run by the WI and courses run there are available to all members.

Regional events are organised and advertised in Dorset WI News which are handed out at meetings. 

Members have the opportunity to learn new skills, to take part in wide-ranging activities and to campaign on issues that matter to them and their communities.  The possibilities are endless.
 
WeyBay WI adds one other important proviso - that members enjoy themselves!
 

Announcements

  • WEYBAY’S NEW YOGA and SOUNDBATH EXPERIENCE 15 of our members took up the whole new experience of Ashtang Yoga followed by a Sound Bath at Dorchester Yoga Centre last Sunday evening. Mark Winterburn taught us how ...
    Posted Oct 15, 2014, 4:47 AM by Sandra Jones
  • 2014 TRUST ME YOU CAN DO IT TRIATHLON Seven WeyBabes swam, walked and cycled in the second of the 2014 'Trust Me You Can Do It' Triathlon. The Triathlon was organised by Carolyn Lyness and started with a ...
    Posted Oct 6, 2014, 1:13 AM by Sandra Jones
  • EXPLORERS GROUP The third meeting of the Explorer group was on a breezy August Day and was organised by Carolyn Lyness.  She chose Worth Matravers in the Purbecks to explore and those ...
    Posted Aug 26, 2014, 1:16 AM by Sandra Jones
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