WeyBay WI

It’s been a busy start to the WeyBay year.

At the January meeting Richard Balson from RH Balson and Sons Butchers, in Bridport. RJ Balson and Sons is amazingly the oldest family butcher in the UK established in 1515. Henry VIII was still married to his first wife! Richard talked about the long history of his family butchers’ shop and how it has changed since the 16th century. In those days farmers brought their animals to the town, and they were slaughtered and sold in the open-air market on the same day. It is a very different marketplace today and the shop has had to change with the times and adjust to modern tastes and shopping habits. In 2015 the shop celebrated its impressive milestone of 500 years and Richard enjoyed a year of television interviews and awards! The talk was lively, informative and full of amusing anecdotes. He rounded off with a busy Q&A session. The WeyBay members in the audience are all planning a visit to his shop to stock up on the selection of eighteen different sausages and other meats to support this unique shop. Richard is donating his fee to Cancer Research which is a very personal cause to him and his wife.

Photo, Richard Balson with WeyBay President Sheila Vogwell.

Minutes of all meetings are available in the Meetings pages and photos of events published in the Gallery

Also this month, several members attended a Colours Workshop at the Dorset WI offices, Poundbury. They enjoyed a morning finding out how to pick the colour and style that best suits them best. It’s good to join in the County organised events and meet WI members from other clubs.

Thank you to WI members who donated various craft items as requested by NFWI to support Women’s Prisons. The suggestion came from a new member Tracy Christie after reading the article in WI Life. Items were gathered at the January meeting and packed to send to NFWI London Office by the Secretary Tracy Chevis and President Sheila Vogwell

Our other groups continue as well, with the Walking Group meeting monthly. Each month, a different member of this group organizes a walk on a date, time, and venue that works for them, offering variety. Generally, these walks are 3-4 miles long and last 2-3 hours, often including a tea/coffee stop. The Lunch Club and the Book Clubs remain popular, and members will receive emails from the committee with updates about these groups and other workshops that will be organized throughout the year. WeyBay looks forward to a busy year ahead.

The traditional Christmas party, held at our usual venue the Weymouth Angling Club, was an absolute success. The venue was beautifully decorated with a charming winter wonderland theme, setting the perfect atmosphere for the evening.

Guests were warmly welcomed with a glass of bubbly and enjoyed a delicious meal of chicken in tarragon sauce, accompanied by a fresh green salad and new potatoes. Dessert featured a delightful ginger sponge pudding with rum cream, all served by the ladies of our committee.

After the meal, everyone had a great time dancing and celebrating together. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped organize and make this event so special!

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.

PRIVACY NOTICE

Your privacy is important to WeyBay WI. This privacy notice provides information about the personal information that we collect and the ways in which we use it.

When do we collect personal information about you?

We will collect personal information from you when you join or communicate with us by any means.

What happens to your personal information?

a. Contact details will be input into the NFWI Members Communication System (MCS) which is password protected.

b. We will also hold details of current members for administration and communication purposes.

c. For non members we will only capture the minimum amount of information that we need in relation to your visit or enquiry.

Who will hold the information?

Information will be held securely by designated person/s, usually an Officer, who requires it for administration purposes. Electronic files will be password protected and paper copies will be held securely.

How do we use your personal information?

There are legitimate reasons to hold personal information for running the WI, to comply with legal obligations or to carry out a contract to which you are a party. For any other purposes we will request your consent.

Do we share your personal information?

We will not sell, rent or lease your personal details to a third party but reserve the right to disclose personal information for legal or regulatory obligations or proceedings and for auditing purposes.

How long do we keep your personal information?

We will erase your personal information immediately when you cease to be a member, hold office, your enquiry is complete or you wish to withdraw your consent, other than for that held for administrative and financial purposes.

What are your personal rights?

You are entitled to ask us to see your personal information, correct it or have it deleted. You have the right to be forgotten. You can also ask us to restrict how we use it.

What about personal details on websites?

We will not use your personal information on our website or within any form of social media, without your consent, but we will not be responsible for the privacy practices of the the web or content of linked websites.

Who do I contact about personal information that has been collected?

Firstly contact our WI Secretary and/or DFWI Federation Secretary about your concern. If they cannot resolve it you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commission’s Office at www.ico.org.uk/concerns

Our contact email: reception-dfwi@uwclub.net