Milstead with Frinsted Newsletter February 2026
This week we have an interesting speaker; Trevor Sayer is one of the Blood Runners. They are incredible volunteers. One of the many amazing groups of volunteers that we couldn’t do without. When we book charities to speak at Milstead with Frinsted we give a £75 donation but don’tforget that they welcome donations from the members too.
Our subscription is due at the end of this month and needs to be banked by the end of March. Can you please make it easier for Dilys and either give her a cheque/ cash as soon as possible, or if you can we would prefer it if you could pay directly into the bank account. Each year we spend a lot of time phoning people to chase them up for their subs, whilst we love to talk to you can you please remember to pay them before 31/3/26.
the details are :
This year’s subs are £54.
Milstead with Frinsted WI
Account number 10429303 sort code 09-01-51
It is a business account. Please put your name as the reference.
This makes it easier.
We are continuing to collect empty blister medication packs which are taken to Lady Dane vets for recycling. We are also still doing the Flower of the Month – please remember it is a single flower. There is a lovely bar of chocolate as the prize.
As you know we do not routinely send out the minutes but if you would like to read them please ask Jen or Angela and we can send them whichever way suits you. There is always a copy at the monthly meetings.
We have received a few nominations for the committee, but if you want to stand or think somebody you know would be perfect, please let me know as soon as possible.
This month’s birthday girls are Di Radbourne and Julie Chard. Sending you both lots of love.
This month’s coffee will be on Thursday 19th at 10.30 at Matt Matts. Please let Sophia know if you are coming.
The following date is Tuesday 17th March at 2pm – venues to be decided. Let us know where you prefer to meet.
The list for our Quiz Evening is out this week. If you aren’tgoing to be there, please just let Jenny or Angela know. Tickets remain at £10 a head which includes a great supper. Please bring your own drinks. It is on Friday 27th March at 7pm. Please make sure we have exact numbers for catering.
The Saturday lunch club will be on Saturday 28th March at 1.15 pm at the Red Lion pub Milstead. Please put your name on the list on Thursday or let Sophia or me know.
East Kent Federation events;
You should have received your East Kent News by email. If you haven’t,please let Jen know. If there are any events you want to attend but aren’t sure how to book, just see Jen or Dilys. Events can also be booked directly with the EKFWI office.
Speaker Auditions are at Sheldwich VH on Friday 27th1.30-5pm. £5 on the door. There are 7 speakers giving a small snapshot of their talk. This will be an interesting afternoon. You do not need to book but do let us know if you are going so, we can arrange car sharing. The successful candidates are then put in the East KentSpeaker book which programme secretaries use to book the speakers for your monthly meetings. This is a local one for us so please come along – it’ll be a good afternoon.
The East Kent annual meeting will be taking place on Thursday 2nd April 11-4pm at Kent College, Canterbury. There are two inspiring speakers. Keji Moses Lord Mayor of Canterbury and Ms. Cherry Bombe who teaches sign language, is President of a WI and so much more!. Please come along and find out what the WI is all about. Surrey Federation no longer holds meetings in person, which is a massive loss for its members. Please support the Federation. Tickets are on sale on ticket source £20. If you haven’t been to one before I urge you to come along now – they are so interesting with great entertainment.
The Resolution discussion meeting is on Tuesday 14th April 10-12. It is being held at the ARCA hall in ThanningtonWithout. There is easy parking at the hall. This is always aninteresting meeting. We will be discussing the resolution that has been chosen by the members nationally. I will let you know as soon as we hear ourselves. Please let Dilys know and she can book the tickets which are just £10 each.
There are many events coming up which you can book directly or ask Dilys to do it for you, these include:
A Literary lunch on Wednesday 22nd April and the ever-popular Summer Garden Day on Wednesday 27th May.
These events are arranged by the federation for you. There are a lot more to come. If you are unsure, please speak to someone on the committee.
The NFWI annual meeting will be virtual again this year. Wehave booked a watch party at the Alexander Centre, Faversham, on Thursday 4th June. Tickets are available from ticket source or speak to Dilys or Angela . It’s a great way of attending an AGM without traveling across the country!There are some very interesting speakers this year, too! We were due to have Dr Jane Goodall as our top speaker but as you’ll know she passed away very recently, instead we have Mary Lewis who is Chair of the Jane Goodall Organisation talking about Jane’s legacy. We also have Anne Boden and Professor Michele Dougherty CBE FRS FRAS. Anne is the founder of Starling Bank and much more, and Professor Dougherty is Executive Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Professor of Space Physics at Imperial. She led unmanned exploratory missions to Saturn and Jupiter and holds the title of the UKs first female Astronomer Royal in 350 years! These speakers are extraordinary women – what the WI is all about. Do come along and see them at the Watch Party in Faversham. All of this for just £10!
If you haven’t signed up for the WI lottery and need some help, please just ask. This is just £1 a week with the funds going to support the WI. It is very easy to sign up to.
The revamped Online Learning Space VIA will be relaunched shortly. If you have not checked it out yet, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is all FREE for members. It is set to become the destination for all online learning, and we have free access as a member. You can do anything from online Pilates to sign language and much more. Please have a look at The Learning Hub on My WI. If you need any help just ask one of us. It is a great resource.
The hostesses in March are Valerie, Sue and Mandy. This is our Annual Meeting evening.
Don’t forget if there is anything you are keen to learn, visit or do please let the committee know. It is YOUR WI; we want to hear from you.
Angela
07729828959
Words by Angela Coleman
President