We had a good turnout for our Annual Meeting and were pleased to be joined by Yvette Rathbone from the Middlesex Federation. Yvette made sure that the election for a new president was run by the book and Caroline was elected unanimously! Members thanked Angela for being an exemplary president over the last year, a year which saw the membership grow and the number of activities increase. Tributes were also paid to Louise who stood down as Treasurer after seven years in the role. New members of the Committee were welcomed (see Committee page of website). Angela and Louise gave their final reports and Frances gave a report on behalf of the Committee (see noticeboard page of website). Once the formal business was concluded, Denise presided over the quiz which was very well received, with a knife-edge result, but eventually won by the team who got the closest answer to the number of people who had died in the Great Fire of London! Who knew it was eight?! (certainly none of the members present)

Patricia gave us a riveting talk about her experiences of bee keeping over the years and we not only learned all about the life-cycle of bees, the production of honey, etc., but we were also in awe of the many obstacles Patricia has had to overcome to pursue her hobby, including the time she had over 40 bee stings! She brought along an observation hive so we were able to get to see the bees up close (luckily they were safely behind perspex!). Many thanks to Patricia for a very enjoyable evening.

Sam was an excellent teacher, taking us through the basics of Tai Chi and getting us to try out a number of different movements – we surprised ourselves by how quickly we picked it up! A very enjoyable evening – thank you Sam!

Anthea Allen, a critical care nurse with over 30 years experience, gave an awe-inspiring account of working throughout the Covid pandemic at St George’s Hospital, telling us how she and her colleagues had had to adapt to a completely new way of working in order to cope with the onslaught of Covid and all the challenges it brought. A simple email to friends at the start of the pandemic asking for biscuits went viral and as a result she carried on chronicling her experiences in a weekly email that was read across the world. Her emails formed the basis of her best-selling book “Life, Death and Biscuits’.

There was a great turnout for our annual picnic in Queen’s Park on a perfect summer’s evening. Lots of good food and good company – thank you to all those who joined us, particularly the new members!

There was a good turnout on a lovely sunny evening for our guided tour of Kilburn. Denise Arnold was an excellent guide who told us so many interesting facts about a place many of us thought we knew well! In particular she focussed on the theme of women and children, as well as the various immigrant communities who have made Kilburn their home. Also, who knew that so many famous musicians started their careers in Kilburn! The evening was rounded off with a lovely meal at which we were able to celebrate Janet’s very special birthday.

Pat West, a former (and we hope future) member of the NWLWI gave a fascinating talk about her work as part of the team involved in the three-year restoration and refurbishment of the Courtauld Institute building in Somerset House. It was fascinating to hear about the history of the building and how the restoration combined the old and the new, resulting in a fabulous, modern and accessible building which houses the galleries as well as the Institute. Pat told us about all the obstacles and challenges that the team overcame in the course of the three years, not least managing to oversee the project via Zoom during the Covid lockdowns! We can’t wait to visit!

We enjoyed a riveting presentation from Val and Meena about their hair-raising experiences of mountaineering and rock climbing, both in the UK as well as the Alps and the Himalayas. There was also a video of audio stories illustrating how things have changed over the last 100 years – we learned that 100 years ago women had to climb in long skirts (but usually hid their skirts behind a boulder as soon as they were out of sight!)

Check out the Pinnacle Club centenary website for more details: https://www.pc100.org/

Debs was a wonderful tutor, showing us how to make our own lavender hearts – all in all a great evening with a fine selection of hearts produced! It was lovely to be able to meet in person again at the Masons Arms