Become an RPO Brent member and receive free and £5 tickets   The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) warmly invites to join our brand new membership scheme, created for people who live or work in the London borough of Brent. It’s free to join, and membership gives Brent residents and workers access to concert tickets from just £5* for adults (or free tickets for those aged 18 and under). Discover the thrill of live orchestral music in some of the capital’s most exciting concert venues, including the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and the Orchestra’s resident home, Cadogan Hall. Meet like-minded people from your local area and enjoy a host of enticing performances: from Film Music Gala and Video Games in Concert, to classical favourites and well-known masterpieces… there’s something for everyone. Don’t delay, join the RPO Brent membership today and discover the joy of London’s orchestral music scene. https://www.rpo.co.uk/about/rpo-in-brent/rpo-brent-membership |
Author: nwlwi
Volunteers needed – Foodcycle Wembley
FoodCycle is a national charity that puts on weekly, free community meals for people in need. These meals are cooked by volunteers with surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, and our volunteers serve a delicious three-course meal to our guests, as well as share the meal and conversation with them. We believe that no one should be hungry or lonely! FoodCycle Wembley is due to launch on Tuesday 28th March, 2023 and will meet every Tuesday evening at the Park Lane Methodist Church.
We’re looking for both cooking and hosting volunteers at our project! Cooking volunteers help cook a 3 course meal and hosting volunteers set up the venue and create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
We are also looking for ‘Project Leaders’ to join and lead our fabulous teams at sessions. FoodCycle Project Leaders are the inspirational volunteers that keep our projects running. Becoming a Project Leader is a unique opportunity to gain a whole range of skills and experiences. By regularly leading at FoodCycle Wembley and being part of the Project Leader team, you will witness the profound impact that the project has on the local community.
The team as a whole plays a vital role within the FoodCycle Family- helping to strengthen and build a resilient community through conversation, and create a warm, welcoming environment for our guests – this helps support mental health, wellbeing and reduce loneliness. Lots of our guests are lonely or vulnerable and really value our volunteers’ support. Here’s some more information about how great being a Project Leader is: https://www.foodcycle.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/become-a-project-leader/
February 2023
February saw us taking our Friday park walks a little farther afield as we explored Islington & St. Pancras Cemetery, Hampstead Heath, Holland Park, and Regent’s Park. Jan Knight’s informative presentation about ‘Giving to Charity’ made up our regular monthly meeting with the evening topped off by Deb generously providing pink fizz to celebrate her birthday. We had a great circular walk in the vicinity of St. Margaret’s, Hertfordshire (with a pub lunch in Ware) following at times the River Lee or along a disused railway line. There were plenty of snowdrops and even some friendly birders who identified a group of Red Crested Pochards for us and let us look through their binoculars. Book Group had a welcome return to ‘in-person’ meeting for the first time in three years with a good discussion of The Hare with the Amber Eyes.
GIving to Charity: getting the impact you hope for – 8 February 2023
We were given a very informative and thought-provoking presentation on charitable giving by NWLWI member Jan Knight who has had a long career in charity management and grant making. It was encouraging to know that in 2020 £11.3bn was given to charity in the UK – and when asked why, the overriding answer was “because I was asked”.
As well as advice on how to spot the less genuine ‘charities’ we were guided to some of the resources available to help us make more informed choices. Jan highlighted advantages to both small and large charities and helped us to think about what we wanted to achieve by making a charitable donation.
January 2023
The new year began with another busy month. First, nine of us enjoyed our pandemic-delayed evening at the Kiln Theatre to see the excellent ‘Wife of Willesden’. The shortlist of WI campaign Resolutions being put forward this year were discussed and voted on at our monthly meeting, followed by a couple of games of Bingo. There was a very muddy but glorious walk near Balcombe in East Sussex one weekend, and on another chilly evening a group of 16 of us filled ‘Sudu’ – a local Malaysian restaurant. Friday park walks, weekly tennis doubles, and Craft Group all thrived.
NFWI Resolutions and Bingo – Wednesday 11 January
Caroline, Lindsay and Angela summarised the four resolutions that had made the shortlist drawn up by the NFWI:
- Save our water – every drop matters
- Women to women – turning over a new leaf in the lives of women tea workers
- Online gambling harm: time for action
- Clean rivers for people and wildlife
After questions and a discussion, everyone voted on their preferred resolution. Once all members who were unable to attend have voted, the resolution with the most votes will then go back to the NFWI.
The evening was rounded off by a lively game of bingo (renamed WIngo!) – the lucky winners all received a chocolate orange (was it a coincidence that all the winners were from the same table!?)
December 2022
December opened with a lively discussion at Book Club of the much-enjoyed Love after Love by Ingrid Persaud. The following week our annual Christmas party was kindly hosted once again by Frances – with all the members contributing to an outstanding ‘bring & share’ buffet. The charades were a touch challenging (‘The Shawshank Redemption’ anyone?!) but prizes were eventually won and Secret Santa gifts shared.
Tennis doubles continued in Queen’s Park throughout the month – with play only stopped once by the ice & thick snowfall. Friday park walks took in Queen’s Park, Gladstone Park, a spectacularly beautiful winter walk on West Heath, and Kensal Green Cemetery, giving much-needed escapes from the pre-Christmas rush – not to mention excellent opportunities for a good natter!
Party time! – Wednesday 14th December
Many thanks to Frances for once again letting us hold our annual party at your lovely house. A great turnout and a good time was had by all. Members provided lots of delicious food and this year’s competition was for the best festive headgear. The evening was rounded off by a hilarious game of charades, which required some serious guessing!
November 2022
November has been a busy month with four new members elected to the committee although we were sad to see Louise, who has had many committee roles and always filled the gaps step down from the committee. Time to enjoy being a member! We had a record 18 at Dining Club in Willesden Green this month, very efficiently organised by our new Dining Club Rep, Desi. We started our Friday park walks again, followed by the most important part – coffee and a chat!
Annual Meeting and Quiz – Wednesday 9 November 2022
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)
