July was a busy month for East Markham WI. On Thursday 10th, one of the hottest days of the year, 36 members gathered in Vicky’s garden for a Strawberry Tea, where the village tent provided welcome shade over tables laid with vintage crockery. Guests were greeted with a glass of fizz on arrival, bought raffle tickets, and took their seats. A general knowledge quiz was placed on each table, sparking laughter, debate, and the occasional friendly argument as teams worked through the questions.
President Alena welcomed everyone, after which home-made sponge cake, strawberries and cream were served with tea or coffee. Once tea was over, quiz answers were revealed, with some tables whooping in delight and others groaning at missed points. The top score was 47, with the winning table on 38 and the runners-up on 37 – both awarded boxes of chocolates to share. The raffle followed, and winners selected their prizes from the table. Cheryl, who had proved herself an excellent bingo caller at the Annual Meeting, led the afternoon’s bingo session, with games for a Line and a Full House and small prizes for the winners. As the afternoon ended, members thanked the committee for organising such an enjoyable event, and the committee, in turn, thanked those who helped clear away – proving that many hands really do make light work.
The following Tuesday saw the monthly meeting at the Village Hall. WI business was kept brief, with deposits taken for the Stamford outing on Friday 12th September. Alena outlined plans for the Remembrance Week poppy display in November – over 700 poppies have already been made, ready to be attached to camouflage netting.
The evening’s speaker was Rosemary Pike, with her talk The Magic of Stained Glass. She began by introducing obsidian, nature’s own glass formed during volcanic eruptions, passing samples around for members to examine. She explained how glass is made by melting silica sand, soda ash, and limestone, with metallic compounds added for colour. From Egyptian fish jars to the famous Roman cameo Portland Vase in the British Museum, and the glassmaking traditions of Murano (moved there in 1271 to reduce the risk of fires in Venice), Rosemary traced the fascinating history of the craft.
She described how the oldest English glass, dating from around 1176, is in Canterbury Cathedral, and how stained glass is created by joining coloured glass pieces with lead strips to form images or patterns. The first major use of glass in building came with the Crystal Palace in 1851. Rosemary also spoke about American designer Louis Comfort Tiffany, whose detailed stained glass panels and lamps became world-famous after being showcased at the 1900 Paris Exhibition.
Rosemary’s own journey into stained glass began over 30 years ago after attending a class. Now a respected artist and historian, she begins her work with a full-sized drawing, cuts each piece of glass to fit, and joins them using lead cane. She displayed photographs of her recent commissions alongside the original cartoons, as well as smaller works created from leftover glass. The talk prompted many questions, and Wanda offered a vote of thanks on behalf of members.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 16th September, with a speaker from Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid, who will outline the organisation’s work in supporting vulnerable women and children across the county.
Visitors (£6.00) and new members are always welcome, with pro-rata rates for those joining part-way through the WI year. For more information, call 07802 22599 or 07971 291883.