March/April 2010 Newsletter

Hello and Welcome to our March/April Newsletter.

Hopefully we will be able to update you on anything you have missed over the last month or so.

Supper Club
At the beginning of March we had our first Supper Club meeting when we met at La Trattoria in Pontypridd High Street. Good food, good service and good company were enjoyed and anyone who thought that because we started at 6:30 we would be home in time for an early night would be wrong. We were enjoying ourselves so much they nearly had to eject us from the place at 10:00 pm. The April supper club didn’t have such good attendance as the first but was still very enjoyable. Although we are staying with La Trattoria for the next supper club, the venue is open to suggestions should anyone have any alternative ideas, but so that you will know the dates for your diaries – Supper Club will be on the first Thursday of each month.

Reading Circle
The first book chosen for the Reading circle was The Island by Victoria Hislop Unfortunately Lynne and Erica were not able to join in the discussion because they had started reading Small Island by Andrea Levy an entirely different story! There was no book chosen for the April book club, but members were invited to read a book of their own choosing and share their thoughts with others members of the reading circle. For those who have not yet been to the reading circle, the title of the book for May will be available at the next meeting. The reading circle meets on the last Wednesday of each month at Gelliwastad Road Club.

Calendar Girls Theatre Trip
Emma still has tickets available should anyone want to go on Friday 30th July at 7.30pm. Seats are in the upper circle and tickets are £15.00. Speak to Emma if you would like a ticket, but please note payment must be made at the May meeting.

March Meeting
We had a very interested and entertaining talk from two lady magistrates.They gave us an insight into their experiences on the bench over the last 20 years. Although some of the tales were quite humorous, on a more solemn note their experiences illustrated desperate conditions that lead some unfortunate people into crime and that although there are strict guidelines, the inidividual circumstances of each case must be considered.

April Meeting
Marie Williams and her friend Angela joined us in April to tell us about the benefits of holistic therapies. Marie is a Reiki master and offers a range of treatments, including reflexology and Indian head massage. Angela talked about crystal therapies and explained the essence of the different minerals she brought along with her. Again a very interesting presentation and lots of food for thought if you haven’t considered these treatments previously, or if you just want help in relaxing.

Monthly meetings
From January (although the snow prevented us from meeting in January) we thought we would try an earlier start to our monthly meetings – with the darker winter nights it might have been better for people to get home a little earlier. However the 7:00 pm start had not worked out well after discussion with members at out last meeting the majority felt the later start was easier. So meeting times – second Wednesday of each month with a 7:30 start.

May meeting – 12th May
June meeting - 9th June
July meeting – 14th July
August – no meeting

Please feel free to pass these dates on to anyone you think would be interested in joining us.

Marga Quince will be joining us for our May meeting to tell us about volunteering and in particular about the work with Pont – a charitable organisation based in Pontypridd that does valuable work overseas in Africa.

YAWI Secretary
Regrettably, Robin our YAWI Secretary has had to step down for personal reasons. If you have an organised brain and feel you would like to volunteer for this post please let us know as soon as possible.

Your committee needs you!

And in General
Don’t forget this is your WI, so please feel free to let us know of any suggestions you might have for new groups, new activities you think we should try, and generally anything that you think might be of interest to your fellow members (not sure is “fellow members” is appropriate for a female group).

Our YAWI website – www.yawi.co.uk - is still rather “under construction” but you will find some information on there and all past newletters if there is something you think you have missed. And if you have anything to share you with your fellow members (there’s that fellow again) you can add your comments to the website. You can also email us at yawi@hotmail.co.uk.

Recipe for this issue is a very versatile Thai Green Curry. Takes about 30 minutes in total to make and tastes as if you’ve spent hours preparing it. This is a recipe that was available some years ago when Tesco used to have recipe leaflets around the store. There is also something very similar in a Weight Watchers cook book (so healthy to boot) and once you have the basic ingredients for the curry it can be adapted as a meat, fish or vegetarian dish.

1 can of coconut milk
¼ pint stock*
1 clove of garlic
4 lime leaves or a few drops of lime juice
2-4 teaspoons of Thai green curry paste – adjust to your own taste#
4 shallots halves
4 oz fine green beans
4 oz cherry tomatoes halved
12 – 14 oz white fish
chopped fresh coriander.

Place the coconut milk, stock, garlic and lime leaves and curry paste in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the shallots. Allow the mixture to bubble for 10 minutes. Add the green beans and fish and cook for a further 5 minutes. Toss in the tomatoes and coriander and simmer for a further 2 – 3 minutes. Serve with boiled rice.

*This can be made just as easily with cooked chicken (great way to use any left over from roast), seafood cocktail fish mixture, quorn or other additional vegetables. Vary the stock you use according the ingredients.
# One recipe suggests 2-4 teaspoons of Thai green curry paste. 2 teaspoons gives a nice little bite, so it might be a good idea if you want to try this recipe you start here and increase the amount of curry paste next time you make it – and it’s so good you’re bound to want to make it again.

Bon Appetite!

Don’t forget
You can call Emma on 07762493928 or Erica on 01443 409959 if you want any information about any of the groups etc or if you have any ideas you want to run by them. Leave a message and they’ll get back to you if they can’t come to the phone when you call. Please note that Emma will be out of the country between 3-12th May and so it may cost you extra to call her at that time!

And here’s a thought seen at a local hairdressers which might be appropriate

If you like what we offer tell your friends
If you don’t like what we offer tell us – we’ll endeavour to improve.

Jan/Feb 2010 Newsletter

If you missed the last meeting the newsletter will keep you up to date with what is happening with our Ynysangharad WI.

This is our newsletter and your views and contributions are important. If you have any news items, comments, recipes, gardening tips or anything that would be of interest to our group. Please contact us at yawi@hotmail.co.uk or speak to Emma at the meeting

February Meeting
It seemed like an age since we last met as the January meeting had to be cancelled due to the inclement weather. However, it was great to see some old (in membership and not age terms!!) faces and also to welcome some newer members.

Important decisions needed to be made as the group decided on the Committee for the coming year. Thanks were offered to those who had worked so hard over the last year to establish the Ynysangharad WI and provide a firm foundation for the new Committee to build upon.

Information on the new Committee listing can be found later in this Newsletter. Glamorgan Federation Vice Chairman Carolyn Davies (Pontyclun WI) was kind enough to come along and guide us through our first AGM and the group is indebted to her for her patience and guidance. We also welcomed, and gratefully accepted, an apology from the Federation for the late provision of record keeping books and other literature which will help the Committee with the organisation and running of our WI group. These were not received by YAWI for some months after the groups’ inception but are now fully available to aid us in going forward.

Carolyn also delivered our yearly financial report which had been audited for us. We end the year with a not unhealthy balance of £638.80. However, we need to be mindful of the fact that we received a greater proportion of member’s subs last year and must include some fundraising in our programme this year to enable us to remain afloat.

Talking of subs…. These are still due for those of you who have not yet paid. Please bring £29.50 in either cash or a cheque with you to the March 10th meeting so that we can tick you off the list.

As well as all the important administrative business, we also had a very interesting speaker at the February meeting. This was Siobhan Scullion, Acting Director of Pontypridd Woman’s Aid. Siobhan delivered an interesting and engaging talk packed with facts and figures outlining the situation regarding domestic abuse in the UK. The umbrella of domestic abuse is now seen to cover not just violence but also psychological, verbal and financial abuse. We were intrigued to find out that the Pontypridd Women’s Aid remit covers not just women but also children and that they undertake several different forms of support: outreach and children’s services as well as the more recognised refuge provision.

Siobhan explained how our sister Pontypridd WI provide ‘Welcome Packs’ containing toiletries and other bits and pieces that are given to women on first arrival at a Pontypridd Woman’s Aid refuge (as often the women arrive with nothing). The group discussed the possibility of providing ‘Leaving Packs’ containing useful items when setting up home which could be given to women/families when leaving the refuge and it was decided to investigate this as an ongoing support to Pontypridd Women’s Aid.


New President and Commitee
The group were sad to see the stepping down of Lyn Daunton who has led the group so steadfastly during our inaugural year and who gave a lovely summing up of the achievements of YAWI over the last year. However, we were also glad to welcome our new President Emma Gwynnett who promises to lead us through with much enthusiasm during the coming year. We also welcome Lynne Harries as Vice President, Robin Seaton as Secretary and Pat Porch taking on the unenviable role as Treasurer. Special mention should be made of Jan Davies and Margaret Hill who made such a sterling effort to establish these roles under the last committee and who did their utmost best, at times with little information. Margaret Perry also sits on the new Committee and has been working hard with Pat to provide a new and exciting programme for 2010.

We are still a very small Committee, so if anyone would like to offer any assistance they would be gratefully received. The more members on the Committee we have, the less work for individuals so please help support your group!

YAWI 2010 Programme/Dates for the Diary
The draft programme is taking shape nicely and is expected to be ready for distribution by the March meeting. Please see the new ‘Dates for the Diary’ sheet which we will be providing each month. This has a rolling timetable of all the events coming up over the next few months (YAWI on one side and Federation on the other) and also deadlines for getting your name down/money in. See Emma if there is anything you fancy doing 

March events
For those of you who like their food, the new ‘Supper Club’ has it’s inaugural meeting on Wednesday 3rd March. We will be meeting at The Trattoria on Taff St. Pontypridd at 6.30pm. There is a special 2 course option available for just £7.95. No need to book your place, just turn up! After this first outing, the ‘Supper Club’ will be changing nights to a Thursday (at the request of members) and will be meeting the first Thursday of the month thereafter. If the reputation of The Trattoria is correct there should be no reason to change the venue but like all groups, members will be free to discuss and make changes.

Also, in March- this time Wednesday 24th March at 6.30pm, there will also be a meeting of the ‘Reading Circle’. The first book to be discussed will be The Island by Victoria Hislop and the meeting will take place at The Gelliwastad Club & Institute, which is right next door to our usual meeting place on Gelliwastad Rd, Pontypridd. Again there is no need to book a place, you just need to turn up and enjoy! Drinks and crisps will be available to purchase at the bar. Members will have the opportunity to choose future books for reading/discussion and also to influence the meeting day if inconvenient for a large number.

Calendar Girls Theatre Trip
We are trying to organise a trip to see Calendar Girls which is showing in the summer at the Wales Millenium Centre at Cardiff Bay. This outing will take place on either Friday 30th or Saturday 31st July 2010, with the first choice being the Saturday matinee. The date is dependent on numbers and availability of seats when booking (the final date will be checked with deposit paying members prior to booking). Bring £20 to the March meeting to secure your place.

Start Time of Meetings
It has been decided that the start time of meetings will be brought forward to 7pm. The reason for this is so that there is an increased amount of time for members to chat and socialise after business and the speaker. Please don’t forget!

Recipe of the Month
Due to the volume of information in this months’ Newsletter, Recipe of the Month will be back in March! Please submit your favourite dishes for inclusion.

And finally…Please remember that our next meeting is on Wednesday, March 10th 2010 at 7.00 pm. We hope that even if you have missed a few meetings you know that we would be delighted to have you back and we look forward to welcoming you at Temple Baptist Hall.

Our speaker will be Binkie Thomas who will be entertaining us with tales of life as a local magistrate.

Please don’t forget to bring your £29.50 subs and to have a good think about whether you’d like to join our Committee.

If you can’t wait that long, you can always pop along to ‘Supper Club’ on March 3rd and join us for a tasty gathering 

Website and Email Contact
The YAWI website address is www.yawi.co.uk and you can email us at yawi@hotmail.co.uk

You can also leave a message for Emma on 01443 662138 and she will endeavour to get back to you.