where the heart is

copyright Dorothy Lloyd Magic Me

55+ Local women needed for "where the heart is" arts project 

Every year, local charity, Magic Me partners with The Women's Library and 

Mulberry School for Girls to work on an arts project. Magic Me needs local older 

women that are over 55 to get involved in this year's project, Where the 

Heart Is. You will explore stories of love in the East End with experienced 

Magic Me artists. Using film, theatre and story telling techniques as a group 

you will design a walk of the area drawing from your stories. The final artwork 

will be presented as part of this year's LIFT Festival. 

Sessions start on the Wednesday 22nd February from 2-3:30pm, and then 

every Wednesday from 3:30-5:30pm at The Women's Library. 

For more information call Clea on 020 3222 6064 or email cleahouse@magicme.co.uk

the edible garden gets cooking

Now normally the idea of an afternoon at a steering group would not fill my heart with joy, but when we met today with Corinne, Sue and Fabio from Phakama to discuss the Edible Garden project we all came away full of the fun to come.  And food too, lots of lovely food.  We've got grand plans - a space has been identified in Mile End for the garden! - and we are already thinking about how to use the space, plan our growing, and what we need to do to get ready for a grand feast later in September 2012.  And for a trial run, we shared a food preparation and testing session with our prospective chefs with some imaginative and delicious outcomes.

Many thanks to Annie, Clare, Heather and Ruth for coming along this afternoon and sharing their time, ideas, experience and all important tastebuds.  We are really looking forward to working in partnership with Phakama, giving and gaining to make the Edible Garden a beautiful, productive space.  There will be regular updates on the Edible Garden blog and plenty of opportunities to get involved with growing, cooking, crafting and story-telling.

Watch this getting-greener space.

life chances

It's January.  Resolutions are still in the air.  So it was good to welcome Jay Bharvada along to hear about Chance to Live, the charity he has set up with his wife to increase the number of people signing up to the Bone Marrow Register.   Jay spoke very movingly about his own son's illness and how we can help people like him who would benefit from bone marrow donation.  Jackie's daughter has signed up, and Niki has circulate the information to her work colleagues.  Even if you are not eligible to sign the register, you may want to think about how else you might be able to help.  We'd love to hear what you've done to raise awareness of the register.

Our second speaker, Lana Hersak, explained how to go about setting up a small business.  There was lots of sound advice - who'd have thought it was so complicated?  Some  members shared their own experience of running businesses and there was a lot of note taking.  If you didn't manage to get all the information, Lana has let us have a checklist and some links to organisations that can help.  You can find them on a separate page on the blog here.  And good luck if you are thinking of taking the plunge. Let us know how you get on - we're always keen to support our talented women.

After such a thoughtful start to 2012,  it was good to see concentration of a slightly different sort at the coffee morning at Hurwundekei....

Nice work.

january meetings: aim and aspire

If you are want to explore new horizons in 2012, Lana Hersak, the speaker at our 17th January meeting, may be just what you need to stir you up.  Lana will be talking to us about setting up a small business, drawing on her experience leading aim and aspire workshops.  We will also have a short talk about charity "Chance to Live".  And we'll be encouraging you to vote on your preferred resolutions for the NFWI AGM.  So a busy night ahead.

We are meeting at the usual time 7.30pm for 8pm start at our usual venus, St Margaret's House, Old Ford Road, E2 (just next to the Gallery Cafe).  If you are new to the WI, do please come along - the weather may be chilly but you'll find a warm welcome and refreshments available; we suggest a donation of £3 to cover the cost of refreshments.  If you are a member, we'll be taking 2012 subscriptions - £31.50 for the year, or you may prefer to pay in three instalments.

Our coffee morning on Friday 20th January will be the Hurwundeki Cafe in Cambridge Heath Road (just before you reach the railway station going north.)  We'll gather from 10.30am onwards.

And just another reminder that we are continuing to work with Project Phakama on the Edible Garden project.  There will be a meeting on 28th January at Queen Mary College in the Arts building, 2 - 4pm if you want to know more about the project.

It's going to be a busy year,  See you soon.

comfort zone

In the last couple of quiet days, happily ensconced trying to shift the cat out of the way and tidy up the vestiges of Christmas and the loose ends of 2011, I came across  one or two things that I forgot to share.

Never let it be said that we are not game for trying something new.  Just take a look at these little videos of our Cynthia and Heather participating in an installation by artist Martina Schuemacker in South London.  (More on Heather's adventures at Denman soon.)

Oh yes.  Sometimes we do step out of our comfort zone.  Let's hope 2012 will be a year to shake us up and take us on amazing new EEWI adventures.

Happy New Year!

and a happy christmas to you...

It's been a busy couple of weeks.  There was our Christmas Market where we saw some fabulous hand crafted goods, shared some Christmas goodwill with our friends from U-Turn, learnt how to finger knit, ate mince pies galore and enormous slices of Cynthia's mum's coconut cake...

...and made some crazy looking baubles for our Christmas tree (what exactly is it that happens to people when they get their hands on glitter and glue?).

The tree went up at the weekend at the Community Christmas Tree Festival along with some other amazing entries.  Ours has the cups on top instead of a fairy.  I particularly likes the tree made of party hats, the reindeer sculpture and the model with the light-up tree-skirt.

We also met up at the Geffrye Museum for a great deal of chat, a fair amount of tea and coffee and lots of oohing and cuddling of Jo's baby boy.

And as if that wasn't enough, we even managed a bit of fourteen- point- star crafting on Tuesday evening at the Crown because Elizabeth produced some pretty paper from the depths of her handbag a la Mary Poppins.  You'd be amazed what you can do with a large star other than put it on your tree.

Our thanks go to everyone who joined in, sold and bought, and made these events such fun, particularly to all of you who brought along Christmas gifts for U-Turn.  We know it's very much appreciated by Rio and all the women who used the drop-in centre.  We'll be meeting again on 17th January when we'll hear all about setting up a business, so do remember to put that in your new diaries when you get them.  Until then:

have a Wonderful Christmas.

the EEWI christmas market!

Yes, ladies,  it's nearly time for our fabulous Christmas Market.  Our December meeting is this year is going to be big and buzzy with lots of lovely stalls from a host of local designer makers as well as our own talented members, some mulled wine and a mince pie.  We've got a little Christmas crafting lined up because we want you to help decorate the tree that we'll be entering into the Community Christmas tree festival on 17th December - any sparkly scraps or trinkets that you have for the baubles we'll be making most gratefully received.  And we will be joined by our friends from U-Turn again this year, so please try to bring along a small wrapped gift for the women helped by U-Turn.  Entry to the event is free to members, £3 for visitors.


This is our last evening meeting of the year (where did the time go?)  but we will be meeting for a visit to the lovely Geffrye Museum  for coffee at 10.30am on Friday 16th December and a walk through Christmases past.  The museum opens at 10am if you want to look round before rather than after coffee.  It is easy to get to by public transport, but please remember that if you are using your own car, you will be charged for parking in Hackney.


We're looking forward to seeing you all next week.