Coming up in June 2023

Thames views, art, architecture and a double helping of a classic East End bakery – coming up in June

Our June walk: North Greenwich – Saturday 10th June, 11.00 

If you'd like some fresh air, join us at North Greenwich station to take a stroll around all the public art, architecture and landscape of the riverside scene and perhaps recapture the excitement of the Millennium Dome.

Meet at North Greenwich Underground Station, SE10 0BH at the top of the escalators at 11.00am.

Our June talk: Rinkoff's Bakery – Thursday 15th June, 7pm for 7.30pm at St Margaret's House, Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL

A representative of Rinkoff’s – the long-established East End bakery started in 1911 – will be talking to us about their family business. We will travel through the history of four generations who originally migrated to London from Kiev over a century ago. 

If the gate is locked when you arrive at St Margaret’s House, there will be a call bell on the right hand side at the back of the gate.

Our June coffee morning: Rinkoff's Bakery – Friday 23rd June, 10.30-ish  

Following on from our talk, our coffee morning this month is at Rinkoff's Bakery/café, 242 Jubilee St, E1 3BS. It is just off Whitechapel Road, so easy access. The café is small, but it does have a few tables outside and a bit of shade. 

Nearest tube station: Stepney Green, or buses 25 and 205. Rinkoff’s is through the arch under the flats. 

Our AGM and chocolate quiz

Reporting, quizzing and chocolate – our AGM

Our AGM is an important event in our year. There have been figures to prepare, the year to review and a look ahead. There's been keen-eyed admin by our Secretary, Celya, reporting from our President, Heather and thank you to Middlesex Federation for leading proceedings.

There's been some fiendish quiz-setting about chocolate too, from Sally, and a mystery chocolate tasting from Natasha. Chocolate might have been eaten...

And in all of that is a story about an active group of WI members that meets, learns, listens, walks, helps out and laughs together, that makes the most of its wide array of knowledge, interests and skills and that's built a cheerfully collaborative committee that can adapt around everyone's commitments, challenges and abilities. 

Here's to our next year.

Next:

Our coffee morning – Targa Green Café

Friday 26th May, 10.30 - 11.00 (ish!)

Join us for coffee, this month at Targa Green Café at 137a Tredegar Road, E3 2EU. 339 bus route. Adjacent to the Roman Road for anybody who fancies a bit of shopping afterwards!

Our May walk

A colourful walk in Victoria Park

Lush from the week's showers and full of blossom, Victoria Park was perfect refreshment for our May walk, full of colour – and we were a colourful group to match. 

Our walks are a chance to chat and they're always full of stories, this month of two young park workers who met there and of the old Lido.

Sally brought the knowledge, which set us talking about the origins of London's parks, this one created for public health, and there was refreshment of the café kind at The Hub.

If you'd like to join one of our walks, look out for the next 'Coming up' blogpost for details.

Coming up in May 2023

A regal park walk, our AGM and some chocolate – coming up in May 2023 

Our monthly walk – Victoria Park

Saturday 13th May, 11.00

As a nod to all things Royal we thought we would revisit Victoria Park. Does anybody know the distance to walk the perimeter? Well, bring your pedometers and we can find out! We’ll put together some fascinating facts as well to keep us entertained on the way round. Then we thought coffee/brunch/lunch at The Hub, with their delicious array of home-made cakes and savouries. Meet at Crown Gate E9 7DE - nearest the pavilion café and toilets.

Our AGM, with chocolate tasting and quiz – Thursday 18th May, 7 for 7.30pm, 

St Margaret's House, Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL

Our Annual General Meeting is an opportunity to review what we have achieved over the last year and to vote for committee members. We are always looking for more members to help us run EEWI, please consider joining the committee. 

Think you know your chocolate? Well, come along and have a go at this month's activities... In a change to the advertised programme, we now have a tasting of apparently-identical samples of chocolate, devised by Natasha, and a chocolate quiz, compiled by Sally.

If the gate is locked when you arrive at St Margaret’s there will be a call bell on the right hand side at the back of the gate.

Our coffee morning – Targa Green Café

Friday 26th May - 10.30 - 11.00 (ish!)

Join us for coffee, this month at Targa Green Café at 137a Tredegar Road, E3 2EU. 339 bus route. Adjacent to The Roman Road for anybody who fancies a bit of shopping afterwards!

Our April meeting

Two sketchy stories: our April meeting

In a change to the scheduled meeting (our best wishes to the Co-op speaker who had to pull out), our very own Lydia stepped in with two short talks – a bit of nerdery and a show and tell.

Adapted from a talk for Nerd Nite London, Pencils – a sketchy story delved into their history by way of smit marking, sourdough, a factory in Tottenham, artisanal pencil sharpening and Q. We raffled a bundle of pencils featured in the talk and joyously, the winner was our President, Heather, who loves beautiful stationery.

After a cake break, Lydia did a show and tell of her project Dispatches from a Small World. Originally a lockdown project, Dispatches reported from Lydia's East London garden in sketches. Lydia chatted through its discoveries, on materials, looking through drawing, finding stories, learning by doing and time.

Pictured above: The pencil talk; Heather winning the raffle (pictures by Alison); the Dispatches talk on screen and Lydia playing with projector selfies. 

Our April coffee morning: Friday 28th April at the Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, E1 7QX

Join us between 10.30 & 11.00 for coffee, chat and the chance to view the Gallery itself and maybe browse the bookshop, with some of the profits going towards the Gallery's future exhibition and education programmes.

EEWI stall at East of London Family History Society AGM

Soup and stories 

We love running the lunch, tea and cake stall at the East of London Family History Society AGM. Held at the airy Mile End Ecology Pavilion, the event is full of good cheer and interesting stories. 

A big thank you to all of the EEWI members who made soup, baked and helped at the stall, and to the East of London Family History Society for inviting us. 

Our April walk

A rebellious walk – Shoreditch and Spitalfields 

With its starting point the book Rebel Footprints, our walk turned into a cheerily curious urban tour. Starting at Shoreditch Church, we explored its pretty gardens, wandered along Shoreditch High Street and turned off through the Boundary Estate to Arnold Circus, sharing knowledge and history as we went. From there, we walked along Brick Lane and through Spitalfields to Christ Church. After a café break, three of us explored the recently-opened Gilbert + George Centre (we recommend) – and thanked Gilbert + George, who were there! 

Many thanks to Natasha for this month's walk. Fancy joining us next month? Look out for our next 'coming up' post.