We are disappointed to have to let you know that Celeste Bell is unable to come to our meeting tomorrow, 17th October, as she is unwell. However our meeting will go ahead as usual, meeting at St Margaret’s Hall, behind the Gallery Cafe, 21 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL - from 7pm, we will start the meeting around 7.30. Enter via the black gate to the left of the cafe and walk right around the garden. We would like to decide where our charity donation for this year should go. Please come with ideas for a charity you would like to propose. We would prefer to support a small local charity where our donation will make a difference. Within the WI’s guidelines charitable activities should be focused on ways of advancing education or improving conditions of people’s lives. Preferably it should also be for a specific purpose rather than added to a general pot. Entry for members is free and visitors are asked for £5.00. There is a donation tin for refreshments. Our coffee morning on 25th October will be at The Hackney Coffee Co, 503 Hackney Rd, E2 9ED, meeting from 1030.*** Lydia, (who designed our lovely leaflets) is exhibiting some of a set of illustrations she has done of ingredients, Plant Based, in the Gallery Café from early November. To get a preview go to her instagram account The Matchgirls Memorial charity is holding a Community Open Day on Saturday 2nd November at Tower Hamlets Library in Bancroft Road. They think the heritage of the Matchgirls should be enjoyed and celebrated.

On Thursday 17th October we’ve had a change in speaker; and are delighted to have Celeste Bell coming to talk to us about her mother, Poly Styrene, the lead singer for X-Ray Spex. She was a singer-songwriter, an artist, a free-thinker, a post-modern style pioneer and a lifelong spiritual seeker: a true punk icon. Some of you may have seen her at the 1978 Rock Against Racism Festival in Victoria Park. As usual we will meet at St Margaret’s Hall, behind the Gallery Cafe, 21 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL - from 7pm, we will start the meeting around 7.30. Enter via the black gate to the left of the cafe and walk right around the garden. Entry for members is free and visitors are asked for £5.00. There is a donation tin for refreshments. Our coffee morning on 25th October will be at The Hackney Coffee Co, 503 Hackney Rd, E2 9ED, meeting from 1030.    ***   Before the end of the year we would also like to decide where our charity donation for this year should go. Please come with ideas for a charity you would like to propose. We would prefer to support a small local charity where our donation will make a difference. Within the WI’s guidelines charitable activities should be focused on ways of advancing education or improving conditions of people’s lives. Preferably it should also be for a specific purpose rather than added to a general pot.

On Thursday 19th September we will be trying our hands/feet/bodies at Bollywood dancing, with Sonia. As usual we will meet at St Margaret’s Hall, behind the Gallery Cafe, 21 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL - from 7pm, we will start the meeting around 7.30. Enter via the black gate to the left of the cafe and walk right around the garden. Entry for members is free and visitors are asked for £5.00. There is a donation tin for refreshments. Our coffee morning on 27th Sept will be at The Hub, Victoria Park, E9 7OD, meeting from 1030.   *** This year’s group meeting is being organised by Stone Rangers, and will be held on Wednesday 11 September from 7.30pm in the private function room at The Plough & Harrow Pub, 419 High Road, Leytonstone, E11 4JU. It will be a 50's inspired evening of Rock 'n' Roll Jiving. There'll be a dance class, which will be fully accessible and tailored to all abilities, 50's music, and other 50's themed diversions. Vintage dress is encouraged, though not essential. Shoes which allow for twisting moves are advisable. There will be a raffle.

On Thursday 15th August Sinead Armitage from Action for Hearing Loss (formerly RNID), will be coming to talk about understanding, identifying, checking for, and managing hearing loss. Action on Hearing Loss is the largest charity in the UK focused on supporting people with hearing loss and tinnitus. Their research shows that 42% of over 50s have some form of hearing loss, and that jumps up to 73% of over 70s! While tinnitus can affect anyone at any age. As usual we will meet at St Margaret’s Hall, behind the Gallery Cafe, 21 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL - from 7pm, we will start the meeting around 7.30. Enter via the black gate to the left of the cafe and walk right around the garden. Entry for members is free and visitors are asked for £5.00. There is a donation tin for refreshments. Our coffee morning on 23rd Aug will be at the Nunnery Cafe, in the Bow Arts complex, 181 Bow Rd, E3 2SJ, meeting from 1030. There is an exhibition at the Nunnery Gallery called Raw Materials, which explores the forgotten industrial history of plastic in east London around the River Lea. To find out more click here   *** This year’s group meeting is being organised by Stone Rangers, and will be held on Wednesday 11 September from 7.30pm in the private function room at The Plough & Harrow Pub, 419 High Road, Leytonstone, E11 4JU. It will be a 50's inspired evening of Rock 'n' Roll Jiving. There'll be a dance class, which will be fully accessible and tailored to all abilities, 50's music, and other 50's themed diversions. Vintage dress is encouraged, though not essential. Shoes which allow for twisting moves are advisable.

Meet George Major on Thursday 18th July to hear about the Pearly history. George is the Pearly King of Peckham and was drawn into the Pearly King tradition from the age of seven. He is an enthusiastic speaker of the Pearly history; and will tell us about the origins of the Pearly Kings and Queens, the reason behind the iconic suits and maybe even get us all involved in a cockney singalong! As usual we will meet at St Margaret’s Hall, behind the Gallery Cafe, 21 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL - from 7pm, we will start the meeting around 7.30. Enter via the black gate to the left of the cafe and walk right around the garden. Entry for members is free and visitors are asked for £5.00. There is a donation tin for refreshments. Our coffee morning is on 26th July (please check your diaries as I put the wrong date last month’s newsletter, it is definitely Friday 26th not Sunday 28th!). We will meet at The Chelsea Physic Garden, at 11am (admission £11), when the garden opens to the general public. Amanda Claremont, who came to talk to us last year, should be there to welcome us and if there are enough of us will give us a personal tour.   *** Other events in July: 12th July is our next Chisenhale coffee morning and curator’s tour, on their latest exhibition by London and Amsterdam based artist, Ima-Abasi Okon. To find out more about the exhibition clickhere. 14th July between 1-5pm EEWI will be selling cakes and soft drinks at The Women’s Hall Garden Party, which will be celebrating the East London Federation of Suffragettes, at Victoria Park Bandstand.  Please contact Natasha if you can help with cakes or on the day. (0770 101 5588). We will also be having a committee meeting on Thursday 25thfrom 6.30pm.  If you are interested in coming let us know and we will advise where we are meeting.   ***   Janet's last quilting exhibition this summer is with the New Horizons Textile Group, at Christ Church Hall, Wanstead Place, E11 2SW on the 13th July, 11-4pm. Plastic Free Roman Road are planning a Summer Sew-a-thon, a series of workshops over the summer to make the bags from fabric that would otherwise go to waste.  Click here to go to their FB page for more information on what they are up to and how to contact them.

Our May meeting, on 16th May, is our AGM, where you will hear from our Secretary and Treasurer about last year’s activities and accounts. There will be an opportunity to socialise and we will have a more sumptuous spread than usual After the formal proceedings we will have: Four 10 minute speeches on...  Passions, people, pedantry Four members have volunteered to talk, for no longer than 10 minutes each, on passions, people or pedantry. As usual we will meet at St Margaret’s Hall, behind the Gallery Cafe, 21 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL - from 7pm, we will start the meeting around 7.30. Enter via the black gate to the left of the cafe and walk right around the garden. Entry for members is free and visitors are asked for £5.00. There is a donation tin for refreshments. Our coffee morning is on 24th May, is at Hackney City Farm, 1a Goldsmiths Row E2 8QA meeting from 10.30. *** Other events coming up in May: 16th May – Chisenhale Art Gallery Coffee morning from 9am. There will be EEWI cake, and a tour of the latest exhibition at the gallery. 27th May - We will have a stall at All Points East, in Victoria Park. If you are able to help bake, or on the day please contact Clare on 07773918207. Or speak to one of us at the next meeting. *** We have put together an outline of the meetings we have planned for the rest of the year, which you can see by clicking here, it will take you to the ‘coming up’ page on our website.

We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible, on the 18th April, to learn about making objects and holders using macramé. Lyn Gerald will be with us to show us how.   As usual we will meet at St Margaret’s Hall, behind the Gallery Cafe, 21 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL - from 7pm, we will start the meeting around 7.30. Enter via the black gate to the left of the cafe and walk right around the garden.   Entry for members is free and visitors are asked for £5.00. There is a donation tin for refreshments.   *** Our coffee morning, on the 26th April, is at Elbows, 103 Lauriston Rd, London E9 7HJ, meeting from 10.30.   *** Other events coming up in April:   24th April - Tower Hamlets St George’s Day Tea Dance, is at the Art Pavilion 2-4.30. To find out more click here.   27th April - At the Museum of Childhood St George's Day event, 11.30-4.30, we will have a cake & information stall. If you can help bake or serve on the day please get in touch, by responding to this email or contacting Natasha on 07701015588.    *** Our May meeting will  be the AGM, if anyone would like to find out about becoming a committee member, speak to one of us. We would welcome more help in coming up with ideas as well as organising meetings and events. Specifically, we will be looking for a new Treasurer, as Sioban will be standing down. After the AGM we will be having: 10 mins on...    Passions, people, pedantry. If you have a passion, person or pedantry you’d like to let us know about in 10 minutes, please get in touch. So far we have 2 speakers and would welcome more. If you’re unsure about what would be involved, or whether you’d have enough to say, please ask and I’m sure and we can help.   *** We have put together an outline of the meetings we have planned for the rest of the year, which you can see by clicking here, it will take you to the ‘coming up’ page on our website.     Photo by Lyn Gerald