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Badgers Mount Women's Institute
Formed 1953
Contact telephone number - 01959 534353 or
01959 532226
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Badgers Mount W.I.
Polhill District, West Kent Federation. |
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BADGERS MOUNT WI MAY MEETING
May is the month when all WI's hold their Annual
Meeting and discuss the resolution chosen to take to the National
Federation of WI's Annual General Meeting to be held this year at the
Albert Hall. Our Institute voted unanimously that "The N F WI calls on the
Government to increase investment and training, employment and retention
of midwives in England and Wales to ensure services are adequately
resourced and are able to deliver high standards of care". There is a
4,700 shortfall of midwives at the moment and an increasing birth rate of
22% in England between 2001 and 2010. Plus, there are more complications
in pregnancies and births due to present day life styles.
The
serving committee were all re-elected with the welcome addition of two new
committee members. Liz Drysdale has stepped down as our President after
serving 3 years. She was warmly thanked for her leadership.
Daphne
Thomas is the new President. The afternoon finished with a quiz , as we
enjoyed tea and cakes.
The June meeting on Wednesday, 13th, is an
outing to Great Comp Garden at Platt and members are asked to meet at 1pm
in the Memorial Hall instead of the usual time of 2pm.
New members are
always welcome. Come and spend an interesting and friendly afternoon once
a month with Badgers Mount WI.
New members and visitors are always welcome. Contact No. 01959
534353 or visit our website at
www.bmra.info/wi
Daphne Thomas
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 Badgers
Mount WI History
This photo includes the original founder members which was taken in
1978 at the Silver Anniversary of the Institute. They are Eva Edwardes,
Gladys Plumb and Dorothea Elwes. The lady far right is Rita Inwood who was
the president then and was re-elected for the Golden Anniversary year
(2003).
The Badgers Mount WI banner designed and made by the president at the time
(1975) Pat West. The banner hangs at every meeting and was the centre of
the 50th celebration decorations.
50 years of Badgers Mount WI
Formed in November 1953 by Dorothea Elwes, Gladys Plumb and Eva
Edwardes with an average of 26 members attending during the first year.
(Sadly none of our founder members are alive to celebrate our Golden
Anniversary).
1957 Letters were written to London Transport to get them to
re-route the 431 bus for the benefit of the local residents.
1966 We raised money for a new water heater for the hall kitchen.
1969 Members helped with a project to extend the hall by 10 feet to
allow the addition of 2 toilets, this was aptly named the "Waterloo
Project".
1970 A weekly rota was formed to help serve teas at Orpington
Hospital's Day Centre. Some members also entertained at the hospital,
local OAP clubs and Age Concern. Saving stamps were collected for "Single
Women and their Dependents" milk bottle tops for the "Guide Dogs for the
Blind Association"
1973 Three of our members were congratulated - Dorothea Elwes who
received an O.B.E.
Joyce McAughtry who was elected to the Sevenoaks District Council and
Kathleen Sherwood who became Divisional Guide Commissioner.
1977 Eileen Back & Patricia Cash represented the WI on a local
committee to arrange the celebrations for the Queen's Silver Jubilee,
subsequently the institute provided and served teas to approximately 60
children. In this special year we also formed a working party to 'Keep
Britain Tidy' armed with plastic sacks we cleared several roads and
slip-ways with good results.
1980 Darts matches were held between the recently formed' Badgers
Club' for retired and semi retired men from the area and ourselves.
1989 Four of our members enjoyed a week-end at Denman College when
the West Kent Federation took over the college. This is our own college
set in beautiful surroundings in the Oxfordshire countryside at Abingdon.
A number of our members have attended the college either by winning a
bursary given by the institute or by paying for a course of their choice.
To celebrate the N.F.W.I's 75th Anniversary some of our members ran a
'Tombola' stall at the Kent County Show at Detling, Pat West, Controller
of Orpington WI Market and one of our members, helped with the County
Market stall at the show.
1990 Margaret Fox & Patricia Cash attended the 60th Birthday Lunch
of our 'Link' institute at Hernhill in East Kent. Previously, we had hired
a minibus which our then President had driven, to attend one of Hernhill's
Coffee mornings, stopping for a pub lunch on the return journey. Over the
years, pub lunches have proved to be very popular and we have tried &
tested many in the Kent countryside.
1991 We were honoured by a visit from the County Chairmen Elizabeth
Patterson, who guided us through the resolutions for the National A.G.M.
In the same year, as a result of a talk given by Brian Do on 'Wildlife on
the Kent Downs' some members & husbands joined him on a 'Nature Walk'
across the downs in April, this was most enjoyable as the primrose &
cowslips were in full bloom.
1993 To celebrate West Kent's WI 75th Birthday, Badgers Mount held
a Victorian Tea-Party in Margaret Fox's lovely garden, out came the
Silverware, lace table linen and Victorian dress & hats. A delicious tea
was served to visitors & guests, which included our County chairman,
members of other institutes in our Polhill District and some from our
'link' institute Hernhill, by committee members dressed as maidservants.
This proved to be a great success in spite of tree-cutting in a nearby
garden and a bonfire to burn the wood.
During our 50 years we have supported numerous charities, such us local
Hospices, Sevenoaks Hospital and Red Cross Society, Pegasus Riding for the
Disabled and Kent Air Ambulance to name a few.
2003 Over the years we have had a strong Music & Drama Group in our
District, with a number of our members taking part or producing, a brief
list of which are as follows:
A Victorian Music Hall, Pantomimes, The Roaring Twenties, Goin' West, As
Time Goes By, The Way We Were and a few plays as well, but our "Piece de
resistance" has to be our offering for the Millennium - A Midsummer
Night's Millennium Dream, a skit on the Bard's famous work, cleverly
adapted by Wendy Robertson one of our members. During Millennium year our
County Chairman, Brenda Young visited us for our Birthday party.
Pat Cash
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January 25th