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 Badgers Mount Women's Institute

Formed 1953

Badgers Mount W.I. Polhill District, West Kent Federation.
Contact telephone number - 01959 534858

President:
Vice Presidents:
Correspondence Secretary:
Treasurer:

 Mrs Pat Cash
 Mrs Daphne Thomas, Mrs Elizabeth Drysdale
 Mrs Pat Haywood
 Mrs Carol Powell

 

 

BADGERS MOUNT WI APRIL REPORT

This month's meeting started on a sad note; our President told us of the death of a well respected friend and long serving member of the WI. Pat West was a member of our WI for 35 years. She served on the committee for 30 years, was our President twice, treasurer for 10 years and the art and craft representative. A gifted needlewoman, she made the Badgers Mount WI Banner complete with a badger. Her skills included WI Market Controller and later their Chair person. Her cakes were delicious, especially the famous madeleines. Pat moved a short time ago to be near her daughter and hoped to join another WI, but sadly this was not to be. We held a one minute silence in her memory and our thoughts are with her husband Tom and her daughter.

We were pleased to welcome a guest to the meeting and hope she will join the WI in the near future. Reports on the 90th anniversary of the Annual Council Meeting at Tunbridge Wells, the District Home Economies Day and the District Art and Craft Meeting were read and all proved to be very enjoyable and instructive. An invitation was received from Sevenoaks WI to join them for their May meeting, and a luncheon outing has been arranged for our institute and friends in early May.

Our Speaker was Chris. McCooey, a freelance writer, and his talk was based on one of his books entitled 'Wacky, Weird and Wonderful'. Chris always writes about true events and real people, and the characters in this book are all associated with the County of Kent. Some are national figures and some hardly known generally in the County, but all lead interesting, different and, memorable lives. Dr Dorrit Waterfield, the first practicing lady GP in the area of Lamberhirst and Pembury was a character whose unconventional methods, great compassion for the physically and mentally unwell and, who was never off-duty, made her a very memorable and popular GP. Denys Bower, another character in the book bought Chiddingstone Castle in 1956, and the weird and wonderful things that happened before and after that event were fascinating. We also learned about Quex House near Birchington which is one of the most eclectic museums to be seen in this country. It was founded by Percy Powell-Cotton, a life long hunter and collector who had the animals he shot stuffed and put in the museum. It also houses craft items from far countries and weaponry from China and Japan. In his own amusing and dramatic fashion Chris brought these people and others to life. We are looking forward to reading his book and learning more about all the 'Wacky, Weird and Wonderful' Kentish characters.

The next meeting is on Wednesday 14th May at 2pm in the Memorial Hall. This will be the Resolutions Meeting. We will also have a quiz and a 'flower arrangement in a cup' competition. Guests and new members are always welcome.

Contact telephone number for any information is 01959 534858 or visit our website at www.bmra.info/wi
Daphne Thomas
 

 

Click for details on the Badgers Mount Hall...Meetings, mostly with a guest speaker are held in the Memorial Hall at 2 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each Month (not August). Produce Stall, Teas and Raffle at each meeting.
New members and guests are always welcome to join us.

2008 Events

January 9th

The speaker will be Christine Pope and the subject: "Stained Glass Windows".

February 13th

The speaker will be Mr John Halligan and the subject:
"The Lord Mayors's of London".

March 12th

The speaker will be Mr Graham Harmer and he will be demonstrating flower arrangements.

April 9th

The speaker will be Christopher McCooey and the subject: "Wacky, Weird and Wonderful"

May 14th

Resolutions Meeting. We will also have a quiz and a 'flower arrangement in a cup' competition.

June

 

July

 

August

 

September

 

October

 

November

 
November  
November  
December  

Links:
West Kent Federation of WI's  -  www.westkentwi.org.uk
National Federation of Women's Institutes'  -  www.womens-institute.org.uk
The Badgers Mount WI (this site!)  -  www.bmra.info/wi
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History:Badgers Mount WI founder members

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).

Badgers Mount WI banner

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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 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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