The February meeting was the first to be held in 2013 as the January meeting was cancelled due to bad weather. As it is the Institute’s 95th year, members have been asked to provide ideas for ways in which to celebrate the occasion.

The Institute is looking forward to hosting the Spring Group meeting on March 21 with a 1960s theme. Details were given of the forthcoming WFWI Spring Council meeting on April 25, Adam Henson farm trips on April 29 or 30, celebration lunch with guest speaker on May 23 and a day visit to Denman College on September 20. Author and keen walker Bob Bibbey, from Bridgnorth, gave an insight into the ‘Cake and Ale Trail’ along Worcestershire as the guest speaker.

Over the past few years, he has written four books covering the ‘Cake and Ale Trails’ in Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. He described the Worcestershire trail, which begins and ends on the Malvern Hills and covers 100 miles. Along the route, he mentioned the many excellent establishments he had visited, where he either enjoyed a delicious lunch, usually with locally brewed ale, or a sumptuous tea with cakes.

On his journeys, he discovered beautiful churches, where there are the graves of many well-known people, from Elgar to Stanley Baldwin and Richard Hubble, who emigrated to America and whose descendant was famous for the Hubble telescope.   
Juliet Hole’s copy of Thomas Hardy’s poem February was a worthy winner of the February-related item.
On Monday,  March 11, the institute welcomes Karen Van Hoff, talking about ‘Fine Art Jewellery’. There will be a trading stall and the competition is a March-related item.
The meeting takes place in Mamble Village Hall, starting at 2pm.