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Oakley and Deane WI

10:28am Wednesday 15th May 2013

THE May meeting of Oakley and Deane WI, was the annual meeting, when members received a resume of the many varied and interesting meetings and activities enjoyed during the year. They were told how to make their gardens more wildlife friendly, how to improve memory and also heard Mrs Fidget’s wartime tips. Queen Alexandra was the subject of an interesting talk, as was one all about Sri Lanka. Another speaker spoke about orchids, and Bluebells was another subject, not the flowers, but the respite home in North Waltham, which offers free holidays to the families of children with life-limiting or life-threatening medical conditions.

Oakley and Deane WI

11:58am Thursday 11th April 2013

Oakley and Deane WI celebrated their 95th birthday at their meeting in April and members enjoyed the evening playing traditional games and doing a quiz. After the games a toast was made to the WI, the birthday cake was cut and and a buffet supper was enjoyed by all.

Oakley and Deane WI

9:08am Thursday 14th February 2013

A MOST interesting talk about “Bluebells” was given to members of Oakley and Deane WI at their February meeting by Jane Gates. Jane is the mother of a nine year-old Berkshire boy, Sebastian, who died from a rare form of cancer and it was his dying dream to have a holiday home for families of children with serious, life limiting or life-threatening medical conditions. The family launched the charity Sebastian’s Action Trust and raised the money for the complex of self-catering apartments. They wanted the home to support principally families in the south east and were fortunate to be offered some land free of charge in North Waltham and so the building went ahead and it was opened in 2011 and called The Bluebells.

Hants & Berks Motor Club

10:43am Thursday 10th January 2013

Hants & Berks Motor Club provides a focus for motoring enthusiasts in the area.

Oakley and Deane WI

8:45am Thursday 10th January 2013

AT THEIR January meeting, Major Paul Whittle gave members a most interesting talk on a train journey through Sri Lanka on the Viceroy Special.

Oakley and Deane WI

12:25pm Monday 17th December 2012

TERRI Reid came to Oakley and Deane’s December meeting appropriately addressed as Mrs Alice Fidgett, a 1942 housewife, to give us wartime tips. She gave us many ideas for the festive season in wartime using the only ingredients available.

Oakley and Deane WI

8:29am Thursday 15th November 2012

MEMBERS of Oakley and Deane WI enjoyed a wine tasting and cheese evening at their November meeting. The wines provided by Caviste included a Prosecco, white and red wines and a dessert wine. Following a brief description and history of each wine members then had the opportunity of tasting them and recording their opinions. They were all very much enjoyed especially the Prosecco which was a light sparkling wine suitable for all sorts of occasions and considerably cheaper than champagne.

Oakley and Deane WI

8:53am Friday 12th October 2012

Dr Alick Jones gave members of Oakley and Deane WI a most interesting talk at their October meeting on “How to make our gardens more wildlife friendly”.

Oakley and Deane WI

12:43pm Monday 17th September 2012

AT THEIR September meeting Oakley and Deane WI played New Age Kurling. This is a form of the original curling game but adapted to enable it to be played on any smooth and flat surface. The tactical game is played using stones on weighted ball bearings and two teams take it in turns to slide the stones towards the bull’s eye target mat to score points dependent upon which colour the stones end up on. It is not as easy as it looks and there were not many scoring stones but it made for a very enjoyable and fun evening.

Oakley and Deane WI

10:32am Thursday 16th August 2012

QUEEN Alexandra, a rather forgotten queen, was the subject of a talk given to members of Oakley and Deane WI at their August meeting.

Hants and Berks Motor Club

11:20am Tuesday 14th August 2012

THE club provides a focus for motoring enthusiasts in the area. Throughout the year we offer a wide range of activities; monthly meetings covering a variety of motoring interests: navigational rallies, classic car tours, visits to interesting car collections, etc.

Basingstoke Lions Club

12:08pm Monday 6th August 2012

The Lion of Basingstoke escaped from the club on Saturday,  June 30. But, he was recaptured at Four Lanes School by the children. The children loved him. But the day was very hot so the poor old Lion had to take lots of naps – just like at home his mummy said.  At the same time seven other (less sleepy) Lions went out to help at the World Party in the Park. This was a superb event and The Making, and all involved, are to be congratulated. The music and dance, the workshops, attractions and food from around the world were all excellent. Favourite quote from a visitor was “I didn’t know Basingstoke did anything like this – it’s fantastic!” I had a personal moment of glory when a group of school kids came up to me and said “We know you – you’re the guy in the black hat with the putting game!” Fame at last. One of the great benefits of being in a Lions Club is that when a problem is too large for one club to handle, it can invite other clubs to help out. Pangbourne Lions were faced with the case of Owen Kew(6) a dystonic quadriplegic palsy sufferer who needed a specialised wheelchair costing over £14,000. Smart Wheelchairs, a specialist charity supported by many household names, bought the chair for £11,000. Pangbourne Masons Lodge and four Lions Clubs chipped in the balance and Owen now has his chair. Sounds easy – but it took a lot of hard work by all concerned, particularly the Pangbourne Lions Club to raise that sort of money.

Harrow Way Over 55’s Social Club

8:34am Tuesday 24th July 2012

The above Club hold their meetings in “The Barn”  Viables Community Centre” on Wednesdays on a fortnightly basis. Commencing  at 1pm  and  finishing at 4pm. Our programme of  entertainment is a varied one, and consists of a demonstration, a talk on some interesting topic by professional speakers, on occasion we have “Bring and Buy Sales” and other activities to make you afternoon lively and interesting, it also provides the opportunity to socialise, meet  new friends and get you out of the house for a few enjoyable hours.

Oakley and Deane WI

9:31am Thursday 12th July 2012

Oakley and Deane WI’s plans for a July summer garden party at The Fox pub for their July monthly meeting were somewhat thwarted by the weather. However, all was not lost as the meeting was transferred to the function room and a most enjoyable social evening was held with quizzes, food and chat!

Hants and Berks Motor Club

8:51am Tuesday 10th July 2012

Hants and Berks Motor Club provides a focus for motoring enthusiasts in the area. Throughout the year we offer a wide range of activities; monthly meetings covering a variety of motoring interests: navigational rallies, classic car tours, visits to interesting car collections, etc.

Oakley and Deane WI

8:36am Friday 15th June 2012

At the June meeting of Oakley and Deane WI, Roger Grier gave an interesting talk on the subject of wild orchids. He showed some beautiful slides of many types of wild orchid, a lot of which can be found in and around this area, and accompanied each one with a poem which he had written in which he described the characteristics and habitat of each one. Reports were given on recent activities including a lovely day in the Chichester area on one of the rare fine days recently. Members first had a boat ride around the harbour with the captain giving a running commentary on all the interesting boats and places in and around the harbour. This was followed by a visit to the flower festival in the cathedral which was absolutely stunning. Many of the displays illustrated famous books and were really amazing, particularly The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the whole cathedral was decked with beautiful flower arrangements.

Oakley and Deane WI

8:57am Friday 11th May 2012

THE May meeting of Oakley and Deane WI was their annual meeting when members received a resume of the very varied and interesting meetings and activities enjoyed during the year. They were entertained at a jazz evening and a recital of A Christmas Carol and learnt about scrapbooking, how to drive safely during the winter and also the health benefits of practising Tai Chi and Chi Kung. The Stone Age was brought to life on another evening and there was a more serious talk about the life of females in prison and other talks on various crafts including painting, patchwork and Christmas decorations.

Oakley and Deane WI

8:59am Friday 13th April 2012

It was the 94th birthday of Oakley and Deane WI in April so business was kept to a minimum and then Malcom Calvert spoke about and demonstrated the art of Tai Chi and Chi Kung which are Chinese martial arts. These arts are practised for defence training and also have many health benefits. Studies have shown that regular practice can greatly reduce pain and overall physical and mental health in people over 60 with problems such as osteoarthritis, diabetes, bad circulation, blood pressure, chest/lung complaints and some chronic illnesses. He demonstrated hand routines and focusing on these movements can bring about mental calm. Members then did some of these exercises and felt quite relaxed afterwards.

Oakley and Deane WI

11:37am Thursday 15th March 2012

At their March meeting members were given a talk by Kate Bettison on "My Life as a Film Extra". It can be quite exciting to be a film extra but it is essential that you are available at very short notice and be prepared to travel to various locations with some very early starts and late finishes. On tbe other side though it is nice to meet some of the actors who we see either on TV or in film.

Oakley and Deane WI

11:03am Thursday 12th January 2012

"SCRAPBOOKING" was the subject of a most interesting talk given by Lynette Ingram to members of Oakley and Deane WI at their January meeting.

Oakley and Deane WI

9:39am Thursday 15th December 2011

JONATHAN Jones entertained members of Oakley and Deane WI at their December meeting with a wonderful rendition in character of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It certainly bought the tale to life and kept members enthralled. There was also an exhibition during the evening of various copies of the same story.

Oakley and Deane WI

9:16am Tuesday 15th November 2011

Oakley and Deane WI SAFE winter driving was the subject of a talk given to members of Oakley and Deane WI by Geoff Banks at their October meeting, when they were given some valuable information and tips, so should be well prepared should we have another winter of bad weather.

Basingstoke Archaeological & Historical Society

10:04am Wednesday 2nd November 2011

After the excitement of our 40th anniversary celebrations (The Gazette, October 21) the society’s winter lecture programme continued in October with a presentation on ‘Recent Work at Marden Henge and the Neolithic Building’ by Dr Jim Leary, of English Heritage.

Oakley and Deane WI

3:36pm Thursday 13th October 2011

“BRINGING the Stone Age to Life” was the subject of the talk given to members of Oakley and Deane WI at their October meeting, and she certainly did just that.

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