What a smashing evening we all enjoyed together for our Centenary Social Event last Thursday at The Institute with fish and chips by Pitstop and drinks by BarKing for supper and vanilla ice-cream for dessert, with sprinkles and sauce to choice. We sang Jerusalem and then Geoff Cooper played throughout the evening and for our sing-song, a good mix of period songs from Pack Up Your Troubles to Friends and Neighbours. We finished joyfully with our combined rendition of Auld Lang Syne, with friends arms linked in great companionship.
We also enjoyed getting the right answers to the 1915 themed quiz then enjoyed a great raffle which included a wide range of WI items as the WI cookbook, the mug, a tea towel, a Victoria sponge cake made to the WI original recipe, wine and a box of homemade jams and chutneys.
Decorations for the event focussed on slogan-inspired WI colours of green, violet and white – green for give, violet for votes and white for women, the suffragettes’ chosen colours, many of whom were founding members of the Women’s Institute. The lnstitute was attractively decorated with these special colours for table dressings with jam jars of flowers, our new Adderbury WI Banner on its second outing this week after Tuesday’s Centennial Service at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, photos of old Adderbury, Adderbury and Milton archival prints and our raffle table.
We were delighted that Stella Oakes, our Special Adviser, was able to join us for the evening and so too a large party of Banbury WI Members, all of whom came most splendidly dressed in period costume of the day.
The evening began with our combined voices in a stirring account of Jerusalem which set the tone for our special social event to mark The WI Centenary – 1915 – 2015 – 100 years of the life and times of our fabulous Women’s Institute.
Here’s my photo gallery of our splendid Centenary social event for 100 years of WI Life and Times….
the evening begins…
I think we all had an excellent evening – great food, great fun and great raffle prizes – for our special Centenary celebratory evening for our fabulous Women’s Institute…
Margaret Halstead