AS our usual meeting place was being redecorated, we decamped to Wichenford Village Hall for our January meeting.

Many thanks to the committee and the Hall management who arranged it all at short notice.

Elsie Corti was congratulated on her January birthday and we were all pleased to see the greeting card she and Peter had received from the Queen marking their diamond wedding anniversary.

The Christmas meeting had resulted in £20 being raised for ACWW Pennies for Friendship and £18 for PUPS.

A sub-committee is to be formed to discuss entries for the Let's Party Rally.

The speaker was Meg Farmer who had everyone fascinated with her story of her 20 years fostering. She and her husband have done a wonderful job in coping with so many over the years, offering love and care, whether for a few days or for longer periods of time. She did not dwell on the hard work, the sadness and heartbreak they must have experienced over the years. We all enjoyed her talk very much and felt humbled.

The competition for a modern nursery rhyme was won by Gwyn Darby with her version of Hey, Diddle Diddle, a modern morality tale. Sheila Craker was second and Mary Kipping and Kate King join third. The evening finished with another Irish raffle with the proceeds to be added to the money raised for PUPS at the December meeting.

Kate King