Meeting Reports   2024 -2025

 

April 2025

At the April meeting, held at the Louth Bowls Club, we welcomed Judi and Rob from the Sutton on Sea LGBTQ+ Community Support Group.

Judi gave us a most detailed and informative talk on Transgender issues. She clearly explained and clarified the processes, beaurocratic, medical and surgical, that every transgender person must negotiate, as well as the emotional and social challenges that may be faced by individuals. She generously shared her own experiences and answered our numerous questions.

Finally, Rob Ives, who had visited us last November, gave us an update on the Sutton on Sea support group that he leads. We found the evening of great interest and most, perhaps all of us, learned a great deal.

March Monthly Meeting

AGM March 2025
The AGM was held at our new venue, Louth Bowls Club,  the facilites met with general approval of the space, privacy, comfort and acoustics.
The existing committee had all agreed to continue their commitment.
The secretary gave her account of last season's activities and an overview of the coming programme. The treasurer discussed our expenditure and income.
A brief overview of the sub groups, Saturday lunches  and website was given
Most of the members actively participated in the meeting, giving their suggestions and opinions which were noted by the committee.
A warm presentation was made to a member who has been a valued and active contributer to IWA and will be missed when she returns to her country of origin.

February 2025 Monthly Meeting

The February meeting attracted an excellent turnout of over twenty members for a talk on Senegal.

Hilary Byrne gave a very upbeat account, from a personal perspective, of her trip to Senegal which was taken during the period of Covid travel restrictions. She was grabbing the opportunity to visit her son who was living in the country and she determinedly overcame the many obstacles and setbacks, as well as being parted from her suitcase containing appropriate clothing for Africa. Hilary, who is an IWA member and also a French teacher recounted several of her adventures, including bartering for clothes and swimming in challenging conditions. We very much enjoyed her talk and there were many questions.

January Meeting 2025

Our January meeting is now, traditionally our "Winter Event" when we gather after all the Christmas and New Year activities are over and [for some it's a relief] we can join up with friends again. For the second year running we gathered for a pre-ordered lunch at the Club House of Kenwick Golf club where we [ twenty-three of us] were given a separate area just to ourselves. There was plenty of food and conversation with the facility of moving round the tables to catch up with friends and, in some cases, get to know new people. Many thanks to our Treasurer and Secretary who took responsiblity for organising this successful event.

"December" Meeting 2024

Our December monthly meeting was held at the end of November to fit changes in circumstances- though the Miller's Daughter seemed very Festive with decorations and flashing fairy lights.
We were pleased to welcome two women from Ukraine who have been learning English from one of our members, a language teacher. Iryna and Tetiana came to Louth at the beginning of the Ukranian war and they spoke very movingly about their feelings and experiences. Our quiet little town is very different from Kiev and Odessa from where the came but they have grown to value Louth's qualities and expressed gratitude for the welcome they had generally found. There were many questions from our members and it was, inevitably, an emotional experience. Many thanks and very best wishes to these two brave women.

November 2024 Report by PM

The meeting was held, as usual, at the Miller's Daughter in Louth.  Our speaker was Rob Ives who has done a great deal of work with the LGBTQIA community in Lincolnshire.  The meeting was held as a forum with Rob introducing himself and talked about his experiences, then about the work he does with the community, and particularly with the support group he runs in Sutton on Sea.  Although there is beginning to be more tolerance and understanding of Gay, Lesbian and Trans people, he said that there is still a long way to go. He also said that, as with the so called Straight community, no two people had the same feelings and experiences and need to be regarded as individuals.
The meeting then continued with members asking questions and talking about their own experiences, particularly in circumstances when dealing with Trans people in such situations as the NHS.  The discussion was lively, respectful and fun.  There was a great deal of laughter and Rob was thanked for being so informative.
 

October 2024

Our October Meeting at the Miller's Daughter was sparcely attended because many mambers were away or unwell, however those attending were given a very professional illustrated presentation. Brian McEwan's topic was "Using Renewable Technologies to Improve Sustainability", he traced his early interest in the Green movement to his present involvement with a Manby company, Middlegate Software, that has developed Deimos—"a technology agnostic, data-driven energy modelling platform with 100’s of solar panels, batteries, wind turbines, bio-generators, heat sources etc to choose from".  We had much to take in and think about. There were several comments  from the members on topics inculding electric cars, solar panels  and Japanese house design. Our usual social catch-up rounded off an  informative evening.

September 2024

The September meeting was held at the Miller's Daughter pub, it was quite well attended and with a couple of guests. Our speaker was Nadine Must who gave a presentation on The Kruger National Park in South Africa. Nadine has been a frequent visitor and devotee of the National Park since the 1980s and was very enthusiastic about her subject. Many of us had little prior knowledge, so we learned of its long history, geography and organisation. We were presented with a beautiful collection of Nadine's photos and videos showing the visitor facilities and particularly the extrordinary flora and fauna, climaxing with a video of a road blocked by a lengthly stream of elephants.

The evening ended with our usual social catch up.

August 2024

Many thanks to our member PM for organising the August meeting and submitting this report.

Last night's meeting took the form of a treasure hunt round Louth.  Starting at the co-op car park and proceeding to Kiln Lane the ladies had to find the answers to 30 clues to find the treasure in the form of a box of chocolates.  Happily, the weather played its part by remaining warm and dry and everyone enjoyed the stroll round town finding, and following the clues.   For some it was the first time they had ever done anything like it and there was some talk about another at some point.  After the walk we enjoyed a well-earned drink at the White Swan.

July 2024

Our annual garden party was held in mid-July at a member's home near Louth. Generously arranged by our hostess and her team who put on a barbeque and a fun quiz about the USA where she had previously lived. We seemed to know more about US politics than geography or music and needed to be instructed on the meaning of "over-easy". In the tradition of IWA parties, dishes of delicious savory and sweet treats were provided by the members. We had been asked to dress associated with the Wild West theme and our hostess awarded a “best dressed “prize to a member splendidly authentic in Stetson, cowboy boots and a fringed waistcoat. It was a pity that the weather was cold and drizzly but a couple of members were seen heading to the jacuzzi!

June 7th 2024

We held the June monthly meeting at the pub where our speaker was IWA member, Maureen Warner.

Maureen's focus was the World War II experiences of her father Cyril Warner and her uncle Jim Warner, both RAF pilots. Cyril's plane had been shot down over Norway in 1940, he had parachuted into snowy countryside but he was soon apprehended and he spent the rest of the war in various POW camps. Later in the war his brother Jim, who had been stationed in Lincolnshire, was lost flying over the sea.

The fascinating detail of Maureen's talk centered on her research and archiving of the brothers' war. She had visited Norway and with the help of a Norwegian researcher had seen the crash site and memorial to her father and his fellow RAF crew. She showed us many old and new photos including the remains of the plane together with extraordinary documentation of Jim's POW experience.

Everyone was very engaged with the content of Maureen's talk which morphed into a general discussion.

May 3rd 2024

The May monthly meeting took place in the comfort of a member's home in Louth and we are most grateful for her generosity and welcome.
We were delighted to be joined by our speaker, Trevor Bounford, who gave a beautifully illustrated presentation, ‘In Graphic Detail: reviewing a life in design". We learned about just what graphic design is and how we are surrounded by it, and also the technical changes over the 50 years of Trevor's career. We were shown a great variety of his impressive designs and publications including original charts, his re-drawing of the London tube map and books on knots and paper planes.
It was lovely that Trevor and his wife stayed to join us for our social buffet supper.

April 5th 2024

The April monthly meeting took place at a member's home in Louth. The focus was for each member to briefly present an object that was important to her, and the results represented the range of interests and experiences typical of Louth IWA. 
We heard about the symbolism in Aboriginal painting, a bent spoon designed to force a left-handed child to use her right hand, the Bayeux Tapestry and Nomandy, a carved conch shell used in India as a horn and colourfu Malaysian batik fabrics.  
Then a we were shown a glamorous hand made dress, were informed about piddocks [which are molluscs that bore holes in rock], being in Canada during a prolonged ice-storm, making ceramics in homage to bronze age pottery and finally, propaganda posters bought in an antiquarian shop in China.
We then enjoyed supper provided by the hostess and members and lots of good conversation.

March 1st 2024

The 2024 AGM took place at a member's home. This included details of both past and planned meetings and events and the treasurer's report. 
After the AGM, for a celebration of Chinese New Year, and for which several members had dressed beautifully, there was an interesting presentation of the meaning and traditions of the celebration followed by delicious Chinese food prepared by our hostess and two other members.

February 2nd 2024

This was the first "Speaker Meeting" at the Miller's Daughter since November last year. Pat Mowbray had done plenty of research following her recent visit to Herculaneum and Pompeii and gave us an informative talk covering earthquakes, eruptions, destruction and the subsequent discoveries in the two Roman towns. Pat had visited the area many years before and now she told us her updated impressions of the sites that are currently open to the public. 

January 2024 - The Winter Event - see side menu

December 1st 2023

The December Meeting was very well attended considering the really nasty weather conditions and it was well worth the effort. Twenty of us gathered at a member's home outside Louth. The activity was The IWA Disingenuous Quiz #2 that was taken on by six teams of three members, the questions having been designed for and by the IWA.  The members of the winning team [36 correct out of 52 questions] were awarded token prizes for their breadth of knowledge and canny intuition. Our host gave us a truly warm welcome and had worked hard in the kitchen preparing a marvelous variety of delicious food.

It was a lovely evening that was a great example of the super benefits of being a member of IWA.

November 3rd 2023

The November meeting held at The Miller's Daughter was very well attended with 24 people in the room. Our speaker was Jennifer ichikawa [one of our members] whose subject was The Japanese Tea Ceremony. Jennifer shared some of her life story and experiences and then explained the complicated rituals of the ceremony, showing us some of the utensils and vessels used. Jennifer was accompanied by Prisca Furlong who told us of her own interest in the subject and how she has held Tea Ceremonies in her own garden in Louth.
After the presentation many of the members remained to talk and socialise.

October 6th 2023

For the October meeting at The Miller's Daughter our members and guests enjoyed a most informative and entertaining illustrated talk by Dr Julie Bounford. Julie is a social historian, researcher, author, and micro-publisher and also runs very stimulating book groups in Louth. The evening's subject was Norah C. James and her banned book "Sleeveless Errand" the prosecution of which, ironically, resulted in the availability of other banned books by better known authors. Julie brought copies of other books by James for us to examine and we were delighted that she and her husband, Trevor, remained with us after the presentation for the social part of the evening.

September 1st 2023

For the September meeting we enjoyed  the return of Irene Lingard who brought the second phase of her presentation on the recent changes and  current situation in Russia, showing some short videos that really surprised many of us. Irene was accompanied by her friend Ann who, having a Russian daughter-in-law, was a frequent visitor to Russia  and so could contribute an English woman's perspective.

It was a most informative evening made all the more pleasurable being at a member's home enabling a lovely buffet supper provided by everyone. Many thanks to Irene, Ann and our generous hostess.

Meeting August 4th 2023

A games evening, held at The King’s Head pub, was attended by nine IWA members. A very enjoyable, sociable (and sometimes a little competitive), evening was spent chatting and playing board games.

July meeting 2023

The July meeting was a break from routine being the annual IWA walk. We met at the Black Horse pub in Donington-on-Bain and set off though the fields, past Biscathorpe  and then along tracks up and down the wolds, enjoying stunning scenery. Back at the pub many of us sat down to a well deserved lunch. The hike consisted of many women [possibly only one native to Louth], two men and a very small dog. The walk felt like an achievement for several of us, estimated at 11,800 steps and taking a couple of hours.
Thanks are due to GC for organising us; she said "Well done all of you for doing the walk today, especially those who were challenging themselves and finished still standing!! I enjoyed the beautiful scenery in great company".

June Meeting 2023

The June meeting, which was very well attended, took place at a member’s home on a lovely sunny evening. Thanks go to the hostess for the warm and welcoming atmosphere she provided.

The presentation, given by Irena Lingard, was entitled ‘The Russian Puzzle’ and was delivered without Irena’s carefully prepared visuals. In spite of this Irena was able to portray a fascinating picture of life in Russia. She wove connections between historical forces and contemporary life, illustrating the ongoing dilemmas and conflicting demands arising from a vast geographical area, and a multitude of ethnicities, cultures and languages, all of which have been, and continue to be, impacted by Russia’s relations with the West. There were many questions from her audience and discussions around many of the issues she raised, including the use of Russian as a first language in Ukraine and access to education.

Irena’s presentation was followed by a buffet and ongoing discussion. All in all a really enjoyable and informative evening.

Irena will forward her digital presentation for further reference.

May Meeting

The May meeting at the Miller's Daughter was barely interupted by a thunderstorm and torrential rain outside when Diane Cook gave us a detailed presentation " From Fabulous after 50 to Supple and Strong after 70". She told us about the latest research on aging and illness followed by advice on excercise and diet. A discussion of the topic continued for some time after her presentation. We were also pleased to welcome a new member.

April Meeting

The April Meeting fell on Good Friday so we were pleased to see quite a few members at the Miller's Daughter despite several absences due to Easter and family visits,
Our speaker was William Hamilton of the Louth Beekeepers Association and many of us learned a great deal about the economic and environmental issues attached to beekeeping and found that even beekeeping can be confrontational. We also learned of the value of our own gardens to bees, particularly when we maintain a long season and include a variety of flowers and shrubs

March Meeting

The March Meeting was a lively AGM and here are some of the outcomes. [Members will have received a more detailed account].

We are pleased to welcome a new member to our committee.
The majority of members present voted for membership fees to be increased from £15 to £18.
People wishing to join the IWA during the year will be asked to pay pro rata £1.50 per month.
We have no vacancies for the two existing literature groups. Members who are interested in forming a new Literature group or indeed any other activity group are encouraged to do so..
The 'Issues Now' group has been scratched. Members interested in forming a new discussion group are invited to contact SB.
We are looking forward to the completion of our sewing project - in addition to the ten existing squares, there are three more in the making. 
We will be resuming our popular annual fundraising event (soup lunch) on Saturday, 25th March at a member's home in Louth, starting at 12noon, in aid of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF). We are asking for a contribution of £5 per person.  Guests will be welcome. 

February Meeting

For the February meeting we gathered at The Miller’s Daughter for an illustrated talk and demonstration given by Lives First Responders, Annie and Tim. Lives is a Lincolnshire based charity and the aim of First Responders is to reach a potential life-threatening emergency in the first vital minutes before the ambulance crew arrives. Their role is to help stabilise the patient and provide the appropriate care until the more highly skilled ambulance crew arrives on scene to take over the treatment. We were shown what to do with an unresponsive patient and how to use a defibrillator. Three of our members were game enough to go down on the floor to pump the heart of the plastic dummy patient.

We were also told about the charity’s fund-raising events that support their vital work.

January Meeting

The celebration of the 35th anniversary of Louth IWA was combined with the January "Winter Event" this year. There was a great turn out at Louth's Priory Hotel for a three-course lunch followed by a celebratory cake. Everyone dressed up for the occasion and the gathering was typically exuberant.

A few comments from the members:

Super lunch on Saturday and good company too!! Thanks to G for organising it and M for the cake, Well done. SJB x

I very much enjoyed our lunch on Saturday! Thanks to G for organising this and M for the delicious cake. See you soon! IP

Thank you to all involved in Saturday's lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the food was excellent. Some good photos too.  See you all soon. HB xx

Hi everyone. Great to have had such a wonderful get together on Saturday. Thank you  G  for your efforts. So appreciated. Thanks to you all for a fun day. PE 😊

A big thank you to G and everyone that helped with organising the Lunch yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and food were good too. SD 

Very many thanks to G  for arranging the Lunch yesterday - she had done a great deal of negotiating over a long period of time to sort this out for us. Thanks also to M for ordering and bringing the cake. SKB

Thanks from me too, a happy and successful celebration with lots of interesting conversation 😀🎉🥂xx DC

December Meeting

We very much enjoyed being in a member's home for the December Meeting, we were made very welcome and everyone brought food to share.

To celebrate 35 years of Louth IWA one of our members had prepared an overview of the beginnings, highlights and achievements of the organisation together with memories of the founding members.

The evening proceeded with a quiz with an international theme and a female bias, some of the questions had been contributed by the members and proved sufficiently challenging to keep everyone guessing.

November Meeting

At the November Meeting Susan Banks gave a presentation called False Doors and Timeless Thresholds. The talk was originally designed to introduce her exhibition of paintings at Gunby, both were posponed [Covid] but the exhibition went ahead last year. The talk focused on the process of researching and producing a body of work, then designing an exhibition - with some art history and art related topics included. Questions were raised about the beginnings of the use of perspective, liminal spaces, the aesthetics of damage and signs that ward off the evil eye. About 20 members attended and many stayed on to discuss the themes of the talk and for an enjoyable social catch-up.

October Meeting

We were delighted to welcome the archaeologist and popular WEA lecturer Simon Tomson to the October meeting. Simon's topic was Ariel Archaeology and he he gave us an enlightening and enjoyable illustrated presentation, especially tweeked for IWA, on the archaeological sites that can be discovered from the air in Lincolnshire. We found that we are walking over or driving past hidden pre-historic and historic places such as barrows, monastries and deserted medieval villages. Simon rounded off with photos of women in World War II who worked with the anti-aircraft defenses of the Humber Estuary which can still be seen by ariel archaology.
Judging from the oos and ahs and the feedback everyone, including the Miller's Daughter's bar staff, thoroughly apreciated Simon's talk.
We were pleased that the members remained after the talk for the social side of the meeting.

September Monthly Meeting

Eighteen members attended the September meeting at The Miller's Daughter pub and the speaker was Geraldine Commowick. Geraldine had spent two years teaching in China and during that time took a two week winter holiday traveling around with a Chinese friend. She presented her fascinating illustrated talk showing us mountains and temples, huge Bhuddist carvings, street scenes and a massive dam, animals for sale as food and some interesting hotel ameneties. 

August Meeting

Members of the IWA were very pleased to welcome two new members at their August meeting at ‘The Miller’s Daughter’. 

It was to be an evening of games, so people brought along their favourite board games, such as ‘Genius Squares’, ‘Chinese Checkers’, Rummy Club’, ‘Jenga’ and more.  Everyone had a great time and it was suggested that a sub-group might be formed in the future to meet at regular intervals for the purpose of playing board games.

July Meeting - See Garden Party

June Monthly Meeting

Many of the members were delighted to gather for the monthly meeting at a member’s home for the first time for quite a while. We were fascinated by the talk given by Jennifer Ichikawa on the Japanese Kimono. Jennifer most generously allowed us to handle several exquisite kimono and obi [the sash] and presented a surprising array of necessary undergarments. She explained that the kimono has its own sign system according to season, marital status and occasion. After the talk we enjoyed a delicious buffet provided by the members and drinks by our kind hostess. It was lovely to catch up with old friends and to welcome and meet some newer faces.

May 2022

Over twenty members and guests gathered for the May meeting of Louth IWA at The Miller’s Daughter pub in Northgate. It was one of the evenings when the members make the most of the considerable resource of their own talents and experiences with many women each reading a poem to the group. Although most verses and thoughts were in English and two translated from Chinese, we also enjoyed poems in Bengali, French, German, Spanish and Tagalog, the language of the Philippines.

Some members have made a start on sewing the squares that will eventually be joined together to be made into a hanging to represent the IWA, we are hoping that this project will be well underway by the June meeting.