Caerwys Women's Institute - Message from Sonia
Hawes (President) The 2020 year was
a strange one for WI and, to make up for lost meetings, the year was extended so the new WI year now runs from April 2021
to March 2022. Although we weren’t able to meet in person except from January 2020 - March 2020 and for an outdoor meeting
last summer, we made up for the lack of speakers with goodies bags, afternoon tea in a box, plants, masks and some zoom meetings
as well as a zoom book group, a twice weekly walking group and conservation and wildlife gardening group; and, when allowed to meet others outdoors. The 2021-2022 year is still a little uncertain but we have a flexible list of
meetings pencilled in including a garden visit, a BBQ, talks, a well being day and various other activities. The book group
will continue online and in person depending on the covid rules and the walking group will restart as soon as possible. A
new gardening group with an emphasis on wildlife and conservation will also begin as soon as possible. If you would like to join us the fee is £44
for the whole year and you are assured of getting excellent value for money. It is a good way of getting to know people and
making friends. If you’d like to join, or would like more information please contact Sonia, I’d love to hear from
you. The Caerwys Women’s' Institute
80th Anniversary Tapestry
It measures 34 inches by 58 inches, and contains 50 individual
embroideries, collages and tapestries depicting Caerwys life and scenery. It hangs now in the Caerwys Memorial Institute,
where the light from the large windows picks out the many textures and the vibrant colours. The tapestry was created by members of Caerwys WI to celebrate its 80th Anniversary.
There are symbols to show activities such as the Bowls Club, Cor Meibion Caerwys, the WI, and Caerwys in Bloom. Ysgol yr Esgob,
the Town Hall, the Memorial Institute, the Pinfold, Bethel Chapel, and St Michaels's Church are represented. There are symbolic
portrayals of the work of agriculture and tourism. All these are framed within an outline of the 21st Century landscape, the
roads, the hills, and the mast. On13th
February Meirwen Davies, President of Caerwys WI told a packed audience in the Memorial Hall about the Tapestry Project. It
had clearly been a labour of love. Marjorie Scott had prepared drawings for the embroiderers to work from. There was much
deliberation and drinking of cups of tea before the design was agreed upon and the tasks allocated. Joyce Bagnall dyed the
large backing fabric provided by Kris Chambers using a strong tea solution and blue dye.
When the tapestry became too big for a kitchen table, work continued on it in the Chapel Schoolroom. By November
2011 it was ready. Meirwen Davies, Elizabeth Lord, Kris Chambers and Joyce Bagnall took it to the framers in Mold, and chose
the frame. Finally, Mike Evans, Chairman of the Memorial Hall Committee, Jonathan Webb and Steve Wilson installed the framed
tapestry in its long-term home in the Memorial Institute. Those who gathered there to view the
tapestry and to hear Meirwen's talk were in no doubt. Caerwys can be proud of the tapestry and of the 80-year record of community
service which it celebrates. Members of the
WI in 2008, many of whom contributed to the making of the tapestry, are named on the embroidered border to the tapestry: Alice
Morris, Elizabeth Musgrave, June Williams, Meirwen Davies, Kris Chambers, Elizabeth Jenkins, Marjorie Scott, Pauline Bentley,
Vera Coffey, Marianne Webb, Sylvia Harris, Margaret Williams, Pat Bell, Joyce Bagnall, D. D. Jones (Tussie), Sheila Garside,
Dilys Rees, Olwenna Hughes, Mags Owen, Carol Gallagher, Brenda Parry, Gwen Lloyd Davies, Jean Sava, Nancy Williams, Edie Morris,
Jean Patrick, Kate Jones and Julie Wilson. Cards of the tapestry are on sale at the Post Office for £1.
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