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Monthly Update from our President - June 2009
June already and I am over half way through my year of office. They say ‘time flies when you are having fun’ and I can honestly say that the first seven months has been just that. It has made me appreciate and value our Organisation, its members and, most importantly, the work it does and the potential opportunities that it has to achieve so much more.
May day and the suitcase was packed once more.This time I headed north by train to Harrogate to spend the Bank Holiday weekend with family, having strategically placed family and friends is proving very helpful. SI Keighley and District were celebrating their 75th that weekend. Pat and John Shore very kindly conveyed me from Harrogate to Silsden for the celebratory dinner at the local golf club.The ‘Sat Nav’ took us via the scenic route which necessitated Pat opening (and closing) the occasional farm gate and surprising a few sheep in the process. It was a lovely sunny evening, if a little ‘parky’, and pre dinner drinks were served on the terrace overlooking the town and the surrounding countryside. Dinner was a relaxed and entertaining affair, I just wish I could remember some of the jokes regaled during the course of the evening! The rest of the weekend was family focused which was super. Needless to say a foray into ‘Bettys’ was required, purely for restorative purposes of course.Unfortunately the journey home was long and tedious and took the edge of what had been a very successful weekend.
During the folowing week I visited Anne Dunne, APD for IGU, one thing we have in common is a propensity for falling over at inconvenient moments - though she does it with more aplomb. I am delighted to say her sense of humour is as keen as ever!
The following weekend saw a change in schedule. I was not able to attend the Joint Irish Conference in Cookestown, Northern Ireland, as planned. I was really sorry as I have always enjoyed their conferences and was looking forward to it. I am grateful to President Elect Jackie for standing in for me.
However, I did get to SI Morpeth for its 60th. I have a confession to make - I had flown over Northumberland and been through it by train, but I had never actually set foot on Northumbrian soil until I visited Morpeth. I now know why people hold the area in such affection. In the space of 24 hours I was given a ‘taster’ of what the area had to offer including Alnwick Gardens and Cragside.
I arrived in time for the tree planting at the Carlise Gardens which was followed by a walk through the gardens and along the riverside. I was able to see at firsthand the extent of the flooding and the restoration work that had been undertaken. The walk took us past a Doughnut stall, famous in the locality for its product. Temptation proved too much for the Mayor’s young son and so it was doughnuts all round courtesy of the Mayor (and very nice they were too).
Club members had organised a light lunch at the local Methodist Church after which President Denise and her husband David, my hosts for the weekend, took me to Cragside, a fascinating NT estate close to Morpeth. A brief respite followed before we set off for Alnwick Gardens.
The weather cleared and the sun came out just in time for us to see the gardens at their best. They really are quite spectacular. The Dinner was held in the restaurant overlooking the magnificent cascading waterfalls with its intricate system of fountains which, when floodlit, provided a stunning backdrop to the proceedings. The evening was delightful and included the presentation of their ‘Woman in the Community’ Award, a wonderful way to mark 60 years of soroptimism and service in Morpeth.
Coffee the following morning, at a local village Church Hall, was accompanied by lots of birthday cake. It was a lovely way to meet with members from SI Morpeth’s many friendship links and representatives of other organisations including Sue Ashmore, the incoming President of BPW (the Business and Professional Womens Organisation) who is from the area. It was also an opportunity to view the displays of the Club’s work over the past 60 years. It was soon time for me to bid my farewells and to head south, however, Northumberland is an area I hope to return to in the future.
Continued on Presidents Page . . .
Carwen Wynne Howells
Federation President 2008-2009
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