THE president Cynthia May welcomed 84 members and two guests to the July meeting of the Bude WI, which was held on Tuesday, July 11, in the Methodist Church Hall.

The whole room then stood and sang Jerusalem to the accompaniment of Dorothy Gardiner on the piano.

Cynthia May and Carole Edwards then gave details of many forthcoming events, including the WI’s own 95th anniversary celebration.

There were many other events which the members could take advantage of including a trip to Lundy.

The institute is holding a fundraiser for the Cornwall Air Ambulance and this is to be on the morning of Friday, August 11, at the Parkhouse Centre. There will be games, a bottle tombola, sale of homemade cakes and produce, a café selling tea/coffee and cake for £1 and a nearly new clothes sale. As usual with Bude WI events, everyone is invited to come along.

The guest speaker, Nick Bacon was introduced. He told the audience of 84 members and two visitors that he was in his 52nd year of gardening.

He started in his hometown of Chester and during celebrations for HMS Broadsword, the visiting VIP, Princess Diana (patron of Chester) was so impressed by the town gardens she asked to meet the gardeners. Nick was delighted to have had a chat with this lovely lady. He moved down to Cornwall with SAGA tours and became an escort around the gardens of Cornwall for this company’s guests.

He then spent many happy years at the Trelawney Garden Centre but has now moved, only last year, to a wildlife garden in Padstow. His talk included many useful tips on how everyday items can be the answer to many pesky problems — like yeast and black treacle to kill off ants and custard powder to help shoots to root. He ended his talk with a poem called ‘A Gardener’s Reflection’. Nick continued to answer questions throughout the tea break and was a very popular speaker.

After the tea break the minutes of the June meeting were approved and signed and a report on the trip to Tiverton and the ride on a horse drawn barge was given.

As with all WI’s the group is member led, and a number of members had said they were sorry Bude WI was not laying a wreath at the Memorial Day celebrations on Sunday, November 12. This matter was immediately looked into and the institute is pleased to confirm they will be represented at this service by their president Cynthia May and several other members.

For the first time there were no entries in the monthly competition but the flower of the month was well supported and won by Mary Hicks, 2nd Pat Harris and 3rd Brenda Dustan. The ‘bake off’ of two scotch eggs was won by Janet Hiller, Gloria Flemming was the judge and Anna Whitsed was the steward.

On Saturday, July 15, 20 members of the Bude WI, some with partners, and Anna Whitsed with her son, rose early for a very exciting crossing on the ferry to Lundy Isle.

Going to Lundy the weather was inclement with strong winds and high seas. However everyone arrived ready for action and most proceeded to walk up to the village from the pier. Frances Stuart, whose knowledge of both the past and present of Lundy is exceptional, accompanied the group.

The members enjoyed several hours walking on the island and many much needed cups of tea at the very welcoming hostelry. Most of the views were hidden by mist but the rain kept at bay.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 12, when the speaker will be Clair Roberts talking about Bude 1939 to 1954. As usual visitors are welcome.