The History of Bucks WIs The Crafty 1980s
| The Crafty 1980s |
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| Thursday, 11 February 2010 09:17 |
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1980 Among the many events organised this year were six Home Economics regional parties; two Craft regional exhibitions both taking place over two days and a “Celebration” Craft Exhibition at Liscombe House in Wing; a barn dance; coach tours through the county to enable members to visit each other; a County Produce Day; an Art Exhibition; and the Diamond Revue staged at the Elgiva Hall in Chesham. A WI was formed at Little Kingshill (Morning) 1981 Following the death of Miss Christina Beckton, a former County Secretary and member of Flackwell Heath WI, a fund was set up in her memory with donations from WIs. The initial award from this resulted in four bursaries of £35 being available to members. At the Royal Show BFWI gained a “Highly Commended” in the preserves competition and a “Very Highly Commended” in the Huxley Cup (for flower arranging). 1982 150 WIs took part in the Heritage Project in which members put together a scrapbook about their village, past and present. WIs were formed at Beaconsfield (Evening) and Chesham. 1983 A new County Sub-committee was formed – Sports and Leisure – and it was the first to meet in the evening. The Drama and Music Sub-committees combined to produce a magnificent county revue “Whirl Around the World”, which enthralled audiences at Chesham and Stantonbury. So many members wanted to attend the Education & Public Affairs event “Day in the Country” that it had to be transferred to the Stoke Mandeville Sports Stadium. WIs were formed at Booker (evening), Naphill (evening) and Two Mile Ash. 1984 Excerpts from “Whirl Around the World” were performed at the Life and Leisure Exhibition at Olympia. The programme of events put on by Sub-committees included painting days, craft days for gloving and stumpwork, a cookery demonstration with flower arranging, an Elizabethan evening and a competition to find the “Brain of Bucks”. WIs were formed at Mandeville Centre, Oakley and Quarrendon. 1985 The annual art day attracted entries from 170 members and, to follow this up, a painting day was held in June followed by three Chinese Brush Painting Days in November. WIs were formed at Buckingham (morning) and New City. 1986 A “Rainbow Garden Party” was held at Notley Abbey (near Haddenham) by kind permission of Mr. & Mrs. Danny. WIs were formed at Bourne End (morning) and Cheddington (morning). 1987 This year saw the launch of the Buckinghamshire Village Book, a compilation of the memories of their village by WI members. WIs were formed at Linslade (Morning) and The Windmill. 1988 67 members, who took courses on art, cookery, music and rambling, enjoyed the first Buckinghamshire Federation weekend at Denman College. 108 members attended the five watercolour day schools tutored by Mrs. Dora Syson, while another successful art day was held in March with a demonstration on painting in pastels. WIs were formed at Bedgrove (Morning), Preston Bissett and Willen. The WI at Brill was reformed after closing in 1985. 1989 Five choirs took part in the NatWest Choir Competition and two of these, Penn Country Group Choir and Two Mile Ash WI Choir, went through to the Regional Round to be held in 1990. WIs were formed at Amershal (Morning), Holmer Green (Morning) and Ley Hill (Evening). |
This was the Diamond Jubilee of the Buckinghamshire Federation. 
This year the “WI Women in the Community” Promotion was organised by NFWI. A number of Bucks members took part in the Parade of the Decades at the NFWI Annual General Meeting in the Albert Hall. As part of this Promotion year BFWI organised three exhibitions of items from the Heritage Project. These took place at the Country Park Show at Black Park, the Wycombe Show and the County Agricultural Show at Hartwell. 
Members took part in a Pageant to mark the 700th year celebration of High Wycombe as a Charter Town. The Pageant depicted scenes from the town’s history and was staged as part of High Wycombe Show. 
Federation Chairman – Mrs. Beryl Brown
At an exhibition entitled “Fashionable Reflections”, staged at Stowe School near Buckingham, the drama Sub-committee showed some of the many costumes held by the drama wardrobe to hundreds of visitors. 
Mrs. Monica Trigg, of Chalfont Common WI, won the Huxley Cup at the Royal Show with a beautiful flower arrangement depicting the book “War and Peace”.