3rd March meeting

Join us in creating a banner to decorate Albion Green for International Women's Day.

Every year, the world celebrates International Women's Day on March 8th. In anticipation of this day, we will be making a banner on 3rd March which will be used to decorate the green of Albion Parade. It's a time to get creative and to also celebrate the social, political and economic achievements of women whilst thinking about what more there is left to do.

We hope you will join us in creating a banner that will be seen by people in the local area. 

 

Entry fee for non-members is £5. If you are not yet a member and wish to join us, we will deduct the entry fee from your membership should you wish to join.

What's coming up in 2014

We thought since the rainclouds and winds persist in trying to keep us indoors, that we would let you know what's in store for our future events at the Stoke Newington WI and give ourselves something to look forward to!

All events are subject to change but reflect the current plans. Remember if you are not yet a member but would like to find out what being a member of the WI is like, feel free to join any of our events below. Events are £5 for non-members, which can be taken off the membership fee if you join before the end of March 2014.

• April 14th - Local cookbook author, Debora Robertson who has worked on River Cottage to talk about her passion for cooking. Event booking page here.

• May 12th - Bring and Buy cake sale in aid of Refuge Women's Association.   

  June 9th - Drawing from still life with Stoke Newington WI President Bridget Chetwynd  

  July - Wine/cocktail tasting with a sommelier.   

  August - Hackney artist talks about her recreation of the Cornershop in felt. Marvel at the recreation of a soft-knitted newsagents in Hackney.  

  September - Artist workshop  

  October - Breast Cancer awareness  

  November - All about chocolate ...

December - Christmas party

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Past events:

• February 10th - The Invisible Life of a Puppeteer by Susan Beattie. 
• March 3rd - Craft night to create a banner to decorate Albion Green for International Women's Day

February meeting - The Invisible Life of a Puppeteer by Susan Beattie

Monday, February 10, 2014 from 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM 

A local Stoke Newington resident, Susan Beattie, has created the wonderful puppet show at the Little Angel Theatre based on interviews with various people who didn't believe in a God. The show asks their views on what happens, if anything after we die.  
Susan is also a puppeteer for the PG Tips Monkey puppet which you may recall features the voicework of comedian Johnny Vegas!

Susan will talk a bit about her work and career with the aid of some slides and film footage. She will also bring a couple of puppet examples for us to look at. 
We look forward to seeing you.

£5 for non-members which can be discounted from your yearly membership if you join before March this year.

January's meeting- Meet knit with Attitude

Meet Maya B of Knit with Attitude

Bring your WIP’s, Queries and ears

January’s meeting is with Maya B of the wonderful Knit with Attitude.

Maya will be talking to us about how the craft and particular the yarn industry has been affected by environmental and political issues and how this led to her setting up Knit with Attitude , which specialises in eco-friendly, ethical yarns. Along the way she will touch on the growth of the craft industry in recent years and show us some of her projects.

Maya will be joined by Siobhan Beatty of SNUG, the Stoke Newington Green Users Group. They have been “Knitting the Common” as a community arts project. Creating a 3D model of the Common, which will be displayed in Hackney Museum as part of the Hello Cazenove exhibition starting in January 2014.

Maya and Siobhan will also be answering all your knitting and crochet queries during the second half of the evening, so feel free to bring your WIPs (works in progress) with any queries.  We will also have some tables set up to teach knitting or crocheting or to help “stitch the Common for” SNUG.

 This meeting is free for members, but there is a £5 charge for visiting non members

Defrost your vocal chords at Stokey WI's Christmas party

Come to Stokey WI's Christmas party where we'll have a singing star alongside Yuletide nibbles and tipples to help us get in the festive spirit. 

Vanessa Havell is founder of 40s-style, three-part harmony singing trio, The Marjorie Belles, described by Chris Evans as "mellifluous marvels".

Vanessa is confident she can get Stokey WI and friends singing carols in three-part harmony almost as gloriously - or at least give us a good laugh trying!

 The party is free and open to members and friends, but please book a place as space is restricted.



Claire-Louise Hardie Secretary Stokey WI

November meeting: time to meet the Salmon Smoker!

Next Monday's WI meeting gives host to Ole-Martin Hansen - A.K.A. The Stokey Salmon Smoker. Not something you'd necessarily expect in Stoke Newington, but Ole runs a smokehouse just by Clissold Park, bringing his great-grandfather’s Norwegian recipe to London.


 True to 4 generations of Hansen and Lydersen craft, he insists in producing his salmon according to the long-standing smoking traditions that have made his family’s success for over 80 years.

We're looking forward to hearing Ole's story, the work he does and tasting his delicious salmon - just in time for Christmas party planning too! 

See more about Ole visit: http://www.hansen-lydersen.com

8pm 

The Prince, Kynaston Road, N16

Free to members 

£4 non-members 

Charity Tea party in aid of the Refuge women's association this weekend Sat 21st dec

The Refugee Women's Association came to speak to us this year in march, and one of our members was inspired to organise a fund raising tea party for them. Do go along on Saturday 21st September to show some support for this Hackney based charity. 

October's meeting- Get Social media savvy with Alicia Cowen

Savvy Social media-get started, stay safe and have fun. The ultimate guide to making it work for you!

Fearful of facebook and terrified of twitter? Fear not, this month's special guest speaker knows just about all there is to social media, and will get us online safely. 

There's no denying that 21st century life has moved online! How many times do you feel left out because you missed an event that was only posted online? Would you like to keep in touch more with relatives via socail media, but are anxious about online saftey and security?

Fear not- Alicia Cowan an online and social media trainer and guru is coming to help us!

Alica Cowan a renowned Social media superhero will get you started with social media. 

Having used Social media to launch her own  VA business, and to grow her own business, Alicia began mentoring amd training others with the tips she learnt. Eventually she became such a sought after social media tariner, she gave up her VA business and now works exclusively as a trainer in social media.

Here's a few things about our June speaker Alicia

• She's a fixer and a bit geeky
• She's practical, realistic and honest. 
• She's London born and bred, and lives in a leafy North London suburb
• She loves answering questions – so don’t be shy, bring it on!
• She also loves asking questions just as much
• She's half Swedish – which means I’m partial to great black coffee, cinnamon buns and salty liquorice
• She's a certified social media and online specialist, not just a self taught social media user
• She's a strategist, mentor and speaker and she want to empower you online

Although Alicia mostly works with social media in business, she is passionate about empowering women online, and has tailor made a presentation especially for us at Stokey WI. So come along armed with questions about any socail media, and the fabulous Alicia will de-mystify it for you.

 

This meeting is free for Members and visitors

This September meet Tilly Off the Telly, one of the star's of BBC2's Great British Sewing Bee

Meet Tilly Walnes from "Tilly and the buttons" and one of the stars of BBC 2's Great British Sewing Bee

Did you love The Great British Sewing Bee? Or do you love sewing and crafting? 

 

We are delighted that Tilly Walnes one of the stars of the sewing bee is coming to talk about her sewing experience, and run a crafty activity with us!

Tilly Walnes writes the popular sewing blog www.tillyandthebuttons.com, offering practical tips and inspiration in a positive environment to encourage more people to have fun creating their own handmade wardrobe.

Tilly only discovered sewing a few years ago, and since then has made a wardrobe full of handmade clothing she adores, trained in professional sewing techniques, published sewing patterns, and sewn on TV for BBC2’s Great British Sewing Bee! Yet she still remembers how daunting sewing techniques and jargon can be for beginners, so her aim is to demystify sewing and make it accessible and enjoyable for all.

There will be a small charge to cover materials for this meeting and there is a £5 charge for visiting non members

August meeting- Special after hours tour of Abney park!

After hours tour of Abney Park

  

Our August meeting will be a very special after-hours visit to Abney Park one of the ‘magnificent seven’ garden cemeteries of London

After the gates are closed, we'll have Abney Park all to ourselves!

Abney visitor centre manager John Baldock will take us on an exclusive dusk walk of the cemetery, sharing stories of the people buried there, especially some of Abney's illustrious ladies, such as music hall star Nelly Power and feminist writer and friend of Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Hays.

We'll also learn more about Abney's amazing wildlife, and listen to bats with the help of a bat detector and a local bat enthusiast.

There's a £5 fee for non members. This fee will go to the Abney park trust. This event is free for members. Stokey WI will be donating a fee for each member who attends.