Wells WI October 2020 meeting report

Wells WI celebrated its 10th birthday this month. Current restrictions ruled out the party that had been planned.

Instead members received in the post an invitation to attend an online celebration, along with a teabag and cocktail stick so people could make their drink of choice, and a ready cut out kit to make our own buttonholes to wear.

Members short of time or craft skills just wore a big hat. A record 35 members took part, some joining in at the homes of friends more confident using Zoom.

Our appearance amused our guest speaker, Mark Pogson, a local teacher who joined us online to lead us through a gentle session of Qi Gong, a Chinese exercise related to Tai Chi and Shiatsu Japanese acupressure massage.

We started by breathing like babies, feeling our abdomens rise and fall, and adjusting our balance to feel centred before moving on to a sequence of slow, fluid movements.

Some of the moves are named after the birds and animals they mimic, such the one that imitated the crane opening its wings. We also did a little Do-In self massage, stimulating points on our heads, ears and faces.

As Mark promised, the exercise warmed us up from the inside out, stimulating circulation and organ function to improve health and mood.

Mark told us how he got started, training for three years to qualify in Tai Chai before becoming attracted to the lovely energy of Qi Gong.

He works with the Phoenix Trust, taking Qi Gong and meditation to people in prisons, and patients in psychiatric units, all of whom find the meditation aspects very calming and healing. Mark has been doing a lot of online Qi Gong during lockdown, reaching a global audience.

Our president Anne thanked those who had been organising events like online book groups and socially distanced coffee mornings at the Bishop's Palace, and told us that the first attempt to make use of our monthly room booking had worked well with a small group of up to six members (prioritising those not keen on Zoom) meeting to do a craft activity.

We finished by sharing memories and photos of ten years of Wells WI. Some of the original members told us about the very first meeting at Wells Town Hall.

Advertised as "sex, drugs, rock and roll and jam", it attracted 120 women, to the surprise of the organiser who had brought along a single tin of Quality Street.

Our secretary said she knew had joined a fun group when the first meeting she attended featured Laughing Yoga.

Memorable meetings included Greek dancing (followed by a misunderstanding caused by a romantic text sent to the wrong person); baker Richard Bertinet getting so close to our meetings organiser to show her how to knead bread that she felt like Demi Moore in Ghost; a beautiful clear autumn evening spent lying on blankets on Cathedral Green stargazing with astronomers; singing and dancing with Johnny Mars; all the many things we've made together from Christmas wreaths to greetings cards, candles and bath bombs; and the ways in which we have been able to support charities, like making Christmas gift boxes for young people without families.

Former president Jane told us that the appeal to raise funds for a new breast cancer unit at Yeovil Hospital is in danger of stalling quite close to reaching target, and that some women have started making new jewellery from unwanted and broken items for sale to boost the appeal's funds.

She offered to collect from us any unloved and unworn items of jewellery suitable for upcycling, which she will pass on.

New women are always welcome – see our Facebook page for more information https://www.facebook.com/Wellssomersetwi/

By Veronica Howe