STOKE FERRY AND DISTRICT LADIES GROUP

Minutes of the meeting held on September 5th

Mrs. Armsby welcomed 14 members. Minutes of the previous two meetings were read & signed Apologies were received from Valerie Kirchen, Heather Durrance and Audrey Hudson. Mrs Armsby thanked Gillian Smith for organising the August outing which was very successful.

Correspondence. A letter from the school caretaker reminded members to be sure to drop the latch on the outer door as the last person leaves after our meetings. . Jenny Elsey had been to the planning meeting for celebrations to mark the end of World War One on 11th November. There will be several events, and it is hoped to have a large display of knitted red poppies. Patterns are available for anyone who wanted to make some.

Anita Horgen presented birthday cards to 2 members with sept birthdays. There will be one in Oct.

Janet Cooper said that she would be holding a coffee morning for Macmillian again on September 28th from 11 – 3. Raffle tickets were available and everyone would be welcome.

The October meeting will be the Harvest Supper. Details will be discussed during refreshments. Door & raffle. Sheila Smith and Claire Lankfer. Extra raffle prizes will be welcome.

Mrs. Armsby then welcomed Helen Cross. In 2015 Helen had visited Ghana to see for herself how people had to live in the small villages. She was shocked at the lack of toilets and clean water. 50 % of children die before they are 2 years old due to drinking dirty water from the polluted river. On her return to London she started fundraising, & with help from other volunteers the Ashanti Development was set up. In the village of Gyetiase they provided a pump and a tap, which delivers clean water for everyone. Villagers were taught to build their own toilets. They dug 10ft. holes in the ground, which were covered in a concrete dome with holes in the top. They dried mud to make bricks to build a hut around it. Health clinics were set up & staffed from the nearest hospital. Helen continued to fundraise and has now sponsored her own village called Dagati. In 2 years they have clean water and toilets, and villagers are receiving training in farming and marketing to become self-sufficient. She was thanked by Janet Burns and given a cheque to help her ongoing project.

During refreshments, the harvest supper was discussed, and members decided to have cold meat and salad, followed by apple pies. Everyone will provide something from a list of requirements.

The raffle was won by Hazel Hearne and Gillian Smith.

Meeting ended at 9.30pm.

Claire Lankfer. ( secretary)