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Is it just us, or did the last part of 2016 just whizz by in a blur?! No sooner had we entered November, time started galloping along and with a mix of meetings, fayres, events and parties, soon it became New Year's Eve and here we are talking about membership subs for 2017! Hence the delay in blogging the last part of the year - setting deadlines in November and December is always a risk! Starting back in early November and Bonfire Night here in the village, our stall raised a fabulous £92 which keeps us warm this winter and secures the Church for our meetings through until February. Our November meeting was a wonderfully engaging talk based around the Moor Pond Woods in Papplewick and the cotton mills of the area from Stephen Walker. Stephen is chairman and part of the Milennium Project being undertaken by the parish council at the woods to excavate and preserve some of the original waterways that fed into the water powered mills following the Leen all the way through to Bulwell. Starting back in 2000, having already uncovered some intriguing items, and using the layers of earth to date the findings, the history stems back all the way to the mid 18th century and the Robinson Mills, a cluster of cotton mills including Forge Mill and Lower Mill, both around the (now) Mill Lakes parklands. This was around the time of Arkwrights wheel and Scottish linen was coming to Nottingham for bleaching and dying, of which the Robinson mills played a large part in processing. Robinson's mills were even the first in the country to have a steam engine, which sadly did not work particularly well, but was a pioneering move at the time. It was not without drama and Robinson fought Lord Byron in the 1770's all the way to the House of Lords for an injuction, after Byron blocked the Leen at Newstead Abbey, draining the waterways and leaving the mills without ability to operate. However the 1780's really saw a boom in the birth of 'factory work', a huge step away from the home based roles many people undertook, and turned them into 'employees' for the first time. The birth of clocking in, start and finish times and paydays signified a massive shift in the nature of trade and the role of families in employment. Business was booming until the 1820's, when the market became so flooded with cheaply, mass produced cottons and linens, it was no longer viable to run the mills, and eventually closed down in 1828, leaving behind only the waterways they were first built around. Steven's project will relaunch in March 2017, when he'll visit again to chat more about life within the mills and the stories of the employees themselves. Organised walks around the woods will take place in Summer, but to find out more about the project visit their website. In late November we ran another successful Fayre, with gifts, bran tub, games, book and homemade tasty treats being snapped up for last minute presents. Just a week or so later it was the Christmas switch on in the village, which we attended in a support capacity running games for the kids and the tombola. Less than another week after that was our Christmas party (phew! we're such social butterflies!) and enjoyed a fabulous spread laid on by the Committee, and classic Christmas songs from a female vocalist. Julia and Claire couldn't contain themselves and were soon up, dancing and clapping, and pretty soon everyone was showing their jazz hands in true BVWI festive spirit! Check out the pictures in the gallery. Next meeting will be a Games Night on Wednesday 25 January in the Church when subs will be due for this year. There will also be a tabletop sale/ bring and buy, and of course our first chance to catch up since Christmas and swap the gossip! After such a lovely festive break, welcome to 2017! The WI is what you make of it, and this year, there's no limits if you set your mind to it!
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AuthorOur WI members adventures, news and gossip! Archives
May 2021
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