“Rita’s Quiz”

Don’t forget the Harfest Quiz in the Village Hall at 7pm on Saturday 26 April. There’s still time to join in. Contact Michael Graves on (01666) 837334 for tickets, which are £5 per person to
 include supper.

Hullavington WI

Hullavington Village Hall was transformed into a First World War bunker last Wednesday when Mr Williams, dressed in the heavy wool military uniform from WW1, gave a vivid account of life in the trenches to an audience which included several men and a small boy in addition to the WI members.

Mr Williams quickly used statistics to dispel some of the many myths which surround this bit of our history. It was interesting to discover that the average age of the wartime soldier was 29 and that men could enlist up to the age of 51. Pay was 12d a day, not a lot when the mortality rate was 230 men killed per hour.

There was a shudder of disgust among the female members of the audience when Mr Williams described conditions in the trenches, the gangrene, the lice, the inevitability of the snipers and the unpleasant realities of barbed wire. “I couldn’t say I enjoyed his talk”, said WI secretary Joan Shaw, “but it was truly interesting and I was glad to learn so much.” Hopefully the women of Hullavington will never need to improvise gas masks, but thanks to the afternoon’s calm explanations, they will never forget what is needed if they do. It was a most edifying afternoon which was very much appreciated.

The competition was won by Melly Bawn, who had a collection of wartime photos, and the runner up was Joan Shaw. Over the year, the WI member with most competition points was Viv Henderson and Pat Harper was second.

The next WI meeting will be on May 21 when Sue Fenner will be talking about her trip to New Zealand.
 

Yoga

Naomi is running two yoga classes in Hullavington Village Hall on Wednesday mornings. The first is from 10am to 11:15, and the second is from 11:30 to 12:45. This is more gentle and for beginners or those who need to take things at a more leisurely pace.