Page 37 - Phonebox Magazine October 2016

Newport Pagnell Inner Wheel Club
IMake friends and make a difference
t’s easy to think that life’s big changes happen earlier in life – getting the job you want, getting married, buying a house, having children – most of us experience some or all of these and are so busy coping with life’s demands that we rarely give a thought to our later years.
Many women, in particular, then nd themselves in their fties and sixties coping with changes they hadn’t quite seen coming. Children leaving home – that old ‘empty nest syndrome’; retirement or moving to part-time, redundancy or even divorce or bereavement. These are all major life changes and, whilst hopefully few of us will experience all of them at once, they can leave women feeling a lack of purpose in their middle years. They still have much to give but may not feel they are needed as much or can be as useful as they could before. Whilst sometimes redundancy or retirement can be welcome, they can also leave women feeling a bit isolated, missing those ‘water cooler moments’ when you catch up on of ce gossip and enjoy those friendships that the workplace provides.
So what next? Many women want to forge new friendships whilst ‘giving something back’ and Inner Wheel Clubs provide just that. Inner Wheel is one of the largest women’s service organisations in the World. It has 17,000 Members within Great Britain and Ireland and over 100,000 Members from more than 103 countries across the globe. The aims of Inner Wheel are to promote true friendship; to encourage the ideals of personal service and, so relevant in today’s troubled world, to foster international understanding.
The Inner Wheel Club of Newport Pagnell was formed in 1978, originally comprising wives and partners of Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Newport Pagnell. Today membership is open to all women, regardless of whether they have contacts within Rotary, and these days around half of members have Rotary links and half not. The Club meets on the third Tuesday afternoon of the month from 2pm to 4pm. Meetings are currently held at the Olney Centre in Olney, Bucks and, following a short business meeting, might include a speaker, a discussion, an activity, quiz or other entertainment. Time is always allowed for tea, biscuits and chat!
Members come from all walks of life and there is a wide age range. All members are valued and everyone contributes as their abilities allow. The more able support those who are less able through friendship and practical help such as lifts. Club activities include monthly meetings
Newport Pagnell WI
with a speaker or activity; coffee mornings in members’ homes; outings to places of interest such as gardens, market towns and other visitor attractions; walks suitable for most abilities and usually ending with a pub lunch! We often link up with another local Inner Wheel club for walks or other activities.
The service and international understanding aims are achieved via practical fundraising activities such as concerts, vintage tea parties, bring & buy sales, craft sales etc, whilst joint activities with the Rotary Club of Newport Pagnell might include dinners, lunches, BBQs, fundraising events and outings. Members attend the events that suit their age and abilities and it is understood that not everyone can attend everything all the time. The variety of activity means there is something for everyone. As current President, Jacquie Cole, puts it “The more you put into it, the more you get out!”
To nd out more about joining this lively group of women who enjoy rm friendships and making a difference to the lives of others, contact Jacquie Cole, President, on 01234 711104 or Julia Campion, Vice President on 01908 691176 for an informal chat. Or you can e-mail innerwheelnewportpagnell@gmail.com.
You can also see more about our Club and others in our District, by visiting Facebook and searching for Inner Wheel District 26. To nd out about Inner Wheel at a national level, visit www.innerwheel.co.uk. You will be most welcome to come along to a meeting or event to see what it’s all about – you’ll feel among friends straight away, we’re sure. Do get in touch and see how Inner Wheel can enrich your own life.
On a warm September evening the ladies gathered to hear a very interesting talk by Mr Roger Crews from the
Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust. Canals were rst instigated some 300 years ago but were overtaken by the railways and as a result many have fallen into disrepair. Some of these have been repaired and regenerated, Birmingham canals being a good inner city example. With regeneration comes a number of bene ts
including tourism and thus nancial gain. The Trust hopes to nish the stretch of canal from Bedford to Milton Keynes. The route will take it via Willen and Broughton and on to Kempston, a much more direct route than going by Peterborough as is necessary at present. The plans are ready and all that is needed is the money to implement them. To help raise funds the Trust runs trips on its own barge, the John Bunyan, from locations in Bedford. Afternoon tea while drifting along the waterways sounds pretty good.
Waterway Trust
On the same evening we held our annual harvest stall and the money raised will go to the Denman College Appeal.
Newport Pagnell Women’s Institute meets on the second Tuesday of each month in the room at the rear of the Methodist Church, High Street. In October we will be holding our Annual General Meeting and a masterclass in sugar paste flowers. For further information please call Evelyn Mison on 01908 615630 or just come along on the night.
October 2016 | Phonebox Magazine 37