Big WI don't have a meeting in January and small WI went to someone's house to watch a film on DVD......which isn't what I joined WI for. Anyone can watch a DVD, and it wasn't something I wanted to see anyway. (I actually find it a bit annoying that small WI substitute so many other things for what I call proper meetings......film evening, garden party, Christmas meal are all instead of a regular speaker, then when you count in Resolution meeting and AGM they actually only have 6 speakers through the year............ Have to keep my thoughts to myself as sister in law is president!)
So my first WI meeting of 2018 was at big WI on the first Monday in February where a lady came along loaded down with patchwork and quilted items to tell her story of her obsession with these crafts. And blimey she certainly knew her stuff, her patchwork and quilted bed covers were gorgeous.. She's entered competitions all over the country although didn't win with her earliest entries which spurred her on to bigger and better.
What astounded all of us was the boxes of teeny-tiny off cuts, no bigger than a finger nail which she keeps and uses for micro crazy-patchwork on handbags or book covers, bits hardly big enough to see let alone to get under the foot of a sewing machine!
I missed the February meeting of small WI due to feeling poorly and bunged up ears. It was about Suffolk words and dialect which would have been interesting.
Then I missed the March meeting of big WI due to still feeling very grotty - the virus turned into a cough and I didn't want to cough my way through a meeting plus we had thick fog and one thing I really do NOT like driving in is fog at night. The speaker was an auctioneer talking about how they value things for auction, that would have been interesting too.
So eventually time for small WI in mid March..................
The Suffolk Serial Murders
Or in police terms................operation Sumac.
Our speaker was retired Police Inspector Karl Smith, who was in charge of the Family Liaison Officers at that time.
It was back in October 2006 that a young sex worker was reported missing. She had last been seen in the 'red-light' district ( actually just 2 roads) of Ipswich, caught on CCTV.
In December 2006 the body of another young sex worker was found by a member of the public in a stream on the outskirts of Ipswich.
Police opened murder investigations and that's when Inspector Smith was involved as he had to send 2 Family Liaison Officers to support the family.
The body of the first victim was soon found in the same brook - further downstream. Both bodies were naked and had been in the water for a while which made the investigation difficult.
Then the body of yet another sex worker was found just 2 days later, but this time in woodland on the edge of Ipswich so forensic experts were able to gather more information.
Just 2 days later the bodies of 2 more young women, also naked were found in woodland not far away and forensic evidence from one man was found on all 3 bodies.
This man had had DNA taken several years earlier when he had stolen some money from his work place, and it was his DNA found on the victims and also fibres from his clothes. He was also known to frequent the red light area and regularly used prostitutes. Eventually he was found guilty of all five murders and sent to prison for a Full Life Term. He has never admitted to the killings.
One outcome of the murders is that there is no longer a red-light district of Ipswich and much more help for drug addicts and prostitutes. All the girls worked the streets to fund a drug habit - the biggest cause of prostitution and although there are still prostitutes working from houses............it is, after all, The Oldest Profession........ they feel safer and can get help if they want to stop.
It was an interesting talk, not sensationalized, on something most of us remembered all too well as Ipswich was in the media spotlight for weeks.
I'm joining a team representing Small WI for the Suffolk East Federation spring quiz next week, better get my brain in gear!
Thank you for comments yesterday.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
All sounds very familiar WI wise Sue, we struggle on here with 18 members, little money for speakers who usually charge £60 upwards but we do garden visits etc. as extras, not instead of a meeting. Do hope the lurgy has left you now, good luck with the quiz.
ReplyDeleteSmall WI have plenty of money, its "just the way they've always done it"
DeleteI belong to a larger WI group. About 40 members turn out regularly. We tend to have about 8-10 speakers during the year but the quality varies considerably! One of the best talks was from an older member who had very strong ties with Finland and gave us an interesting insight into a country we knew very little about. Garden visits, exhibition visits, Denman and county level activities in Worcestershire as well. It is a very active group but it is what you make it and we always need and look for younger members.
ReplyDeleteBig WI has over 30 members and speakers almost every month as they have other things as extras
DeleteJoining the WI was on my list of Things To Do when I first retired but somehow it never happened. I must explore the possibility again. It's nice to get out and do things with like minded people, isn't it, and that talk sounds absolutely fascinating, if a bit gruesome.
ReplyDeleteJ x
J x
WE all knew the story from the media POV but it was interesting to hear from the police side
DeleteIt must have been, yes.
DeleteJ x
Ps. Have you changed your setting Sue? Your blog is coming up as half size on my iPad. Or is it me? The rest of the blogs I follow seem ok.
ReplyDeleteNo settings changed just swapped photo. Still the same as usual on my lap top
DeleteHalf size on my iPad too. Wonder if it is the portrait photo that affects ipads
DeleteIt's very puzzling as the picture of birds on the feeder that I was using is exactly the same size as this new one
DeleteSue...your header photo has been slim for a while...but now you're shrinking at an alarming rate! x
ReplyDeleteI just swapped one photo for another and it looks OK on my lap top. The photo isn't right across the header as it's portrait rather than landscape
DeleteIt wasn't just the header photo which had been slim for some time...it was when I went to comment you completely shrank! Seems to be fixed now though x
DeleteI wish I'd been at the Patchwork talk! Right up my street. At my patchwork class we are exhorted to save all our scraps but I am still waiting for a special class where we Do Something With Them!!
ReplyDeleteI remember those prostitutes being murdered and it must have been difficult for the officers who had to go and visit the relatives of the murdered girls.
Love your new header btw.
Hope you find a use for the scraps, what she had were so small.........one sneeze and they would be all round the room!
DeleteYes each family had 2 Police Liaison Officers and they all had to make sure to be the same with each family and to make sure the families were up to date and heard things before the media could put it in newspapers. It was a disturbing time for Ipswich and Suffolk
I'm one of those people who save the scraps of fabric, believe it or not they do come in handy.
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
The bits she had saved were SO tiny!
DeleteI would have loved the patchwork talk and the police one too.
ReplyDeleteHugs-x-
The variety of speakers is always interesting
DeleteI have just read you blog for the first time. It was about WI and how you enjoy hearing speakers on various subjects. I belong to my local U3a which is countrywide and we have a very interesting range of speakers twice a month. It may be worth considering checking out your local U3a for future reference.
ReplyDeleteHi Thank you for reading and thank you for the information. There is a U3A but only in town which is 10 miles away and they have just one meeting a month (+ groups.) but 2 WI's is about my limit for sitting and listening at the moment!
DeleteWow that sounds like quite the talk! Interesting. It all sounds very enjoyable (not the dvd watching though lol). I would have loved to hear the talk on the Suffolk dialect. I really enjoy listening to Charlie Haylock on Radio Suffolk. I enjoy hearing them talk about some of the words I heard when I was a child (my nana and granddad were right old Suffolk folks). It always amazes me that 'on the drag' isn't something everyone says lol.
ReplyDeleteOn the drag makes perfect sense to me!
DeleteI can see all your content on my laptop Sue but still have the problem with viewing on the iPad. It is as if the formatting has been changed when you put your lovely new photo on your header. It might be worth checking next time you write a post.
ReplyDeleteI've double checked everything and nothing is different in the layout.
DeleteIt's getting harder and harder to think of different speakers for the WI. We've done most topics before (not hard as our WI has been on the go about 35 years). Our big moan is fees increases, most of the fees goes to head office in Edinburgh to pay for their big office in the heart of the city.
ReplyDeleteSuffolk East federation have a New Speakers day where they "trial" 6 or 7 people and invite committee member to go and listen, don't know if that's a general thing
DeleteIt's hard to find something to appeal to everyone but those topics seem very interesting. Our craft group is trying to find things to do; most speakers come at a high cost and we don't have that much money!
ReplyDeleteSmall WI did mosaics in a craft morning recently.
DeleteI'd love to go to a craft group and have a go at a few different things although I mustn't really start anything that involves buying more stuff!
The quilting talk and the Suffolk dialect would definitely have got my attention. I am pretty rubbish at turning out on a cold, dark night though.
ReplyDeleteps I've just checked out your page on my husband's ipad, it looks absolutely fine, exactly the same as it looks on my laptop.
Oh thank goodness the blog is OK on your devices - I have been puzzling over why it should have changed for no reason - must be a blip.
DeleteI have to grit my teeth to go out in the dark and coldbut know I'll enjoy it when I get there
Like your new header, Sue. The flowery jug is very pretty! Meg:)
ReplyDeleteFrom a car boot sale last year - I love it
DeleteYou'll have to do your readers that do not know what WI is a favor and spell it out. :-) Whatever it is it sounds interesting! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteWomens Institue a long established organisation that started in Canada over 100years ago with 1000s of members.
DeleteGoogle it!
Thank you, being in the US I also did not know what it was but I figured it was some kind of women's club. It sounds like fun.
DeleteI live in Canada and never knew WI started here, always thought it was a very British thing. Good luck at the quiz, I'm sure you will be an asset to the team. Our garden club is my social/educational outlet, very good speakers and other events but try as I may I cannot get them interested in a quiz.
ReplyDeleteNow that WI talk sounds interesting, but I'm still not tempted to join our local one.
ReplyDeleteLove the new header photo, such a pretty jug.
Can you please explain what a WI group is? I've never heard of it.
ReplyDeletethanks! BTW I'm loving your blog.