Welcome to our April 2026 Newsletter!
Hello Ladies,
Last meeting was a fun evening trying out different Easter games, trivia and wordsearches! Disappointingly we had a low turnout but those who were there had great time!
Many thanks go out to Gill C. who spent a great deal of time preparing for this evening. We also raised £55 on our Easter raffle which included plenty of chocolate and other goodies! Many thanks also to those who contributed to that, either by donating items or by purchasing tickets – or both!
Our next meeting is in Pinner Parish Church Hall on Thursday 16th April at 8pm.
This evening we will be welcoming Derek Dean, who will be giving a talk and demonstration on PELARGONIUMS!
He is an ex R.H.S. Chelsea and Hampton Court exhibitor. He will give a talk about his speciality in pelargoniums, and will demonstrate how to take cuttings and do potting up. He will also bring along a selection of scented leaf pelargoniums for you to sniff! Sounds interesting!
As many of you are gardeners you will also be pleased to hear PLANTS WILL BE FOR SALE!
The plants are generally priced at £3 each! He is hoping we will be buying quite a few as he is not charging us very much for the evening and hopes to make up his money in this way. I’m sure we could oblige! He will take cash but he also has a card machine. Hopefully this will work in our hall, but bring some cash just in case!
We hope to run our ‘Heads Tails’ game this evening at £1 to join in. We only make a small amount of money from this game for our group, but everything helps!
Future Meetings:
May 21st: An Art evening with Debbie Tipton
June 18th: St John Ambulance Defibrillator Training
Other dates for your diary:
Sunday 19th April: St. George’s Day Event in Pinner, where we will be running a homemade cake stall
Please see the information below
Wednesday 10th June: Summer lunch outing to Dona Theresa’s in Hatch End.
Membership:
Many thanks to everyone for renewing their membership for this coming year and also for signing the form which we were required to do. You will not need to sign this again.
We have lost 8 members this year, which is terribly sad, so our numbers are somewhat depleted.
We now stand at 26.
So we need to do a big push on recruiting. The best way to recruit is through word of mouth. Are there any more friends out there you could encourage to join us? Visitor fees are £5 per evening for a couple of ‘taster sessions’ but this money will be taken off their membership should they join.
We do have flyers and posters scattered around community areas of Pinner, including the Library and various shops and community boards. If you know of anywhere else one could go, please let us know. We do have our website and sometimes names are forwarded to us through MFWI. We also promote our group on our two stalls.
St. George’s Day Event:
This will be held in Pinner High Street on Sunday 19th April. THIS COMING SUNDAY!
It officially runs from 12 noon to 5pm. However, we will be there earlier than that to set up. The rota starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm onwards.
As you are aware an additional email has been sent out asking for helpers on the day and plenty of bakers. Many thanks to those who have already offered. But it is not too late for any more help – particularly bakers! We can never have too many cakes.
Remember individual cakes / scones/ biscuits or similar are best, but pre-sliced loaf cakes are also acceptable. Full size cakes do not seem to sell at these events.
Also, when delivering the cakes please can you include a list of ingredients, so we cover the ‘Health and Safety’ regulations.
If you are not able to be present on the day, please arrange for someone else to drop them off or even bring them along to the meeting on this coming Thursday. Please make sure all boxes are named!
HA:WI WhatsApp Group:
At the last meeting we voted on and agreed to set up a WhatsApp group for the whole of our group.
Please note that this is only for purposes of arranging informal meetings between members should anyone want to go on an outing or visit an exhibition or similar, and would like a companion. It will not be used for general information about what is happening in the group. That will be done by email as usual. Please remember that it is also NOT meant for general ‘chit chat’ – we do not wish to be bombarded with unnecessary messages!
Marita will be setting up this group in the near future. However, if you do not wish to be part of this, please let her know asap or you are able to remove yourself from the group at any time.
· The only time we may put out a general notice in this group is if we have an emergency situation of some sort, eg; a problem with the hall at little notice.
Sub-Groups:
Weekly Chat and Craft:
The Chat and Craft Group meet at the Queen’s Head in Pinner most Monday evenings at 8pm. Any members are welcome to join us, even if you don’t have any craft you are working on and just fancy a chat and a drink! Only about half the people who come are working on any craft, so please feel able to come along.
Monthly Lunch Group:
The next lunch group will be held on Thursday 7th May at the Whittington, Pinner, at 12.30pm.
A separate email will be sent out nearer the time to remind you.
Hope to see you there!
Theatre Outing:
Ruislip Operatic Society will be showing ‘Come from Away’ next week.
We have had only a few takers for this event. Gill C has seen this show in the West End and says it was an excellent show and she enjoyed it very much.
We are booking tickets for Thursday 23rd April for anyone who is interested. Please let me know by Tuesday 14th April, lunchtime.
Harrow Food Bank:
They need:
Bags for life, Chocolate, Coffee, Cooking oil, Crackers, Honey, Hot Chocolate, Instant mashed potato, Jam, Long-life juice, Long-life milk, Men’s deodorant, Nappies – size 6, Nappies – size 7, Peanut Butter, Porridge oats, Razors for shaving, Savoury snacks, Shampoo, Shaving foam/gel, Shower gel, Snacks (e.g. crisps, cereal bars, etc), Sponge puddings, Spreads, Tea bags, Tinned carrots, Tinned chicken, Tinned corned beef, Tinned custard, Tinned fish, Tinned fruit, Tinned hot dogs, Tinned macaroni cheese, Tinned meat, Tinned meatballs, Tinned pies, Tinned potatoes, Tinned ravioli, Tinned rice pudding, Tinned vegetables, Toilet roll, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Vegan food items, Vegetarian food items, Washing powder, Washing up liquid, Women’s deodorant
They have plenty of and don’t need:
Baked beans, biscuits, cereal, dry pasta, tinned pulses, tinned soup.
Alternatively you can donate cash in our Food Bank pot.
If anyone does not have or has lost (!) the code number for the Pinner Church Hall, please ask a committee member. I am not able to put it in this newsletter for reasons of security. If you get really stuck please ring the Playschool Bell on the left-hand side of the door. We are able to hear this in the hall.
Take care everyone and keep well.
As always, please let us know if there is anyone who requires any help of any kind.
Your HA:WI Committee
Marita, Pip, Diane B, Diane W, Gill C and Abigail.
Should anyone not wish to receive emails from us please inform us, but please bear in mind this is the main method we have of keeping in touch with you!