THE September meeting began with our president Jenny Marsh welcoming us all back after the August break.

Jenny thanked Gwyneth Biddle for providing the flowers.

There would be quite a lot of correspondence to get through during this meeting owing to not having had a meeting last month. However, we started with our guest speaker Robin Skerratt who came to speak to us about his childhood memories of village life in Wychbold and of his father who was a well-respected local constable during the 1950s.

Mr Skerratt gave a fascinating account of his father’s early career within the Worcestershire Constabulary and entertained us with many stories andanecdotes.Hespokewarmly and with humour about his father’s unique and effective style of policing in the days before police cars and mobile phones when officers often worked alone and relied on local knowledge.

We heard what an important part the the BBC radio transmitters played during the war in sending messages to the troops, broadcasts to the nation and even in the transmission of secret codes. Amazingly, the transmitters were never a target for bombing and when the Allied troops entered Berlin on VE day, papers were discovered that revealed Hitler had intended to utilise the transmitterswhenBritainwaseventually invaded and occupied, hence he appreciated their future value in making broadcasts to an occupied nation.

After the talk, our secretary Ann Randall read the minutes of the last meeting, kindly taken by Judy Lee in Ann’s absence. We were reminded to continue bringing in our used stamps to raise money for the RNLI. Nationally, the WIs are focusing on issues such as the call for there to bemoretrained and qualified midwives, the decline of our town centre shops and to support the reduction in the use of plastic carrier bags. Another campaign is for a statue to be erected in Parliament to remember Emily Davidson who died in 1913 and wasakeyfigure in thewomen’s suffragette movement. Next year to mark the WIs centenary a commemorative baton will be sent around the UK and passed from WI to WI, starting in Anglesey and ending at the Albert Hall in London in June 2015. Judy Lee gave details of our forthcoming trips to Chatsworth and also Stratford.

Our play reading group and sewing and crafts group were also starting to meet regularly again for anyone wishing to go along. The competition for an autumn flower was won by Sue Pugh. Our group meets on the second Tuesday of every month in the afternoon at Hadzor and Oddingley village hall. Visitors and new members are always made very welcome.