Christmas Party Time!

 

It's that time of year again!  Our last get together of 2016 is our Christmas Lunch at The Plough, Rhosmaen on Wednesday 14th December.  Lunch is planned for 12.30pm - feel free to arrive earlier for a pre-lunch drink. 

 

Secret Santa

 

If you would like to participate in this year's Secret Santa you need to bring a wrapped gift with you.  When all gifts have been given in, they will be placed in Santa's Sack and each person that has put a gift in will pull out a random gift for themselves.  Gifts should cost approximately £5.00.

 

Look forward to seeing everybody!

And the Winner is...................

A lovely meeting this week.  Christine had organised a quiz, boys vs girls, and let's just say that there was a competitive vibe in the air!  The quiz ended up tied so Christine suggested a Jingle Bells 'sing off'.  Nell was chosen to be the judge.   The boys sang their hearts out (a few of them are obviously in a choir) and the girls gave a rousing performance. After both performances,  all eyes turned to Nell for her verdict.  I think the girls were quite confident of the win - after all, Nell is a girl and was on the girls' quiz team!  However, Nell decided the boys were the best and awarded the win to them.  Just one observation; Nell had forgotten her hearing aid!

Team Captain for the Girls - Jean



Team Captain for the Boys - Russ

 



General Update

Just a quick update about our activities over the last few months.

At the beginning of November, a group of us went to the Millennium Centre to see Mamma Mia!  First stop was dinner in a lovely Italian Restaurant followed by the show.  Fantastic evening was had by all.

November was extremely busy as members were making craft items to sell at out annual Craft Stall.  The craft stall was located in the foyer of Tesco (Ammanford) on 25th November.  The stall was a great success and lots of fun to do.  Thank you to Tesco staff for being so accommodating and looking after us so well.

Everybody is looking forward to our Christmas Lunch on 14th December.  It was agreed to buy Secret Santa presents to the value of £5.  We decided that all members should donate £3 towards the purchase of raffle prizes.

We have a new art tutor starting in January - more details to follow.

Dates for your diary

December 7th
Last meeting of the group at the hall this year.
Christmas Quiz - Boys against Girls.  Better start watching Eggheads to polish up your general knowledge!

December 14th
Christmas Lunch at The Plough, Rhosmaen. Lunch served at 12.30pm.  Don't forget to bring your secret Santa present!

CHRISTMAS BREAK

Jan 4th 2017
Group resumes at the hall.

Macmillan Coffee Morning 28th September

Our group has decided to hold a coffee morning on Wednesday 28th September from 10.30am - 12 noon with all proceeds donated to Macmillan.  Group members are asked to bake some cakes (although you can fake the bake!) and bring them to group with you on 28th.  We will also be able to carry on with our craft activities.  Please spread the word to your family and friends.

Apologies for the lack of posts since we started back on 7th September.  As a result, this post is longer than normal.


Harriett will no longer be running our art/craft sessions as she has secured employment.  We will miss Harriet but wish her well in her new job. 

7th September

We were treated to a cooking demonstration from members of the Women's Institute. 

 



Marryl Bradley (Betws Nantlais WI) and Frances Collins (Nantygroes WI)
preparing welshcakes.


 

Marryl showing us a 'no cook' Tirimasu

As well as watching the demonstration, we had the chance to sample the finished products.  The group consensus was "delicious"!

 

Many thanks to Marryl and Frances from all of us.

 

 

 

21st September

Another demonstration this week from Marryl.  This time, Marryl showed us what we can make from recycled materials.  Here are a few of the things that can be made from things you find around the house.

 

 

 

 

All of the items above were made with things like toilet roll holders, magazine and book pages, empty deodorant bottles, cotton wool and even food packaging!  We all feel quite inspired now to experiment with what we find at home.

 



 



Last meeting before summer break

Well, the weather wasn't good enough for cappuccinos in the park so we stayed in the hall instead! Thanks to John and Russ for taking the orders and serving us our drinks.  We had a quiz (and the girls beat the boys!) and we had a game of bingo.  Big thanks to Maddie and Cameron for calling the numbers, ably assisted by Chris!

We are hoping to attend Mama Mia! at The Millennium Centre in either October/November this year. Chris is looking in to dates available and will have an update for us when we get back together in September.

Lovely surprise to see Mary and John at the hall today.   Mary has been in hospital but is looking great now.

Unfortunately, Sue had to return her motability car so did not attend group today for the first time in years.  Hopefully, the situation will be resolved quickly and Sue will be able to come back to group in September.

All that's left is to wish everybody a lovely summer break and we'll see you on 7th September.

Last Meeting before Summer Break

We will meet at the Pensioners' Hall as normal on 27th July.  If the weather is ok, we will go to Betws Park and have a coffee and a good natter!  If you have thought of any craft ideas for September, please let us know on Wednesday.

Visit to Talgarth Mill and the Railway Restaurant, The Three Cocks Garden Centre.

We had a wonderful day visiting the Talgarth Flour Mill.  We had a very interesting and informative tour of the mill where the process for making flour was witnessed first hand.  We had drinks in their coffee shop and then had a wander around the craft shop.

We then went for lunch at the Garden Centre where we enjoyed the food and shopped a little.  A cheeky stop on the way home for ice-cream made the trip complete!

Thanks again to Brian for driving the bus!

If anybody has any photos from the visit, please bring them (or the device they are on) to club.

General Information and Request for Your Ideas

If anybody has any suggestions for the craft activity they would like us to do in September, please bring your ideas for discussion to group on 27th July.

We're hoping to run our annual Christmas Craft stall on 2nd December.  Due to the success of last year, we are hoping that Tesco will let us use their foyer again.

We will be going to the theatre in December, possibly Cardiff. Watch this space for further information.

Dates for your Diary

27th July - last group meeting before summer break.

7th September - first group meeting after summer break

Details for Trip to Talgarth Mill on 20th July

We will not be in the Pensioners Hall on 20th July.

For those travelling by mini-bus, you should meet in Tesco car park (petrol station end) by 9.30am. The first tour of the mill is booked for 11am and will take about an hour.  We will probably split into two groups and while the first group is on the tour, the second group can have coffee and look in the craft shop and then swap over.  Lunch is booked for 2pm at the Railway Restaurant, The Three Cocks Garden Centre.

Friday 17th June

Summer Trip Update

We will be visiting the Talgarth Mill on Wednesday July 20th.  We will be taken on a guided tour to observe the milling process and discover the history of the mill.  There will be an opportunity to purchase products that are made on the premises.  From the Mill, we will make our way to a nearby garden centre where we will have a spot of lunch.  Brian will be driving the mini bus.  Further details to follow.

Harriet's Last Session This Term
It is Harriet's last session for this term next week (22nd June).  Those who want to carry on working on their needlework projects after this date are able to do so.

Welcome!
A warm welcome to Sarah, a Psychology student at Cardiff University.  Sarah is spending a few weeks volunteering with us which is of great use to us as a group and will help with her studies.

Some More of Our Work.....

Dates for your Diary

25th May
May is Stroke Awareness Month and we will be "going purple" on 25th of this month.  As members did last year, you can wear something purple, bake something purple or dye your hair purple if you really want to!  If you would like more information about going purple for stroke, visit www.stroke.org.uk/take-action/make-may-purple

27th May
Team members required for a quiz night at Cefneithin Rugby Club.  Please contact Christine for more details.

1st June

No group this week as it is Half Term.

8th June 
Group reconvenes.

Suggestions Required for Summer Outing

Members are invited to suggest where they would like to go for our summer outing.  If anyone has any ideas, please see Christine.

Photos as Promised

Here are some photos of our work.

Wednesday 4th May

Great to see the sun shining for a change!

Group was busy today and everybody is making great progress with their embroidery projects.  Some of the work has been framed whilst others have been made in to bags and cushions - pictures to follow.

Following the success of our trip to Warners last November, we have decided to go again this year.  The date will probably be some time in November 2016.  Watch this space!
 

The BLAS Blog is Back!

If you would like to keep up to date with our group, this is the place to be! We will post weekly updates about the group, the activities we undertake and anything that we think may be of interest.

While we have been offline, our group has been very busy.  There are too many events to mention them all but they have included a 3 day break at Warners, a visit to see the longest tapestry in the world which is displayed in Fishguard Town Hall, Christmas Craft Fair and a party to celebrate our 10th anniversary!

Have a look here next week for some up to date news!