May Letter to Members

May 2020

Dear Member

We are endeavouring to send this to all members of the Association, it may mean you will end up getting it twice but please bear with us, we’re doing our best.

First I have to let you know we have had to postpone conference, all secretaries would have received a letter by now informing them of this and we will keep you updated through social media.

So what have you been up to during this lockdown catching up on projects that have waited for years in cupboards and drawers to be finished? Cooking cakes or taking up our challenge of knitting garments for baby units or toys for children’s wards in hospitals? Or are you just sitting back and relaxing? Whatever you do as long as it is right for you that’s all that matters, the most important thing is to keep safe.

I know we all miss our clubs and Head Office has been having meetings on a regular basis, via social media,  to keep everything running as smoothly as we can. We have had to postpone our summer events, but they will happen, though maybe not this year.

For the next News & Views how about some photographs of any projects  you have completed? Send your photos to Head Office via email please. 

I am trying to knit a jumper for myself with wool that started life many years ago as two jumpers for my little grandsons (now 15 & 13). Then two years ago I tried to make a jumper for my husband from the same wool that didn’t happen either. So here we go again!

We are in the lockdown for another few weeks and for those of us that are older maybe a bit longer, we hope you are all managing to keep in touch with each other either by social media or a phone call. We will update facebook.com/NAWCs and our website www.nawc.org.uk on a regular basis so if you are able please take a look and we will send out another letter soon.

I am sure we are all looking forward to getting back together again before too long but it must be when it is considered safe.

So, in the meantime a reminder of our knitting challenge

In this time of isolation and lockdown we thought it could be a good idea to have a project that our members could join in with, therefore, we are asking you ladies would you make an item for a baby unit, or a soft knitted toy for children, (no buttons and please bear in mind safety).  These can be sent into the office after June and we will donate them to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London or likewise hospitals around the country, originally we did set a time limit but now we have waived that, just keep sending them in.

We are going to carry out our fund raising for Marie Curie into 2021 but in the meantime if you would like to support this very worthy charity they would be pleased to accept any donations during this time of crisis. Here is a link to the appeal  https://bit.ly/2UnGjV5      

We have a quiz for you, no prizes unfortunately, but the answers will be in the next newsletter:

1    What is the proper name for the big toe?                                                             

2    what type of bird is a macaroni?                                                                          

3    In English what colour is the French “Jaune”?                                                     

4    What is Rodney’s (only fools and horses) middle name?                                     

5    If a ladies dress or top is described as “décolleté    ” what does it mean?                

6    What is the name of the device which cards are dealt from in a casino?              

7    William Wilberforce played a major part in the abolition of what?                         

8    What do the initials BAFTA stand for?                                                                   

9    What unit of measurement is equal to 1 minute of latitude at sea level                 

10  What racquet sport is played on a court 20ft by 44ft.

Also a recipe for you to try.

Claire’s Madeira cake:  Use small loaf tin, 4×8 inches, line with baking paper ideally

Mix/whisk   120g of Butter or Stork with

                   120g caster sugar or golden caster sugar    

                   Then mix in 2 eggs

                   Grated zest of one lemon

                   Then fold in 140g self-raising flour

                   You can add a drop of milk if it seems too thick, it would depend what size eggs 

                   you use on that.  Bake for around 35 mins in a 180c oven, until fork comes out 

                   clean from the middle.  Once cooked & cooled, enjoy a slice with a cuppa.

                   One tip:  You could add a good squeeze/spoon of honey into this mixture to 

                   make a honey & lemon cake, it will then be more moist.

Keep safe until we meet again, Maureen, on behalf of Chris and the Committee