CHESTFIELD WOMEN'S INSTITUTE

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My name is Sharon Goff and I had the pleasure of being re-elected by the members of the Chestfield Women’s Institute in March 2025 to be their President, for a further year, a honour I was very proud to accept.
 

I am still a relatively newcomer to Chestfield having moved here a little over four years ago from West Kent so technically not a DFL (down from London), but I was born and raised in London.

 

It is daunting moving to an area where you do not know anyone.  I knew if I wanted to make new friends, I had to take control of that.  I spotted the WI Hall whilst out walking.  Working full time for 46 years I never had any spare time to join an organisation like the WI, so I decided to take that first step and go along to my very first WI meeting.

 

At my first visit I was welcomed by two members who looked after me and gave me such a warm welcome that I decided to return the following month and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

As well as being President of Chestfield WI I am also Vice Chair on the East Kent WI Federation Board.

 

About Chestfield WI

 

We now have over 64 members.

 

We meet in the hall on the second Wednesday of the month from 2.00pm to 4.00pm when the meeting starts with the business side of the meeting, then we quickly move onto the rest of the afternoon when we hear from a guest speaker, enjoy a chat with fellow members over a cup of tea, coffee and biscuits and we finish up the meeting with the raffle. 

 

We do not have an actual WI meeting in August, we do however, hold the Prsident's Charity Event.  Last year the charity we raised money for was 'Hope for Tomorrow' a mobile cancer treatment unit which travels around various hospitals in the Kent area, Herne Bay, Canterbury and Dover.  The event was an enormous success, and we welcomed over 50 people some of whom were not WI members and the feedback was amazing, we raised a staggering £855.

 

In November, the monthly meeting is passed to the Craft Group which involves making something festive.

 

As well as our regular meetings, most months we have a social get together hosted either by the committee or one of our sub-groups which takes place normally over lunch or during the afternoon.

 

We also hold an annual Fish and Chip, quiz supper in either February or March when friends and family are invited to join us.

 

We host an Easter Fayre with stalls comprising of Bric-a-brac, Craft, Jewellery, Handbags, Books, Name the Rabbit, Raffle, Guess the number of sweets in the jar and, of course, an Easter Egg hunt for children.  A fantastic event which was supported by the Chestfield residents.

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We have two Evening Socials one during the summer months the other in November.  These are open to WI and Non-WI members and the Community.  The latter is Christmas themed, last November we watched a demonstration on making a festive log table decoration.  This year it will involve festive candle decorations.​​

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Chestfield WI also support the Chestfield Parish Council with their annual Fun Day, which takes place on the Bank Holiday Monday in August.

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I want to finish by saying that we are a very friendly and welcoming group of women, and each meeting is different so why not come along and join us, the first three months are free, you can then see if becoming a member of our WI is something you would like to do.

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Hopefully we will see you soon at one of the meetings.

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Sharon Goff

President - Since 2023

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Background:  Formerly known as Swalecliffe with Chestfield Women's Institute it was formed in 1931 following fundraising, the hall pictured above was built and opened in 1933.  In 2019 the members voted to change the name to Chestfield Women's Institute to reflect more accurately its location.  

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Meetings this year will be held on the following dates, commencing at 2.00pm.

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8th January          Judi Knight - Stocking the Nation's Larder​

12th February      Helen Sharp - Silver jewellery maker with demonstration.

                               Plus, her jewellery will be available to buy​

12th March          Election of Officers - No speaker​

9th April               Tracie Fulton - History of Midwifery​

14th May              Lesley Colman - Local Author

                               Her books will be available to buy​

11th June               Julie Coleman - Beekeeping

                                Honey products will be available to buy​

9th July                  Lynn Gregory - Sign language​

13th August           Summer break - no speaker​

10th September    Peter Allen - Watching the Detectives

                                  A history of British TV Crime Fighters​

8th October          Thanet Earth​

12th November     Craft event - no speaker
10th December - Judi Knight - Christmas on the Home Front
 

All visitors are welcome.

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2025 FUTURE EVENTS

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Friday 14th March - Fish and chip supper 18:00 serving at 18:30.  Price to be confirmed later.​

Thursday 10th April - Craft Group, Hot Cross buns - 14:00 to 16:00 - £4​

Saturday 19th April - Easter Fayre, 14:00 to 16:00 - Details to follow​

Wednesday 28th May - Table Tennis Plant Sale - 10:00 to 12:00​

Friday 20th June - Art Group - Afternoon Tea - 14:00 to 16:00 - £8​

Friday 25th July - Book Club - Details to be confirmed - 14:00 to 16:00​

Wednesday 13th August - President's Charity Event - 14:00 to 16:00 - Details to follow​

Friday 15th August - Summer evening social - Details to be confirmed - 19:00 to 21:00​

Tuesday 23rd September - Keep Fit and Walking Groups - Harvest Lunch 12:30 to 14:30 - £8​

Monday 13th October - Games Group - Bingo or Beetle Drive 14:00 to 16:00  - Price tbc​

Thursday 6th November - Annual Theatre trip - Tina, the musical - Marlowe Theatre​

Wednesday 19th November - Committee - Homemade soup and roll 12:30 to 14:30 - £8​

Friday 28th November - Evening Social 18:00 to 20:00 - Making a Christmas Candle - Free​

Thursday 4th December - WI Christmas meal

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