What a great year we had. As always, brilliant, interesting, funny, and inspiring speakers, fun and informative events, and the opportunity get involved in community events and campaigns.
Monday 2nd December – a fiendishly festive Christmas quiz! Helped along by mulled wine, mince pies and Parmesan shortbread, plus a some great raffle prizes!
Monday 4th November – a super-busy evening for our AGM. We were delighted that Natalie was returned as our president for another year, together with our committee. So thank you to all our members for your votes, and for your suggestions for topics and events for 2020. In addition, Henry from SIPSMITH came along to tell us all about their brand and the tradition of gin making. In 2009 Sipsmith set up London’s first traditional copper distillery since 1820, launching small batches of premium craft gin, using sweet botanicals and fresh Juniper. Henry kindly brought along three fantastic flavours for us to taste – London Dry, Lemon Drizzle, and Sloe. Cheers!
Monday 5th October – It was lovely to meet EMILY MURRAY, founder of The Pink House, blogger, interiors guru, lover of all things pink, and former stunt woman (yes, really!) at this month’s meeting. We picked up some useful styling tips for the ‘colour of the year’, hanging pictures, and where to find sustainable furniture. You can learn more in Emily’s book, Pink House Living, or follow her on instagram – pinkhouseliving.
Monday 2 September – what a brilliant meeting! SAM TAYLOR, editor of The Lady, came to talk to us about the magazine, which has been in continuous publication since 1885. It was fascinating to hear about how the magazine has changed over the years, and how the team keep it current. Their archives represent an incredible social commentary on life in Britain over the past 134 years, and it was fascinating for our members and visitors to have time to look at some of the archive copies that Sam and her colleagues had brought with them. We’re looking out for the Downton Abbey tiara shoot in the next edition, and will never look at the classifieds in quite the same way again….! Thank you Sam, Anna and James for coming along – wonderful evening.
Monday 5 August – Pimm’s & Needles…a summer evening drinking Pimm’s, chatting and trying the very therapeutic needle-felting led by the lovely Lauren. Always great fun trying a new craft, and our members got pretty creative when it came to their designs – yes, I did spot a Donald Trump portrait (sadly not pictured)! And Hector came too.
Monday 1 July – We were delighted that ALISON HITCHCOCK could come along and share her story which began with her writing one letter to an acquaintance who was suffering from cancer, to setting up From Me To You Letters. Something as simple as receiving a letter can make the world of difference to a friend of family member – or even a stranger – suffering from cancer. All too often, emotional support disappears as patients embark on surgery and treatment, as those close to them just don’t know what to say or how to communicate. Alison’s initiative tackles that very issue, and will inspire many of us to pick up a pen, and perhaps a lovely piece of stationery, and write a letter. Do have a look at her website, link above. 
Monday 3 June – What an interesting meeting we had with TARA BUTTON, founder of Buy Me Once who talked brilliantly about mindful shopping and materialism. She touched on so many issues which are close to our members’ hearts including cutting plastic waste and alleviating loneliness, and then answered lots of interesting questions afterwards. Do check out Tara’s website: https://uk.buymeonce.com/ She has also written a book called ‘A Life Less Throwaway’ to empower you to transform your life and home. There were lots of questions, and great comments about Tara’s message. 
Monday 13 May – We had a really enjoyable meeting back in the newly decorated room at the Hollywood Arms, with Emma and Gina from the fantastic Bird & Blend Tea Co. We learned about different varieties of tea and their various benefits (did you know that brewed Rooibos tea leaves can be used as an exfoliant?), but also how to brew and taste to get the best out of the leaves. Do check out their delicious teas and quirky blends – we tasted 10, including ‘Deckchair Dreaming’, ‘Blue Raspberry’, ‘The Digester’, ‘Gingerbread Chai’ and ‘Coconut Milk Oolong’. Their packaging is also 100% plastic free and biodegradable. https://birdandblendtea.com/uk_en/ 
Monday 1 April – Because our usual venue at the Hollywood Arms was undergoing a make-over, we moved to the Cooper’s Arms for the evening. But that in turn meant that we had to switch speakers as we didn’t have the use of a projector and screen. So we were delighted that CAT RAINCOCK, hypnotherapist, women’s mentor and author of Born to Shine: A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Happier Life, was able to step in. Cat raised some interesting issues and talked about the dilemmas many women face today.
Monday 4 March – Listening to THE REVEREND ROSE HUDSON-WILKIN was an honour. Chaplain to HM The Queen, and the Speaker’s Chaplain (the first woman to hold this position since 1660), Rev Rose spoke passionately about her faith, her journey, her career, the discrimination she has faced within the church and about dealing with all challenges with grace and love. Truly an inspiration and an iconic woman.
Monday 4 February – What a fantastic meeting! Our guest speaker was Astronomer, TOM KERSS, who is based at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Tom is also a science communicator, whose aim is to inspire people to take a closer look at their universe. Tom spoke brilliantly for over an hour, sharing his passion for the night sky, and giving us a fascinating talk on the Moon, packed with amazing photographs, graphics and science. We also heard about Annie Russell Maunder, hired as a ‘lady computer’ at the Royal Observatory in 1891, who went on to become a pioneer in the field of astral photography, and an authority in ancient astronomies. We are definitely planning a follow-up visit to the Observatory later in the year, when we hope to see the first new telescope installed in over 60 years, and named in her honour – The Annie Maunder Astrographic Telescope.
Monday 7 January – A packed room for our first meeting of the year, for an informative, interesting and inspiring talk from KAY ALI aka You Need A Nutritional Therapist We learned so much about what our bodies need in terms of nutrients – at all ages – and how they support our well-being and mental health. You can follow up privately with Kay at info@youneedanutritionaltherapist.com We much appreciated Mar Chung coming along to do some wonderful hand massages with Neal’s Yard products. Mar is a mobile beauty therapist, and comes highly recommended by members of the committee! You can contact her at marasrichung@gmail.com or by phone or WhatsApp 07789 436 242 And do contact Nicola for any Neal’s Yard products you might need. We also had a collection of sanitary products and toiletries for the The Trussell Trust and we held a Swish (at which some of our members picked up one or two lovely items – thank you to those who contributed), and the remaining pieces have been donated to Dress for Success Greater London.