KILSYTH WOMEN OF WISDOM
This group, although not affiliated to the church, holds weekly meetings in the creche hall. We have been established for over ten years. The object of the group is to provide facilities and opportunities for women to participate in social, recreational and educational activities. It also provides opportunities for women to meet and form friendships in a welcoming environment.
SPRING 2024
We are approximately half way through our spring session and the group is now full. To date, we have enjoyed the various talks we have had so far, varying from Victorian Glasgow, Childhood Games and hair/make up demonstrations by two of our own members. Both ladies enjoyed being pampered.
Our most recent talk was from a member of the Blood Bikers team in Central Region. Most of us were unaware of this service which is run totally by volunteers, either bikers or controllers. By their name alone, one would think it's a blood delivery service but no, other items like urgent medication, test results, equipment or medical notes can be transported. The service at the moment covers the Lothians, Fife, Tayside, the Borders and Forth Valley. There are 15 motorbikes in use, (including two electric bikes) plus two cars. This service saves the NHS over a quarter of a million pounds; money that can be used directly for frontline services instead. The service is entirely dependant on donations from the public, grant bodies and corporate sponsors. All the ladies felt that this was an excellent job these volunteers are carrying out and everyone thought this was a very interesting talk. Some photos below:
SPRING 2024
We hope everyone had a joyful Christmas and wish everyone a Happy, Healthy New Year in 2024.
We finished our 2023 session with a Christmas Lunch at the Scarecrow which was enjoyed by everyone. The previous week a Christmas Party was enjoyed by all the ladies.
The new session starts on Tuesday 9 January in the creche hall at 1.30pm. We are now at capacity; anyone wishing to join will be notified in due course when any vacancies arise. Our first meeting will take the form of a discussion regarding the upcoming programme of events and speakers. The programme is as follows:
9th January - Meeting/Chat
16th January - Victorian Glasgow by Douglas Annan
23rd January - Burns Celebration
30th January - NLC Childhood Games, 1950 Slide Show
6th February - Beauty with Irene and Cathie
13th February - Blood Bikers
20th February - Hearing Dogs/Lunch
27th February - Hearing Dogs/Lunch
5th March - Armchair Yoga with Margaret Wadsley
12th March - Glasgow Street Pastors
19th March - John Walker - 5 Spies
26th March - John Brown, Gregory's Girl
2nd April - Easter Holiday
9th April - AGM
16th April - Outing
SPRING 2024
We hope everyone had a joyful Christmas and wish everyone a Happy, Healthy New Year in 2024.
We finished our 2023 session with a Christmas Lunch at the Scarecrow which was enjoyed by everyone. The previous week a Christmas Party was enjoyed by all the ladies.
The new session starts on Tuesday 9 January in the creche hall at 1.30pm. We are now at capacity; anyone wishing to join will be notified in due course when any vacancies arise. Our first meeting will take the form of a discussion regarding the upcoming programme of events and speakers. The programme is as follows:
9th January - Meeting/Chat
16th January - Victorian Glasgow by Douglas Annan
23rd January - Burns Celebration
30th January - NLC Childhood Games, 1950 Slide Show
6th February - Beauty with Irene and Cathie
13th February - Blood Bikers
20th February - Hearing Dogs/Lunch
27th February - Hearing Dogs/Lunch
5th March - Armchair Yoga with Margaret Wadsley
12th March - Glasgow Street Pastors
19th March - John Walker - 5 Spies
26th March - John Brown, Gregory's Girl
2nd April - Easter Holiday
9th April - AGM
16th April - Outing
Autumn/Winter 23
The WOW (Women of Wisdom Group) re-commences on Tuesday 3 October when the autumn/winter programme will be discussed. Following this on 10 October we will have someone talking to us about Bee Keeping. 17 October, we will have someone talking about life in the classroom from a teacher's point of view. These should be interesting talks. We have a few spaces so if you are aged over 50 and looking for something to do on a Tuesday afternoon please contact us for further information. The programme for the remainder of the season will be available after 3 October. Looking forward to seeing old and new members in October.
Kilsyth Women of Wisdom will shortly be closing for the year with a lunch on Tuesday 4 April followed by our AGM on 18 April and an outing on 25 April.
At the moment, we have some space. If you are over 50 and would be interested in joining us, we meet on Tuesday afternoon at 1.30 in the creche hall. Meetings generally last for approximately one hour and include tea/coffee and biscuits. Each member pays £2 and this covers the cost of refreshments plus speakers.
Please come along and join us, you will be made most welcome.
Spring 2023
The spring session for 2023 started on Tuesday 17 January when the programme for until the end of April was distributed and any further ideas for the future discussed. The programme is as follows:
24 January: Burns afternoon
31 January: Talk on "The Titanic" by John Walker
7 February: Film (Sunshine on Leith)
14 February: Valentines Lunch at The Scarecrow
21 February: Summerlee talk regarding shopping in the past etc
28 February: Morag with her accordion and some stories
7 March: A wee surprise
14 March: Foodbank talk or John Duncan Quizmaster
21 March: Hair by Irene
28 March: Afternoon Tea to support Strathcarron Hospice
4 April: Lunch at Mariana's, Kirkintilloch
11 April: Easter Holiday
18 April: AGM + Quiz
25 April: end of year outing (£10)
December 2022
The group has enjoyed a very successful and varied autumn programme, varying from a visit to the Burrell Collection to chair yoga. The group has been well attended with an average of 22 ladies each week. Unfortunately, our lovely secretary became unwell and died very suddenly. We all miss her very much and our thoughts and prayers are with her husband and family at this sad time.
We will be finishing off the winter session with Christmas lunch on Tuesday 13 December at the Scarecrow which we are all looking forward to. Our next session starts on 17 January 2023; the programme will follow in the New Year.
Autumn 2022
The new session begins on Tuesday 4 October at 1.30pm in the small church hall. The agenda for the opening session will include programme planning/member updates.
We have a full programme arranged from 4 October until our Christmas Lunch on 13 December. The programme includes Morag and her accordion (aways goes down well). Our autumn trip is on 18 October to the Burrelll Collection. This will be a full day leaving at 10.00am and returning at 4.00pm. On Tuesday 25 October, Paul Carter and Ron Moorcroft will be joining us to give a talk on The Drovers.
The full programme is as follows:
4 October - Programme Planning/Members update
11 October - Jenny Potter - Emergencies
18 October - Visit to Burrell Collection
25 October - Paul Carter/Ron Moorcroft - Talk on The Drovers
1 November - John Walker - "Glasgow Dance Halls"
8 November - Meal out
15 November - Flower arranging by Christine
22 November - Bill Tonagh - Quiz (proceeds to Strathcarron Hospice)
29 November - Yoga with Margaret Wadsley
6 December - Parish Church Ladies Choir (main hall)
13 December - Christmas Lunch
April 2022
The group recently celebrated Easter by having an afternoon tea. They were entertained by accordionist Marion who also threw in some funny stories. All the ladies had a really good time. The session closed with lunch at The Swan and will re-commence in the autumn.
February 2022
Due to Coronavirus restrictions the group has not met until Tuesday 1 February when we had an interesting talk from Rhona Morrison regarding her life as a Forensic Psychiatrist. The ladies all found her life to be very interesting.
At the moment, we have space for a few ladies so, if you or anyone you know over the age of 50 would like to come along, please contact us for details. Our meetings are now being held in the large hall as the bowling club isn't meeting on Tuesday (time 1.30).
Our spring syllabus is as follows:
1 February: Rhona Morrison, Forensic Psychiatry
8 February: Yoga with Margaret Wadsley
15 February: Paul Carter, Wildlife in the Marshes
22 February: Meal
1 March: John Brown Route 500
8 March: Kirsty Follett
15 March: Morag Accordion
22 March: Police/Fire Service joint visit
29 March:
5 April: AGM
12 April: Outing
19 April: Easter
26 April: Meal
January 2022
The group finished up the autumn session with a lovely Christmas lunch at The Swan in Banton which everyone enjoyed very much. The programme for the last few months has been greatly enjoyed by the ladies and we look forward to starting up again at the end of January. Syllabus to follow.
9 January 2022
October 2021
The group held their first meeting on Tuesday 5 October. There was a good attendance considering the fact that people are still being very careful of the Coronavirus. The meeting took the form of an AGM and was short and sweet. The programme for the autumn/winter session was discussed and all agreed it sounds varied and enjoyable, (see below). Tea/coffee and biscuits followed while discussing ideas for 2022, including a day out.
Syllabus:
5 October - AGM and Programme Planning
12 October - Nancy Paxon "Soft Hats"
19 October - Stirling Street Pastors
26 October - Quize/Beetle Drive/Tea
2 November - Hallowe'en (Lunch at The Swan)
9 November - Morag Accordion Playing
16 November - Gayle Patrick Rescue Dogs
23 November - John Brown
30 November - Bonnie "Quilting"
7 December - Church Choir
14 December - Christmas Lunch
September 2021
With restrictions now being lifted, we are now looking forward to starting back into the church hall on Tuesday 5 October. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again and if there are any ladies over the age of 50 who wish to join us please contact us for more information. During recent weeks, we have been getting together for lunch courtesy of the Co-op Community Team grant which many of us have enjoyed. Also making use of this funding, we enjoyed a lovely day out to visit Dumfries House in New Cumnock where we had morning coffee and scones (served by butlers) followed by a tour around the house. We then had time for a quick visit to the beach at Troon with time for lunch before heading for home.
Dumfries House, New Cumnock
June 2021
Women of Wisdom group is grateful to the Co-op Community Team grant which has been very useful in continuing to keep contact with our ladies (many of whom live alone) during the pandemic. We try to maintain friendships old and new to reduce isolation and loneliness. Once the restrictions are lifted and we are allowed back into the church premises again, we will be looking to recruit new members to join us on a Tuesday afternoon from 1.00-3.00pm. Our meetings vary from having speakers come along to visiting places of interest and we also enjoy meeting up for lunch. All are welcome.
February 2020
During February, we have had three very interesting and informative talks. The first one was from a "puppy walker" for the Guide Dogs Association. The puppy was an alsation which apparently is the most common breed of dog used. The dog was quite excitable but she eventually settled down at her trainer's feet. Our next talk was from a local lady Kath who volunteers for CHAS - Childrens Hospice Association Scotland - this was most illuminating and Kath was obviously very enthusiastic. Before our fourth discussion of the month we had a chair yoga session which the ladies all enjoyed. Finally, we had a gentleman from the Salvation Army telling about his life in the "Sally Ann" including all the places he had lived and worked. A Welshman by birth he has travelled many miles and indeed is moving on to pastures new in Aberdeenshire very soon.
January 2020
Touch o'Burns
Being the closest date in our diary to Burns Night, the ladies celebrated by enjoying a light lunch of oatcakes and cheese, shortbread and cakes along with tea and fruit juice. As we are fortunate enough to be receiving funds this year from the Co-op community fund, our member pioneer, William, came along and provided us with more "goodies"- shortbread, cakes, biscuits and fruit all of which was very welcome. Some of the ladies recited some Scottish poetry to entertain us. An enjoyable afternoon was had by all.
2020 Session schedule
Spring into 2020!
The programme for the months of January - April is as follows:
14 January - Programme Planning
21 January - Touch o' Burns
28 January - Marion, accordion player
4 February - Guide Dogs
11 February - CHAS
18 February - Chair Yoga
25 February - Salvation Army
3 March - to be confirmed
10 March - Jean Jones
17 March - Kirsty Follett, eye operations in Ethiopia
24 March - Quiz or Beetle Drive or Bring 'n' Buy
31 March - Visit to Mitchell Library including tour at noon
7 April - AGM
14 April - holiday
21 April - outing to Ayr, possibly Burns museum, Alloway
28 April - Lunch
December 2019
WOW Lunch 1
WOW Lunch 2
WOW Lunch 5
WOW Lunch 1
Christmas Lunch
The ladies all enjoyed their Christmas lunch at the Scarecrow Bar & Grill. We now look forward to the New Year when we will return on Tuesday 14 January.
November 2019
During November, we have had four very different and enjoyable sessions. We started off with the Jordanhill Bell Ringers as mentioned below. The following week, we enjoyed a visit and talk from mother and daughter third and fourth generation of the oldest sweet shop in Glasgow. What an array of sweeties they brought with them!
Local Rotarian, John Brown, explained to the group all about "Aqua Box" which is a filter system to change filthy water into pure, drinkable water. These boxes are sent around the world to any disaster area where there is a need for clean, drinkable water. This was a most interesting talk and slide show. Just as John was about to start his talk, a young man entered the hall and introduced himself as our "Member Pioneer" from the Co-op. As we have been fortunate enough to receive funds from the Co-op community fund, he explained that when we buy Co-op own brand products we receive 1p from every pound and which is slowly mounting up. This will continue for one year and will help us towards an outing where we require transport. We are hoping to have a "Touch of Burns" in January and he will quite willingly donate some food, ie shortbread, etc.
Our last event in November was a "bring and buy" sale followed by a short quiz. Although the group was small, everyone enjoyed the afternoon and raised over £30 for our funds.
September 2019
We started off the autumn session with programme planning for the next 3.5 months. We also welcomed a new member to our group. We hope she enjoys what we have to offer. As can be seen from our programme below, it has been very varied so far with highlights being a visit to Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament. We also had a trip to the Riverside Museum in Glasgow. For Hallowe'en we had a most enjoyable lunch at the local bistro (The Scarecrow) with some of the ladies in fancy dress.
The Jordanhill Bell Ringers paid us a second visit and as some of the ladies had missed their previous visit, this was most entertaining.
The committee have been very successful in obtaining funding from our local Co-op whereby we receive 1% of the cost of our spending. This will continue for a complete year and will be used for future outings.
2019 Session schedule
The autumn/winter session is as follows:
10 September: Programme planning/member updates
17 September: Stirling street pastors
24 September: Visit to Holyrood Palace/Scottish Parliament
1 October: The Samaritans
8 October: Visit to Riverside Museum
15 October: School holidays
22 October: RNIB
29 October: Scarecrow - Spooky Lunch for WACKY OLD WITCHES
5 November: Bell Ringers
12 November: Oldest Sweet Shop in Glasgow
19 November: John Brown Aqaubox
26 November: Quiz/Bring n Buy/Beetle Drive
3 December: Choir
10 December: Floral Art
17 December: Christmas Lunch