Quedgeley WI

At our July meeting we heard about the cancer charity Charlies that Jo Stanford had started after being diagnosed with cancer and finding that there was no support for anyone going through cancer at that time. The charity officially opened in March 2014 and what started with a handful of volunteers has now grown to 65 and offers holistic therapies including Reflexology, Reiki and Mindfulness among many other things and the surprising thing is that they are all free of charge! The charity is based in Gloucester but also holds sessions in the Forest of Dean, Cheltenham, Newent, Cirencester and Stroud. If we had never heard of Charlies we do now and anyone who needs their services is going to be made very welcome.

With another reference to charity we heard from Victoria Ranford from the Community Pantry which was set up by Quedgeley Town Council. It is not a food bank and is not means tested so anyone who is in need of help can sign up for £3 a week and can choose ten items that have been donated at collection points in the area.

There will be no normal meeting in August as we are looking forward to our annual outing to Stratford upon Avon with afternoon tea and a boat trip. Our meetings will be back to normal in September when we will be hearing about Coloured Gemstones and anyone who would like to come along as a visitor or new member will be made very welcome.