Some of our speakers from the last 3 years. These have been chosen as we have promotional pictures and introductory copy.
Maggies Leters from Graham Wylde
2026
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After our January discussion regarding the proposed resolutions for 2026 there will be a short craft session.
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Maggies letters, from Graham Wylde.
"A chance acquisition at a collector's fair revealed a series of letters written by a young girl to her father in the 1870s. The letters provide a fascinating in-sight into life in Victorian times through the eyes of a young girl. As Maggie grows up she develops a real sense of humour and a wonderfully descriptive style of writing.
We get to hear some lovely stories relating to her day to day family life and experiences at school and while on holiday. We also hear, through her own words, how she develops from a child into a very intelligent young lady".
Not to be missed in October.
Follow up from Graham's talk. Good morning, lovely talk last night. I thought you might like to see my family autograph book I mentioned. I often wonder when Allan added that stamp in Aug 1917 to my Great Aunt autograph book if he knew what was to come. The watercolour is from by Grandfather to my Grandmother in her autograph book, Dec 1918 after he was discharged from the Cheshire Regiment in Sept 1918 having been badly injured near Ypres a year earlier. He was awarded a silver war medal.
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Our president, Amanda Cox is September's speaker.
Leading up to the Olympics …. 53 years ago! At 7.15pm on Monday 8th September, our President and Olympian Amanda Cox, will be giving a power point presentation on her swimming career. You will hear of the many ups and downs along the way until she achieved her lifetime ambition of competing in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. " Very interesting. People surprise you all the time." |
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2025
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At 7:15pm on Monday 14th July Louise Morrish, a historical fiction author and librarian from Hampshire, will be joining Filoxenia Virtual WI to give a talk. Louise writes stories inspired by the lives of women in the past, who achieved extraordinary things, but whom history has forgotten. Her debut novel, Operation Moonlight, won the Penguin Random House First Novel competition and was published in 2022. Her second novel, Women of War, came out in March. Her third novel, The Library of War and Peace, will be published in early 2026.
"I really enjoyed the talk last night. Louise was a very interesting and entertaining speaker. I liked her style of communication, hearing about her experiences with research for her characters, her path to getting published and establishing her career as a successful writer. Very inspiring! I’m curious about her books now and have suggested we add “Operation Moonlight” to our Filoxenia book group reading list. Antonia |
CRIBS International
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Sally Hyman is the founder of CRIBS International, a charity that houses and supports refugee women in Athens, Greece. The women come to CRIBS pregnant or with a small baby. They will have left a refugee camp or be street sleeping or even sharing a room with 15 other people. Sally will tell how she and her team work to have the mothers and babies ready to move into independence from CRIBS after 12 months. The talk will include details of living conditions and the social and political problems overcome by these very strong women.
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David Chapman, wildlife photographer, will be joining Filoxenia Virtual WI on Monday 12th May to give an online talk about the Falkland Islands. The talk describes David’s experience, what he learned about the islands and specifically focuses on wildlife such as penguins, albatrosses and many other birds and flowers. Some stories and anecdotes along the way! The talk starts at 7:30pm uk time. |
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Our member Terry Webb will lead the group in "painting with coffee." The aim is to show members that you do not need to spend a fortune on expensive art equipment to make a work of art.
A template plus a list of equipment that can be used will be sent to all members. The session will be a "paint along." |
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Following our AGM last night we have a new President in Amanda Cox. We are delighted with this and sad that our outgoing president , Antonia Svensson-Dianellou is stepping down.
Antonia had led our WI with calm and grace from its inauguration until last night.
Thanks Antonia for all your hard work and congratulations to Amanda.
Antonia had led our WI with calm and grace from its inauguration until last night.
Thanks Antonia for all your hard work and congratulations to Amanda.
2024
Alia did us proud, once again. The weather was terrible, and a few members kept crashing in and out. Several members were away with illness, but we soldiered on. Alia was fabulous as usual, and a recipe booklet was sent around the same evening.
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Vegan Christmas treats. For a vegan guest although you’ll probably want to eat them yourself. We will have both savoury and sweet which you will easily be able to make at home. This will be a demonstration rather than a cook along but all recipes will be provided. Members comments: Alia el Asmar is returning to us this year to present Vegan Christmas treats. Alia literally ran around her kitchen for an hour between two workstations and computers to demonstrate her vegan treats to us last year. I think we are in for a special evening in December. |
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Highgate Cemetery Perhaps you might think this is not the most scintillating subject for a talk, but I assure you that it’s not as dull as it sounds. Considering it is a graveyard, it is a wonderfully atmospheric place and the Victorians who built it had a completely different attitude to graveyards than we do today. Plus, you might be surprised to learn that there are numerous interesting and famous people buried there. This talk covers the history and fame of this prestigious cemetery and looks at some of those people who chose this as their last resting place. |
Members response:
This was a surprisingly interesting topic. Gill took us through the history and some of the famous people buried there. |
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Filoxenia Virtual WI members are looking forward to a Japanese Stitching talk, and stitch-along with Jacqueline Svensson at 7:30pm on Monday, 14th October.
Jacqui comes from a family of Quilters, Artists and Crafters and has many years of teaching experience. Her very early memories were the sights and sounds of sewing. She started using a needle and thread at a very early age, progressing to making her own clothes in her early teens. At eleven years old she won a scholarship to Art School and sewing has always been her passion and relaxation throughout her working life. Traveling, living and working in different countries has exposed her to new perspectives and ideas about techniques and designs. She has a City & Guilds in Patchwork & Quilting, Craft and Design and runs her own business, ‘Sew Sawtry’ teaching techniques and designs of Patchwork, Quilting, Sewing at classes and workshops in Sawtry, Cambridgeshire.
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Andrew Stowe, Associate Director & Auctioneer from Auctioneum East Bristol will be speaking at our July meeting. Auctioneum (formerly East Bristol Auctions) are a specialist saleroom in the South West – with salerooms in both Bristol and Bath. Opened in 2012, the company has grown to become one of the most in-demand auction houses in the country.
Andy is happy to chat about any items you might want to know more about at the meeting. He would appreciate it if you could send in photos for items you wish to ask about via myself at least 48 hours before the meeting. I have heard him speak twice before; he has many fascinating tales about his life as an auctioneer and gives interesting insights into items people show him. https://auctioneum.co.uk/ |
Members response: I found Andy’s presentation really insightful in the world of antiquities and the stories he shared about the unusual lots and items that he’s auctioned were brought to life through his story telling techniques.
His experience and years of knowledge was shared with the group and he was kind enough to do some online valuations from photographs of objects submitted by Filoxenia members and visitors. I would attend a similar event if Andy was the speaker, I’m now away to explore his online antique sales. |
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Our member, Melanie McBreen will be joining Filoxenia Virtual WI on Monday 10th June at 7:30pm, to give a talk about Hair Care and Styling Tips. Melanie has a Fashion degree and has worked in designer fashion as well as in recruitment overseas covering South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. After meeting Johnny - who had an established hairdressing business – they have been running Changes since 2004. More recently Melanie qualified to a level 3 hairdressing & barbering and also has a degree in teaching. Today Melanie is National Educator for Balmain Hair Couture, Assess for City & Guilds and runs an apprenticeship programme level 2 & 3 Hair Professionals. They have 4 hair salons and 2 Barbers in Milton Keynes. Melanie specializes in bridal, vintage styling and extensions.
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Jane is a recently retired GP who has worked in Cambridge and for about 15 years in Asia, including 12 in Nepal. Jane will chat about family life, wildlife and the challenges of providing health care in the remotest Himalayan communities. She'll read a few short quotes from her book "A Glimpse of Eternal Snows" which is available on Audible.
Jane has written 10 books so far; her author website is www.wilson-howarth.com Members response: Second time I have heard Jane speak.
I recommended her to our group. What an incredible gutsy lady, and what an interesting life she is leading. |
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Monday 8th April at 7.30pm, Liesel Murphy will be speaking to us on essential oils.
Join us for an immersive talk on the endless possibilities of essential oils and their transformative use in our daily lives. From soothing aromatherapy to natural cleaning solutions, learn how these botanical wonders can enhance your well-being and create a harmonious environment. Liesel Murphy has an active acupuncture clinic where she combines the use of essential oils with acupuncture to maximise their profound effects on the body. She believes these are an important piece we can include to optimise our health and our homes. |
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On the 12th of February we will be listening to Dr Ann Featherstone:
"A Storm in a Teashop: the Waitresses' Strike of 1908. At lunchtime, 8th April 1908, the waitresses at the Cabin Restaurant, Piccadilly Circus, came out on strike and hit the headlines around the country. This talk is about the working women who chose take on a major company and ‘go it alone.’" Ann is a retired university lecturer and teacher as well as a writer. She writes non-fiction books and articles and is a historical novelist with two published novels to her name. All her talks are illustrated with PowerPoint slides. |
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2023
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Our speaker on Monday 11th December is Pat Hall.
Pat’s talk is called ‘Life can be Funny’. It’s all about having a laugh! It consists of observational comedy, jokes, a couple of funny poems, anecdotes and odd/weird bits and bobs plus a few Christmassy things. The talk starts at 7:30pm. |
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Filoxenia VWI is looking forward to a talk by Chris Dodson, master thatcher, at 7:30pm on Monday 13th November.
Chris is a 4th generation, award winning master thatcher based in Sawtry, Cambridgeshire. He has been thatching full time for 25 years, finishing his last A Level exam on Tuesday and starting work on the Wednesday. Chris had been going to work with his father and grandfather from a young age. Chris formed his own business 12 years ago and now employees 3 others, including his eldest son, Nyall. Away from thatching, Chris is married and has 3 children, with Nyall, 19, Sam, 8, and Martha who is 10 months old. He enjoys history and days out, as well as long walks with his dogs, Molly and Reggie. |
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The green canopy in our garden - July 10th @ 7.30pm
Gerald Price runs a woodland work group in the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Wood, a new 640 acre site in the National Forest where he has been helping the creation of new woodland on a site that was until 2010 an open cast colliery. He is also helping the WT establish the Young Person’s Forest adjacent to Shipley Park in Derbyshire. The talk explores why trees are important, the aesthetic and human health value, the habitat for wildlife, their products of use and the physical benefit of shade, screening, carbon capture and flood mitigation. We will look at the trees that I am fortunate to have in an interesting 1/3-acre (albeit a little unkempt) plot and talk through the successes and the failures. There will be suggestions as to what to plant taking into account future management. |
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We are excited to let you know that Mindfulness Teacher Lindsey Barrell will be joining Filoxenia Virtual WI for our next monthly meeting at 7.15pm on Monday 15th May, to deliver a fabulously insightful talk entitled Marvellous Mindfulness!
Qualified in both adults and children’s Mindfulness, Lindsey will discuss both informal and formal Mindfulness, the benefits of Mindfulness, handy hints and tips for everyday Mindfulness and the talk will end with a relaxing and calming guided meditation. |
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2022
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Genny Brown is attempting to become the first person from the Caribbean island of Aruba to ski solo and unassisted to the South Pole to raise awareness on Lyme disease and money for charity.
Join Filoxenia Virtual WI at 7:15pm U.K. time to hear Genny share on what inspires her, and how she overcame the devastating effects of Lyme Disease to attempt a coast to pole crossing in one of the harshest environments on earth. |
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Gill Hodgkinson-Price will be giving a talk via zoom on the history of the St John Ambulance, taking us from AD600 to the present day showing the places and events in the sometimes turbulent history of the St John Ambulance.
Gill has been a first aid trainer since the age of 16. She went on to train as a teacher and has taught/lectured/delivered talks ever since. She has been a member of the St John Ambulance since the age of 10 and has visited many of the sites associated with the history of the St John Ambulance. Gill has also taught younger members about the History of the Order, as the St Johns Ambulance is known. Email: [email protected]
Instagram: filoxenia_virtual_wi Twitter: @Filoxenia_WI Facebook Members Group: Filoxenia Virtual WI Facebook Page: Filoxenia Virtual Women’s Institute |
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