January Report

We finished 2011 with the annual Christmas Dinner at Finley's. Very many thanks to John and Sue Perry and Staff for providing a wonderful meal and for looking after us so well (We shall be back this year!!). The annual prize for the overall winner of the flower of the Month competition was presented to Mrs. Peggy Worboys.

The talk for the January meeting was given by Mr. Mark Ching and was entitled "Wicked Winters", not quite so appropriate this winter as last, when last December was the coldest on record! He started his talk with the year 1683/84, called the Great Winter, when the Thames was frozen for 10 weeks and the sea froze for 2 kilometres off shore. Before Tower Bridge was rebuilt the Thames flowed very slowly causing it regularly freeze over, so they were able to hold fairs on the ice.

The worst snow avalanche in the UK was in 1876 in Sussex at Lewes where eight people died.

He warned that although the winter has been mild so far there is still time for that to change. His Grandmother used to say "a January spring is not worth a Pin!!" It was a very informative and interesting talk although we all left the meeting feeling a little colder!!


Flower of the Month Competition was won by Mrs. Jan Ravensdale with this flower :-

                                                                                                                 Click flower to see full size.

Date of next meeting:- Wednesday 8th February @ 7.30pm. Speaker Mr.Bob Symes on "Growing Vegetables for showing".