An apology, the date of our last meeting was 12th June, not July
We began our AGM which was held in July, suitably fortified by sweet and savoury snacks. The admirably concise meeting then saw all the officers re-elected. Debbie is standing down from the committee and was thanked for all her hard work. Ruth is now joining the committee with the support of everyone at the AGM.
We held our summer competition. All the entries were of a high standard and a pleasure to look at and admire. The winner was Lynn with Rowan and Janet Lee joint second. Congratulations to them all and to all the entrants.
We also listened to two really interesting speakers, Hannah from the Anawin project came to tell us more about their organization. Anawin is an Aramaic work meaning poorest, outcast, person with no vote. This is a project run by women for women, started by two nuns who began a drop in for women in Mary St, Balsall Heath. The project now works with women from a range of communities, helping them deal with experiences of trauma. Many of the women have mental health issues and have experienced violence and sexual violence. They face financial difficulties, some have lost children and homes, following periods in prison. Staff and volunteers at Anawim work with them as they attempt to reestablish independent lives. The project offers a drop in with a food bank and a help line and live chat. they also offer classes and counselling. One of their popular classes is run by a member of BETA, Margaret, who has been running a successful sewing class every week. Stitching remains a an enjoyable part of the lives of many women.
Hannah’s presentation prompted lots of questions from the floor. She told us that Anawim isn’t funded from the government or city council so donations are crucial. BETA helps in a small way providing gift bags at Christmas which we were told are much appreciated. The project is also starting a shop, based in Edward Rd in Balsall Heath. There are opportunities to volunteer with Anawim and there are a range of areas where help would be appreciated. More information can be found on their website. Anawim.co.uk
We then heard from Janet one of our members, who for many years has been sponsoring an child through the World Vision Charity. Janet had just returned from a trip with the project, visiting Uganda, where she met the family of the girl she sponsors and where she saw a sewing and tailoring project. She also saw work that was being done by the charity, including an maternity unit and a water project. The sewing and tailoring project was encouraging children to return to education and Janet was presented with some lovely hand made gifts shown below. At the end of her talk Janet held a collection to raise funds so that they can build more sewing rooms and intends to continue fund raising. Both presentations made us think about the challenges faced particularly by women and children in the UK and overseas and the importance of working to make a difference in any way we can.
We don’t have a meeting in August but will meet again in September with a speaker Lesley Brankin talking about “Making my Mark’. The raffle bag will be purple so please bring suitable themed items to include in the bags.
A final item. Brenda went to an exhibition at the needle museum recently and shared the following stitching by Caroline Sibbald a sentiment may of us will agree with. We all hope for some time to stitch over the summer
Birmingham Embroidery and Textile Art 