Littleport Women's Institute

Tuesday 13th June. Littleport WI in the Village Hall, 7pm for 7:15pm.
Why not join us as a visitor and enjoy the evening with
a very popular speaker Mike Wabe who will give a talk on Life in a Victorian Gaol.
All welcome.

Littleport W.I. are celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III at our meeting on Tuesday, 9th. May at 7.15p.m. in the Village Hall, Victoria Street. We have lots of fun activities planned. Do feel free to wear red, white and / or eyes, a hat, crown, tiara or coronet ! Be prepared to have fun and enjoy yourselves !

Photographer Daniel Biber from Hilzingen, Germany was trying to capture the murmuration of starlings for 4 days when he finally succeeded: he didn't realize the starlings had created a giant bird in the sky until he got home and reviewed the pictures.

More details/photos: http://bit.ly/3U268IB

Several of us enjoyed a craft session at Doddington last week. We made iris folded tulips for an Easter card and flower brooches, using spring like fabrics. Some of us did some knitting and crochet too.

Don't forget that Emily is giving us an inclusive dance / exercise class next Tuesday ( 11th April ). We want to know your favourite song and the reasons you like it too.

W.I. Meetings 2023

All meetings are on Tuesdays starting at 7.15p.m. at Littleport Village Hall, Victoria St. CB6 1LX
All welcome. First meeting free.

Date
Activity
11th. April Emily is taking us for Dance / Exercise for all

9th. May A Celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III

13th. June
Life in a Victorian Gaol

11th. July
Memories of a Newspaper Editor

8th. August
Sign language

12th. September
To be confirmed

10th. October Welney Wetland Centre

14th. November
Annual Meeting and Social Evening

12th. December Christmas Celebrations

Craft / Social afternoon. Third Tuesday of the month at Day Centre, Village Hall from 2p.m. to 4p.m.

You may recognise some of our more longstanding members on a trip to go punting on the River Cam in Cambridge. Perhaps we should try it !!

Most Underground Railroad operators were ordinary people, farmers and business owners, as well as ministers. One of the earliest known people to help fugitive enslaved people was Levi Coffin, a Quaker from North Carolina. He started around 1813 when he was 15 years old.
Coffin said that he learned their hiding places and sought them out to help them move along. Eventually, they began to find their way to him. Coffin later moved to Indiana and then Ohio, and continued to help escaped enslaved people wherever he lived

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Until 1850 living in free states was relatively low risk for fugitives. After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act as part of the Compromise of 1850 the Underground Railroad was rerouted to Canada as its final destination. Thousands of slaves settled in newly formed communities in Southern Ontario. Suddenly their job became more difficult and riskier.
Those who helped slaves were subjected to $1000 fine or 6 months in prison. The Act made it illegal for a person to help a run away, and citizens were obliged under the law to help slave catchers arrest fugitive slaves. Slave catchers were handsomely rewarded, even free African Americans could be sent back south by destroying their free papers.

Follow the Drinking Gourd According to American folklore, this song was a "musical" map which led fugitive slaves north to freedom. For a history of the song, see http://www.followthe...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUBVmnO9q-8

Follow the North Star

It wasn't no subway and it wasn't no train
But still they used the same kinds of names
Like conductors and passengers, stations and tracks
And you knew it was safe when you saw a quilt out back
With a smoking chimney on top
This was a place where you could stop for the night
Until the morning came
And you had to get back on board the train
Most Underground Railroad operators were ordinary people, farmers and business owners, as well as ministers. One of the earliest known people to help fugitive enslaved people was Levi Coffin, a Quaker from North Carolina. He started around 1813 when he was 15 years old.
Coffin said that he learned their hiding places and sought them out to help them move along. Eventually, they began to find their way to him. Coffin later moved to Indiana and then Ohio, and continued to help escaped enslaved people wherever he lived