WI Overton, Hampshire

We had a lovely wander through the gardens on a private NGS visit to Blounce House. The tea and cake that followed went down well too!

The WI team taking a quick break from the high demand for homemade cakes and hot drinks

Enjoying our annual garden party with Pimms and cream scones

Since the market began 17 years ago, it has donated over £2500 to chosen national and local clubs and charities. Beneficiaries of the yearly donations are decided by the market committee and stall holders.

At our June market, two charities were awarded £250 each for their contribution to projects for all ages and groups in the Overton community: Test Valley Men's Shed and the Community Kitchen Garden. Thanks to all stall holders and market goers for making these donations possible.

Chris Truscott from the Overton Community Kitchen Garden said
“thank you so much. The donation will be a great help in setting up our poly-tunnel which will make a difference to the length of the growing season and provide a place to start seeds for an earlier than usual crop.”

Chair Nick Bowden from Test Valley Men’s Shed said “We are incredibly grateful for the £250 donation from our lovely Overton Saturday Market, Hampshire this morning!!! We will use it to fix the potholes on the driveway. The market has provided such a supportive environment for local small businesses, art and social groups and charities like us!”

Thanks to everyone who supports our wonderful market and for helping to make these donations possible

See you at the next market this Saturday!

WI Overton, Hampshire Open Overton Overton Radio Overton.TV

The WI is partnered with Women's aid as part of our campaign No More Violence Against Women

Do you know what a coercive and controlling relationship actually involves? Did you know it is considered domestic abuse?

Together we can end domestic abuse and stop violence against women. If you think you may be in an unhealthy relationship women's aid can help. https://www.womensaid.org.uk/

Our fabulous volunteers serving homemade cakes and tea this morning at Saturday Overton Saturday Market, Hampshire. Next market is on 6th July.

Find a Hampshire WI near you: https://www.hampshirewi.org.uk/wis-and-groups-in-hampshire.
Or search on the National WI Website: https://www.thewi.org.uk/

Teams hard at work on the quiz following our AGM.

A busy morning for the WI Overton, Hampshire team at Overton Saturday Market, Hampshire

This year will have Tooleys Vintage Funfair at the Overton Sheepfair. Providing smiles the old way ......Colourful swingboats, a traditional coconut shy, or test your strength with the high striker.

In or near Overton or Silchester this Saturday?

Come and meet our Green Team and find out how you can save money on your energy bills and turn your garden into a haven for plants and wildlife – and get other tips too for a more planet-friendly lifestyle

The team will be giving free advice and help from 10am to 12 noon at Silchester Market in Silchester Village Hall and from 10am to 12 noon at the Overton Market in St Mary’s Hall in Overton

More at https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/green-team

Sustainable Silchester Sustainable Overton Overton Parish Council Silchester Village Market Silchester Village Silchester Village Hall

Last night we enjoyed a very interesting talk on our precious chalk streams from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

What does it mean to truly inspire inclusion? 💜

For 2024, the campaign amplifies the importance of and in all aspects of society. This year's campaign underscores the crucial role of in achieving . It calls for action to break down barriers, challenge and , and create environments where all are valued and respected. 👩🏾👩🏻👩🏽👩👩🏼👩🏿 encourages everyone to recognize the unique perspectives and contributions of women from all walks of life, including from marginalized communities.



👉 https://bit.ly/IWD24ii

We are supporting a whitepaper which has been delivered to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs today. It calls for more to be done to tackle microplastic pollution, including mandating microplastic filters in new washing machines, as the most effective, near-term solution to reduce the release of microplastics in the environment.

Read more here: https://shorturl.at/fhjt7

A Plastic Planet PlanetCare 5 Gyres City to Sea The 2 Minute Foundation Plastic Soup Foundation Fashion Revolution Good On You Ocean Conservancy Marine Conservation Society

With spring around the corner, our newly planted bulbs are starting to emerge on Overton Hill. We planted 1,000 bulbs in December to provide a food source for early pollinators. Even with a little colder weather forecast next week, the bulbs will continue to emerge. If you’re out for a walk on Overton Hill, take a photo and send it to us!.

This Saturday our volunteers are going to work on Overton’s Community Orchard. This is the perfect time to do some pruning to ensure a healthy fruit yield later this year.

As usual we meet at the orchard at 10.00am and finish by 12 midday. All equipment is supplied. If you would like to join our group of volunteers please come along. Your support is always very much appreciated.

Natural Basingstoke
Greener Basingstoke

Please support our WI member and Overton resident Deb Heath who delights us with her amazing wildlife photos and posts on Facebook. by liking her owl photo for the The Base competition BY 8 PM TONIGHT!

**The picture with the most amount of ‘likes’ will win their age group. VOTING CLOSES AT 8PM ON SUNDAY 4 FEBRUARY**

Towards the end of last year we launched the ‘My Wild Life’ photography competition which was inspired by the return of the Natural History Museum’s prestigious exhibition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year to The Base soon (1 March – 14 April).

Our panel of judges, including Newbury Weekly News’ photographer Phil Cannings, local professional photographer Philip Tull and Arts Editor of the Newbury Weekly News, Trish Lee, have whittled the entries down to the final 20 in each age group.

UNDER-18s 1st prize wins…

- A Family Day Pass to Marwell Zoo
- A Marwell Zoo goodie bag

OVER-18s 1st prize wins...

- A Family Day Pass to Marwell Zoo
- A chance to get up-close with an 'Animal Experience'

BOTH WINNERS WILL GET...

- An annual Base Pass Plus card for over-18s and a Family Base Pass card for under-18s winners* (Find out more about Base Pass: https://bit.ly/TheBasePass)
- Photo printed in the Newbury Weekly News
- Displayed in The Base's Runway Gallery from 1 March - 14 April 2024.

The Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year 59 exhibition opens at The Base on Friday 1 March and runs until Sunday 24 April, and also Tuesdays during the Easter holidays (open Wed – Sun, 10am – 5pm). Find out more about the exhibition: https://bit.ly/WPY59 The My Wild Life finalist’s entries will be displayed in the Runway Galley at The Base for the duration of the exhibition.

Details of our next meeting

Join our community of people pledging to grow food in a wildlife-friendly way! Whether you are new to gardening, new to food growing, or an experienced gardener who wants to know more, pledge your garden and join us. Find out more here: https://mycoronationgarden.org/year-promise-pledges

Just a reminder that we are still collecting plastic tubs (from biscuits and chocolates - no metal tins please) to be recycled.

Please drop off your clean, empty tubs at 28 High Street (leave at side of gravel driveway) or 6 Poultons Road (in the porch) or 12a Laverstoke Lane by 25th January. This is part of the Tubs2Pubs scheme which raises money for Macmillan.

Thank you to everyone who has already dropped theirs off!

Every adventure requires a first step…

Mark your calendars: Wednesday, January 24th is the big day! We'll be celebrating International Day of Education by officially opening the WI Learning Hub, ready to fill your days with endless learning opportunities.

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