2nd Thursday Social

Sub group/ Social is open to all members for no extra fee, on the 2nd Thursday of each month.  We meet at the Conservative Club on Caerphilly Road, where the bar is open for soft drinks or an evening tipple!

Sub Groups at the Social

Our social evenings take place from 7.30pm on the second Thursday of each month, at the County Conservative Club on Caerphilly Road, These are a great way to get to know your fellow Birchgrove WI members, more intimate and informal than the main monthly meetings, and a great chance for a chat and a gossip! 

This is also when most of our sub groups get together - the readers, the bakers and the crafters. It's a very relaxed atmosphere, and the groups tend to overlap and intermingle.

Each month, our reading group tackles a different book from the stacks of Cardiff Public Libraries, for an informal discussion at the social. We've certainly had a varied selection over the years, from thrillers, to comic and historical novels, to all manner of non-fiction titles - it's a good way to get out of a reading rut, and discover authors and subjects you'd never normally think to try! Some of us read each and every book, some of us get started but never finish, some of us don't read at all, but just enjoy listening in to what the readers have to say about the latest selection... 

Some of us also bring along a monthly bake  - wherever you find the WI, cake is rarely far off! It's great to sample each other's efforts and swap recipes, so if you bring along something you've baked, do bring a copy of the recipe, too!. Our baking group tries to bake around a different theme each month, which keeps us looking in new areas for inspiration..

For many people, the very words Women's Institute conjure up images of ladies getting busy with the knitting needles, and we've certainly got a few knitters in Birchgrove WI, among many other creative crafters! If you're working on a portable project - think crochet, cross stitch, hand pieced patchwork or knitting, rather than curtain making or mosaic! - bring it along, and craft in company. If you've long harboured a desire to get to grips with a crochet hook or an embroidery hoop, but haven't the faintest idea where to start, why not come along and ask if anyone can give you a hand getting started? Whatever craft you're interested in, there's usually one of our busy members who'll be glad to share their skills, pass on a pattern, or share their stash of supplies with you!

Why not drop in and see what we're up to this month? You might be surprised at what you find!

Walking Group

This small but dedicated group of leisure walkers has enjoyed some wonderful walks over the years. Longstanding member Avril is a dab hand at organising a ramble! She's led our walkers through the Caerphilly hills, around the cliffs of Penarth, along the banks of the Taff, into the woods around Castell Coch, and even through generations of Cardiffians gone by at Cathays Cemetery.  We never know how she manages it, but Avril has an uncanny knack for arranging a circular route with a pit stop half way for lunch!

The walking group gets together on Tuesdays, Interested members should ask for an introduction to Avril at one of our meetings, and she'll fill you in on all the details of where you could be walking next! 

And more...

There's always more going on at Birchgrove WI. Over the years we've enjoyed a variety of meals out, one off outings and activities, from a quiz night at a crêperie and fishy goings on at a new seafood restaurant, to an evening of pampering at John Lewis and a ghost walk through the haunts of Llandaff.

What would YOU like to do? We're open to ideas, so if there's an exhibition you're keen on visiting, a show coming to town, or a new eatery opening up - anything you think would be better enjoyed in the company of your fellow WI members, do get in touch with the committee, and we'll throw it out there and see who bites! 

If you're willing to take charge of bookings and arrangements, so much the better! We're all in favour of member-organised events, and will be happy to pass word around.

Have an idea for a social event? 

Email birchgrovewi@gmail.com, post to our Facebook, tweet @birchgrovewi, or speak to one of the Committee at the next meeting to tell us more.