Whitley WI by Pat Sharp IT takes more than just a helicopter to make a life-changing difference. An air ambulance crew of highly skilled pilots, doctors and paramedics with outstanding expertise in trauma care, gives a patient the best treatment available at the time when they most require it. Speed in getting to a needy patient is paramount to save their life. Our speaker was, Dr Darren Walter, a fellow Whitley Citizen, who is also the medical director of the North West Air Ambulance.

He opened our eyes to the dedication and bravery of this service, with helicopters landing in small spaces and being able to accelerate from 0 to 150 mph in just six seconds.

The air ambulance is totally funded by public donations; the NW region alone (which serves 8million people, 365 days a year) needed £6.5million pounds last year. “Giving the gift of time” was a very apt title for the May meeting of Whitley WI.

July 30 is when Whitley WI celebrates being part of the National Women’s Institute in its centenary year. We invite all readers, villagers, former members, friends and families to come along and celebrate with us, in an “open-house” style event. 4pm until 8pm at Whitley Village Hall Our June meeting followed a visit to a Buckingham Palace garden party from four of our members for various services to the Women’s Institute. Congratulations to Helen Carey, Joyce Kirkpatrick, Sue Roberts and Ann Tolson. At a future meeting we look forward to hearing about their day with royalty.

The main meeting was fun and mind opening. The origins of nursery rhymes seemed initially a simple topic, but we were led through, a history of middle England, with the rhymes containing historical facts, often with mystical or cryptic meanings: The Wars of the Roses, with Richard 3rd (the Grand Old Duke of York), who had 10,000 men, he tried to march them up hills in battle, but they had to retreat. (When they were down they were down!).

Humpty Dumpty was really a canon, perched high on a wall during the English Civil War. The wall was destroyed; Humpty fell down, and couldn’t be “put together again”.

Little Miss Muffet, was given crushed spiders to eat, as a cure for the common cold… no wonder she “was frightened away”. Thanks to Jean Finney for this talk.

In July, there will be more local history, when we learn about the Quaker burial ground in Whitley, and a visit to the garden of The Old Rectory at Brereton.

For further information about Whitley WI and its events, please contact the President Pat Sharp. patsysharpy@gmail.com or 01925730531