"Our mission is to provide social, spiritual and other events as occasions for all the Ladies of the Parish to gather together, in support, in friendship and in love.”
This means that we have few ‘set’ or even ‘regular’ meetings. A steering group, to which all women in the Parish are invited, takes place around 3 to 4 times a year. At these meetings, we discuss potential activities in which the women in the Parish may become involved. Whoever has the idea, runs the activity.
For further information, please contact Charlotte Macintosh on: [email protected] or watch the bulletin for events involving the ladies of the Parish. Thank you.
Who: any woman who is part of the St Margaret’s and Holy Name family.
When; the present iteration of a women’s group in St Margaret’s has been running for approximately 16 years. However, in living memory there has been a women’s group running in St Margaret’s for at least 50 years in some shape or other. Groups form and adjourn according to circumstances and need with each generation of women in the Parish.
Why: the present group was formed after an all-women social evening in someone’s house. Everyone enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the idea to have a ‘Ladies’ group was born. It is well documented that same sex groups (male or female) fulfil needs in their participants not fully met in mixed group situations. That is not to say there is no requirement for mixed group activities. It simply means that sometimes women are more comfortable with other women.
What we do at meetings
In general, we ‘run’ two types of meetings:
Steering Group (or planning meeting) – see our mission statement above, Any woman of the Parish can attend a meeting and suggest an activity. The only office bearer we have is the Treasurer, so do not worry that you will be asked to go on the ‘committee’ – there isn’t one. This meeting is usually held St Margaret’s crypt and around 10 people attend.
What we do ask is that, with help, you run the activity you suggest; our second type of meeting. This could be anything. We have had ‘hat fitting’, ceramic café, theatre visits, Christmas parties, walks, Pilates, book groups etc If you want to do it, organise it and see who comes along. We don’t worry about numbers, we just want to gather together women with similar interests in what we are doing at a given time. This type of meeting can gather in anything from 4 people – 30 people depending on the interest of the activity. Some of them do happen in the Crypt, e.g. card making, talks of various kinds, and others take place outwith, e.g. theatre, cinema etc. During Advent and Lent we make an extra effort to provide opportunities to be involved in our spiritual lives though these opportunities are not limited to these times of year.
Do you ‘sign’ up?
No is the simplest way to answer that. Sometimes people don’t come to the Steering group at all but are happy to come to any events that are running. The converse is also true.
Is there anything expected of anyone attending?
Practically, we ask, if you can, that you bring £1 to each meeting held in the crypt. (Hence our need for a Treasurer!) This money is used to subsidise outings, we are aware that not everyone can afford to go out for meals or go on trips without financial help and we do not want to exclude people because of that. Each year, we also donate money to our parish St Vincent de Paul group to give to a family in need at Christmas. A donation is also given to the Parish Priest at that time.
We would also expect that you come with a willingness to participate in the meeting/event as much as possible. We realise that it can be difficult for some women to speak up and we hope to provide a comfortable environment for them to do so. Their input is invaluable.
Anything we wouldn’t be aware of with the group that happens behind the scenes.
As with any group there are peaks and troughs in terms of involvement and participation. Sometimes it is the stalwarts who make sure that Steering groups happen and that there are some activities to offer the ladies of the parish. When an event is being organised, it doesn’t just happen, of course. For example, our upcoming Beetle Drive requires prizes to be bought, renewal of equipment, commitment to give up the time to arrive early on the evening to set up and leave later to tidy up. Anyone who has ever organised anything will be aware of what needs doing for an event that no one sees.
Anything you would say to encourage others to come along
We would like to think that we are a welcoming group. I can imagine that from the outside it sometimes looks like a clique as it seems to be the same folk running it all the time. That is often because we are all there is! It definitely isn’t because we don’t want to see new people walk through the doors and get involved. Participation can be minimal, no pressure is applied! Come and see.
This year’s programme so far:
Sunday 25 February – Teas and Toast after Mass. Hosted by the ladies’ group.
Sunday 10 March – Stations of the Cross in the afternoon, ladies hosting.
Tuesday 4 June – Beetle Drive. This will run from 7pm – 9pm in the Crypt. Please come along and support this and have a good time as well. If you have a female friend who wants to come along with you (to this or any of our events), she will be very welcome. Further details will be in the bulletin nearer the time.
Tuesday 24 September – Steering Group. This is an opportunity for any woman in the Parish to come along and suggest activities for the coming months. We will entertain any idea and give help if required to arrange.
Tuesday 19 November – Card making. This event will run in the Crypt from 7pm – 9pm. It was a great success last year and we look forward to learning new skills – or more likely re-learning the ones we forgot from last year. Keep an eye on the bulletin nearer the time.
Sometime in December – it is hoped to have a visit to the Pantomime as our Christmas activity this year, if possible. Keep an eye out in the bulletin.
