Kirton and Falkenham Women’s Institute
Next meeting: Thursday 14th January 2019 at 2.00 pm. We will be travelling back in time with Kevin Hegarty and his minstrels who will be performing the music of the 15th and 16th centuries.
This is also our birthday meeting so there will be an extra special tea. Glamour is the order of the day: hats will be worn because we will also be raising money for the Brain Tumour Charity.
February meeting report:
Tina Oldfield decided to undertake a trek to Everest base camp in memory of her daughter, Krista who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. Krista did not survive and died leaving her husband and two young daughters. Tina and her family wanted to commemorate Krista and highlight that cancer affects all ages.
Tina and her husband, her sister, Nicky and her husband were four middle aged people who had never skied let alone trekked in extreme conditions. They spent 13 months planning and preparing for the trip – gathering sponsorship; equipment and getting fit.
They arrived in Nepal and were immediately caught up in a civil emergency- Maoist terrorists were threatening civil war. This was the beginning of an eventful trip. The trek itself was challenging: altitude sickness, exhaustion, and single track swing bridges above 100 metre chasms were minor difficulties compared to unexpected (and unseasonal) blizzards and bomb threats. Conditions were basic – scented by the constant aroma of burning yak dung, used as fuel for cooking and heating. Unfortunately the heavy snowfall the day before their final leg to base camp meant that they were unable to complete their journey. This led to many tears of disappointment and frustration … so the group returned the following year and did it all again- this time successfully achieving their goal!
This lively and poignant talk included wonderful photographs of the landscape and the birdlife that Tina encountered on her journey.
Tina continues to raise money for Breast Cancer Now: breastcancernow.org
New members are always welcome; meetings are on the second Thursday of the month at the Village Hall beginning at 2pm. Contact our secretary: Chris Welling 01473 736255
K.Cade V.Bines
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