HERE'S your WI and YCA reports from Ryedale.

WI REPORTS

Pickering - Ruth and Neil Hannah, volunteers at The Trussel Trust Food Bank, gave a talk at the May meeting. More than 40 kilos of non-perishable food was donated on the evening from members. The WI resolutions which will be taken forward to the annual meeting in Brighton were discussed and voted on. The second meeting of the new book club was well attended. The branch also launched its monthly cinema club with a visit to The Palace Cinema, Malton, to see the movie Florence Foster Jenkins. A cake, book and plant sale was held in Pickering market place on Saturday, May 21. The next meeting will be in the Mill Room suite in the Memorial Hall at 7pm on Tuesday, June 14 when the speaker will be Mrs J Pearson who will give a talk called The Strawberry Business. The monthly competition will be a strawberry-related item. New members are always welcome.

Sinnington – The president, Helen Browes, opened the May meeting which was well attended. Matters under discussion included bunting for Ryedale Show and the successful trip to Tennants auction house. Rodney Tennant, the chairman of the family firm, welcomed members and described how the business started, has evolved, and its vision for the future. After lunch there was a guided tour of the sale-room, exhibitions and conference rooms. Helen introduced Anthea Firth, who with a hands-on approach, spoke about the properties of willow. She told how to prepare and manipulate it into a beautiful and practical garden object. The theme of the meeting on Wednesday, June 8 is the history of plant medicine and will be presented by Pam Towler. The meeting will start at 7pm in the village hall. New members are always welcome.

YCA REPORT

Wombleton – The chairman, June Gamble, welcomed members to the May meeting. Business matters were dealt with, including the annual outing. The amount raised for the Mercy Ships charity was £255 which was matched by a donation from a sponsor. Anne Gray introduced the speaker, Sean Simpson, police community officer, who gave a talk of his work in the Ryedale community. Anne also gave the vote of thanks. The competition for a whistle was won by Alice Graham with 10 points. Hostesses Alice Graham Mary Robey and Frances Davies-Isaac served refreshments at the close. Frances also sold raffle tickets. The next meeting, on Tuesday, June 21, will be a strawberry supper.