Dates for the Diary – February 2026

Welcome to the first edition of the Dates for the Diary for this year. We hope there will be something for everyone to participate in and look forward to seeing our members at our events.

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Allotment – Starting the Planning

The Gardening Girls are starting to think about plans for the new season. If you would like to join the group this season, please contact Julie at Jusellars1960@gmail.com to get the details. 

Coffe Club – 4th February

The new Coffee Club will be meeting once a month at varing locations. The next meeting is at the Settling Rooms at 10.30 am on the 4th February.

The club is an informal gathering, so if you feel like a cuppa and a natter just show up. Any questions, please email Hilary at marketharboroghwi@gmail.com.

Craft Club – 5th February

The Craft Club will be using their first meeting in 2026 to plan their activities for the year. They will be meeting as usual in the upstairs room at the Congregational Church in Bowden Lane at 7pm. More details will be provided as always nearer the time through the WhatsApp group. Please contact Fiona at fegraham1@gmail.com if you would like to be added to the group.

Book Club – 18th February

The Book Angels Book Club will be meeting at the Swan at 2.30 pm to discuss the book of the month – Passage to India by E M Forster.

Please contact Valerie at vhitchcox50@hotmail.com if you would like to join in.

MHWI Monthly Meeting –  25th February

Our monthly meeting will try and set the mood for Spring with a flower arranging session. Bring a bunch of mixed flowers and Sharon Badger will show us how to turn them into a stunning arrangement. The meeting will start as usual at 7.30pm at the Church Hall of Our Ladies of Victories Church in Fairfield Road. 

Walking Group – In Hibernation

The Walking Group will be meeting in February to plan the 2026 line up of walks. Details will be broadcast as usual through WhatsApp, so if you would like to join, please email Fiona at f_tomlin@sky.com to be added to the WhatsApp group. 

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We’ll be updating the ‘Dates for the Diary’ post on a regular basis, so keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

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Coffee Club is here!

The Market Harborough WI is now offering a new social event: The Coffee Club

The inaugural meeting happened this week at the Mercado Lounge where members enjoyed a coffee and a natter.

The Coffee Club will be a monthly event at varying locations and variable days of the week so that hopefully there will be a time that suits everyone. The next Coffee Club meeting will be on Wednesday, 4th February at 10.30am at the Settling Rooms. No need to book, just show up! 

The Coffee Club will be included in the monthly ‘Dates for the Diary’ post, so keep checking there for future Coffee Club events.

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If you are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

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Skittles Night Social – all change, mind the gap!

Our next social event is the January Skittles Night. This was planned for the 15th January, but due to unforseen circumstances we had to change the date and the venue…

The Skittles Evening will now take place on the 21st January at The Royalist in Western Avenue, Market Harborough. We will be meeting at 6.30pm for some games and a meal.

Those that have already signed up have been notified by email, but anyone else that would like to join should please email marketharboroughwi@gmail.com to sign up, get a copy of the menu to decide their dinner option and pay in advance by latest the 19th January.

Hope to see many of you at the Royalist on the 21st!

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If you are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

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Time to Vote!

It is that time of the year again when all WI members nationwide vote for their preferred resolution from the 2025/2026 shortlist. The resolutions process is the democratic tool that drives the WI national campaigns on current social or environmental issues. It allows individual members to promote worthwhile causes for the short list and have the nationwide membership vote on the final selection.

Five resolutions made it to the shortlist this time:

  1. Accessible public toilet facilities to promote dignity, health and social inclusion
  2. Action on women’s homelessness
  3. Nearer to nature
  4. Love your vulva—self checking is your best defence against vulval cancer
  5. Every child needs a friend

More detailed information has been published in the November/December issue of WI Life Magazine. Or members can also look on My WI, following this link: My WI | Resolution Shortlist 2025-26 – Make your selection

The vote for our members will be held at the next MHWI Monthly Meeting on 28th January, but if you can’t attend, please submit your preference (or indeed any questions) by email to marketharboroughwi@gmail.com

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If you are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

You have been sent this message because you are following the website of the Market Harborough Womens Institute. If you no longer wish to do so, please click here to unsubscribe.

And so the year comes to a close…

Last week the Market Harborough WI celebrated their Christmas Party with a lovely evening of crafting and chatting, a dutch supper with some free bubbly and a raffle with fabulous prizes. 

It has been a great year and we hope you enjoyed it all. Have a lovely Christmas and best wishes for a healthy and content New Year! See you all in 2026

 

If you are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

You have been sent this message because you are following the website of the Market Harborough Womens Institute. If you no longer wish to do so, please click here to unsubscribe.

It is hard to keep up with the Market Harborough WI!

The run-up to Christmas is always a hectic time of the year, but the Market Harborough WI has been so busy in the last couple of weeks it is hard for the newsroom to keep up.

First up we had our November Monthly Meeting where the lovely ladies from Hannah’s Sugarcraft talked about all things chocolate – how it is made, the importance to the taste of cacao content in the mix and how the various items on display were produced.

The mother and daughter team, who have been running their business for 5 years, then proceeded to make a fantastic Santa Chocolate Display, which was raffled off to the WI members. Congratulations Pam – we don’t envy you the decision whether to eat it or keep it!

Then the Craft Club decided to go into overdrive in the Christmas Decoration department and produced some fabulous items at the November and December meetings.

A lot of these items together with donations from MHWI members were then used to decorate the Market Harborough WI Christmas Tree for the Christmas Tree Festival at St Dionysius’ Church over the 1st Advent weekend. 

Thank you to all the members that helped organise our tree – it looked fabulous!

And we are not finished with December yet – tonight is the Welland Valley Carol Service hosted by our sister WI in Hallaton and on Wednesday follows the MHWI Christmas Party. For details of all our events please see the monthly ‘Dates for the Diary’ post. 

See you soon! 

If you are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

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Reminder: MHWI Christmas Meeting 10th December!

The year is drawing to a close and we are looking forward to our Christmas Meeting next Wednesday. 

Clare will be leading a Christmas Crafting Session and we are planning a Dutch supper with a glass of free bubbly. There will also be a special Raffle with some fabulous prizes – tickets will be £ 1,- each.

So get your Christmas Outfits and Santa Hats ready, bring some scissors for the crafting, a plate of food for the dutch supper and some coins for the Raffle Tickets! We look forward to seeing you at the Church Hall in Fairfield Street at 7.30pm!

 

If you are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

You have been sent this message because you are following the website of the Market Harborough Womens Institute. If you no longer wish to do so, please click here to unsubscribe.

Reminder: MHWI Monthly Meeting on Wednesday!

 

At the November monthly meeting we will enjoy a talk by Hannah’s Sugarcraft about the origins of chocolate, and the production and tempering processes involved in producing the finest chocolate creations. There will also be a demonstration to produce a chocolate display for the raffleI. The meeting will take place as always at the church hall in Fairfield Road and start at 7.30pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

And if you have any Christmas Tree decorations to contribute for the WI Tree at the Christmas Tree Festival, please remember to bring them along!

If you are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

You have been sent this message because you are following the website of the Market Harborough Womens Institute. If you no longer wish to do so, please click here to unsubscribe.

Dates for the Diary – December 2025

December on the horizon already… We hope you are looking forward to a diary packed with seasonal activities and festivities in the run-up to Christmas. Here are a couple more dates to fill any gaps!

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Allotment – In Hibernation

The Gardening Girls have put the allotment to bed and hung up the tools until next Spring. But you don’t have to wait until then if you would like to join in – just contact Julie at Jusellars1960@gmail.com to get the details of the next planning meeting.

Craft Club – 4th December

This month the Craft Club will continue making tree decorations with Leslie and Maggie.

More details will be provided nearer the time through the WhatsApp group. Please contact Fiona at fegraham1@gmail.com if you would like to be added to the group.

Walking Group – In Hibernation

The Walking Group did their last walk of the season at Fox Wood in Lubenham. The group will get together early in the New Year to plan the 2026 list of walks, so if you would like to join, please email Fiona at f_tomlin@sky.com to be added to the WhatsApp group.

Welland Valley Carol Service – 8th December

The Hallaton WI will be hosting the Welland Valley Carol Service this year on the 8th December at St Michaels and All Angels Church at 7pm. Join members of our fellow WIs in the area for an evening of Carol singing followed by refreshments. If you have not signed up already, please do so at the November monthly meeting or send an email to marketharboroughwi@gmail.com

MHWI Monthly Meeting –  10th December

Our Christmas monthly meeting as usual is earlier than the normal meeting date. We’ll be celebrating with an evening of Christmas crafting, a special raffle with voucher prizes from local businesses and a good dose of chocolates and Prosecco/non-alcoholic sparklie. The meeting will start as usual at 7.30pm at the Church Hall of Our Ladies of Victories Church in Fairfield Road. 

Book Club – 17th December

The Book Angels Book Club will be meeting for their Christmas Lunch at Delight, the Turkish Restaurant, at 12.30pm on the 17th December. Instead of reading a book of the month, members should wrap a book they have read and no longer want and bring it along for a ‘Bad Santa’ game.

Please contact Valerie at vhitchcox50@hotmail.com if you would like to join in.

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The committee of the Market Harborough WI wish you and yours a very special Christmas and look forward to seeing you again in the New Year!

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We’ll be updating the ‘Dates for the Diary’ post on a regular basis, so keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

You have been sent this message because you are following the website of the Market Harborough Womens Institute. If you no longer wish to do so, please click here to unsubscribe.

Christmas Tree Festival in the making… We need your help!

St Dionysius Church in Market Harborough is planning a Christmas Tree Festival for the start of Advent and we would like to add a tree from the Market Harborough WI to the exhibition.

Our thought is to showcase some of the arts and crafts the Womens Institute and our WI in particular has become known for.

In preparation, the craft club spent their session last week making tree ornaments which the crafting members are donating to the project. 

Whilst we made lots of decorations at the craft club session, we would like to ask all our clever crafters to donate something for the tree that they have made at a WI session over the years to show off the different crafting skills our WI members have.

If you have something you can give, then please bring it with you to the next WI Monthly Meeting on the 26th November. And if you can’t attend the meeting but would like to contribute please email us at marketharboroughwi@gmail.com and we’ll organise collection. All donations must be received by the 26th to allow us to decorate and deliver our tree in time.

Thank you for your help!

If you are not a member yet, but are interested in what the Market Harborough WI is up to, keep an eye on the website for the latest news. Or you can subscribe by entering your email address below and you will be send the latest news automatically:

You have been sent this message because you are following the website of the Market Harborough Womens Institute. If you no longer wish to do so, please click here to unsubscribe.