THE April meeting began with the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting, which were approved and signed.

The visit to Highgrove had been very enjoyable and members were reminded that the money for the Avon Valley Railway trip had to be paid no later than the May meeting.

A provisional 25 seats have been booked for the play War Horse at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Wednesday October 30.

Section Reports - Music: There will be a concert at Christ Church for the Blind Club. Leisure: A suggested trip on Sunday, May 26, to Tewkesbury around a flat area to Victoria Park then to the garden centre for something to eat. The press report was in the Gazette and the sales table for next month will be cakes.

Members were given advance notice of a strawberry tea to be held in Norma’s garden on Saturday, June 29, at £5 each.

After our tea break we welcomed speaker Pippa Charlesworth who gave a talk Followed My Heart To Kenya.

She went out to Kenya in 2002 to go to her brother’s wedding, which was held in the village church.

She became interested in the work that her sister-in-law had been doing in the Kagire area and when she went back to Kenya she took pens and pencils for the schoolchildren.

Pippa now goes to Kenya every year and decided she wanted to start a business.

She went to the Kibera slum in Nairobi where 1.5 million people live in a small area.

She met women there who were making different products by hand, brought some back and started selling them. Her Fairtrade business started in March 2008.

Pippa gave a very interesting talk with slides which gave us an insight into the way other people have to live.

She had also brought some of her goods to the mee ting for members to purchase.

The Guild meets on the third Thursday of the month in the United Reformed Church Hall, Malvern Link, at 10.15 am. Visitors are always welcome.

Edna O’Connor