AT THE latest meeting, the speaker was Lis Debb- Sandi, whose talk was a mixture of tales which included her flight from Zimbabwe and arrival in England 10 years ago.

Lis arrived at Heathrow with photographs, documents, four CDs, a few clothes, some money and very little else. As she had been politically active in Zimbabwe, both her and her then-husband were ordered out of the country within a matter of days.

Although Lis did not have a British passport she did have a Scottish grandfather so was able to obtain one, although her grandfather had died in 1923.

On arrival at Heathrow she bought a map of the UK and decided Gloucester or Oxford seemed a good place to be.

As buses to Oxford were more frequent she went there. Her marriage ended 12 months later and Lis needed to work.

She saw an advert asking, Can you drive? This led to a job as a bus driver in Oxford where she stayed for the next six years.

Lis continued to entertain with more stories about her life in both Zimbabwe and England which were interesting and funny.

There was information and discussion about the 2014 annual meeting, Rae’s garden party in aid of Alzheimers Society and Gladys’ Open Day in aid of Edwards Trust.

Jean W was thanked for organising the meal and trip to the Artrix. Rehearsals for the WI Choir continue and the next trip for the Culture Group is Red House Nursery with lunch, possibly at Jinny Ring on July 3. The craft club next meets on August 6.

The annual outing is to Hampton Court Castle in Herefordshire on August 21 and the September Culture Club trip is on Wednesday, September 10 to Madresfield.