OUR first outing of 2015 was on March 26 to Tyntesfield - a fabulous Victorian house that was once hidden and inaccessible, but is now open to the public.

The house told the fascinating story of the wealthy Gibbs family. The gardens and estate were beautiful and very extensive. Luckily, there was a small bus to take those who needed it from the tea rooms to the house. We all agreed that we had a very enjoyable day.

Our April meeting was all about hats. Marion Plumb came to talk about her passion for hats. She gave us a brief history of hats from very early days to the present day, and how important they had been in society, symbolising status and wealth.

All the hats that she had brought with her were of different shapes, colours and materials. All hand-made by her using traditional methods, hand-stitched and very beautiful. We ended with a ‘hat trying-on session’, with lots of advice on styles that suited us and how to wear them.

We certainly had lots of ideas to think about for our Ascot Ladies Day at the Cutnall Green Post Office in June.

If you would like to find out more about our monthly meetings, our lunch club and our days out call Val Dowler on 0121 439 1354.