2026
July – Calke Abbey to be led by Chris Lyons. Travel Costs – 5 sharing = £10, 4 sharing = £12, 3 sharing = £16, 2 sharing = £24
Sunday 14th June – Stanton Village Gardens. A request was made for someone to arrange car shares for this trip. We still need someone to lead this outing. Travel Costs – 5 sharing = £5.50, 4 sharing = £7, 3 sharing = £9.50, 2 sharing = £14.
May – The Longest Yarn 2, Lichfield – To be led by Jane Lodge. The dates have not been published yet.
Wednesday 22nd April – Madresfield Court, Madresfield, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 5AJ – organised by Julia H. A tour round the house at 10:30. Each tour only takes 15 people, so if more than that want to go, there will be a second tour at 11:30. Access to the house is by guided tour only. The tour lasts 1.5 hours and the website states there are many steep stairs and no chance to sit down. The gardens will be open to all paid visitors. It is £17 a head to be paid to Finstall Cross by 18th March at the latest. Ref Madre. Travel Costs – Travel Costs – 5 sharing = £4, 4 sharing = £5, 3 sharing = £7, 2 sharing = £10 No lunch will be arranged – each car load can make their own decisions on this occasion. There is an option at Madresfield to purchase tea/coffee and cake for £5 weather permitting.
If you would like to go and did not sign up on Tuesday 13th January or have not let Julia know via WhatsApp, please either email me or use WhatsApp to tell Julia. The sooner Julia has the total numbers, the sooner she can book the second tour if necessary.
Wednesday 25th March – Wightwick Manor, Wightwick Bank, Wolverhampton WV6 8EE National Trust Property – organised by Rosie D. Arrive for a tour of the house at about 11:15. There is an option of booking coffee first at £4.50 a head. Entrance free for NT members, or £16.15. Lunch will be at the nearby Miller and Carter for those that want it. Travel Costs – 5 sharing = £4.50, 4 sharing = £5.50, 3 sharing = £7, 2 sharing = £11
Thursday 26th February – organised by Jennie G. Malvern Theatre to see ‘House of Ghosts’. Tickets have been booked individually. Lunch will be booked for 7 at midday. The play starts at 14:30. Travel costs for a 46 mile round trip: 4 in car = £5. 3 in car = £7, 2 in car = £10.
Thursday 12th February – organised by Jennie G Malvern Theatre to see ‘Death on the Nile’- tickets have been booked individually. 13 booked in to the Bistro Cafe at the theatre for lunch at midday. The play starts at 14:30. Travel costs for a 46 mile round trip: 5 in car = £4, 4 in car = £5. 3 in car = £7, 2 in car = £10
2025
Thursday 20th November – The Glass Museum, Stourbridge – led by Jane L. The cost will be £12 to include guided tour, tea/coffee and biscuits meet 10am. Travel costs per car: 4 share = £2.00, 3 share = £4.00, 2 share = £6.00.
Thursday 23rd October – Batsford Arboretum (Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 9AT) with lunch – to be organised by Gillian L. Sign up sheet at August, September & October meetings. Travel costs per car: 4 share = £7.50, 3 share = £10.00, 2 share = £15.00.
Batsford Arboretum is about an hour away and Gillian aims for us to get there about 11.00. About 1.5 hours to wander round the Arboretum and then lunch in the Cafe. Please note that this is a combined outing and Munch Club. It is not possible to reserve tables but there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. After lunch people can wander round the gift shop and very good garden centre before heading home. A little history on Batsford:-It was originally the estate of the Mitford family but the grounds are now a charitable trust. Batsford House is privately owned but can be seen from the grounds.
A very successful trip – they even missed a storm that had been promised for midday, but was late arriving.
Thursday 18th September – Kenilworth and Castle to be organised by Chris L. – this will be booked online and should cost no more than £13.10 for concessions and my be less depending on how many go. Travel costs per car: 4 share = £6.00, 3 share = £8.00, 2 share = £12.00. A sign-up sheet will be at the August meeting.
Thursday 21st August – Kelmscott Manor – to be organised by Julia H. This is booked and paid for. Travel costs per car: 4 share = £13.50, 3 share = £18.00, 2 share = £27.00
With lunch at Burford Garden Centre
Thursday 3rd July – Black Country Museum – to be organised by Jane L. . Travel costs per car includes the car parking charge of £3.50. 4 share = £4.50, 3 share = £6.50, 2 share = £9.50
Monday 28th April – Lichfield – led by Janet R. Sign up sheet.
Friday 21st March – Winterbourne House – led by Sue S. 10:03 train from Bromsgrove or under own transport to meet at the house at about 11:15. Sign up sheet.
Thursday 9th January – The Longest Yarn Exhibition – at Tewkesbury Abbey. Leaving Bromsgrove at 9.30/10.00 and having coffee before visiting the exhibition, then the rest of the day up to each car share. Several members willing to drive and costs are on sign up form.
Car share costs are – driver + 3 passengers £6.50 each, driver + 2 passengers £8.50 each and driver + 1 passenger £13 each.
2024
Friday 18th October – RSC Backstage Tour. Organised by Jennie G. Price £10 each. Two tours one at 2pm and the other at 3:30pm. The Tower and The Play’s The Thing will be open so each group can visit them whilst the others are on the backstage tour. This is now booked for 27 of us. Jennie will contact everyone about car sharing in early October.
The facial features on ‘Romeo’ can only be seen through a camera lens. Each star is individually hung.
We learnt that they rent out a lot of costumes to film and TV productions as well as other events, but some are too precious to ever leave the premises – this is one of those – it was worn by Judi Dench – the ruff is showing its age.
We were taken through a room where around 60,000 items of costume are stored in date order from Roman times to the 18th century. In the last row there are the vivid pink costumes worn for the latest production of ‘School for Scandal’ that ran over the summer of 2024. All costumes and scenery were pink and black – very effective it was too.
Friday 20th September – Brooks of Bromsgrove – Friday 20th September to support NFWI River Action Week. Geography, history (our own and Bromsgrove’s), nature – voles and basam, families, changing times and coffee, plus 4 miles covered. Typical wonderful WI outing.
Monday 9th September – Bromsgrove Heritage Week. 10am – Guided tour of St John’s Church. Cost £10. Sign up sheet at August meeting. Money to be paid by BACS by 31st August. – this will now happen sometime in November.
August – no outing in August
Wednesday 10 July, organised by Jane L.
Instead of an August main outing. Coach leaving 9 am. 10.15 am tea, coffee, biscuits at The Ashmolean then 11 am tour for about an hour. The rest of the day is at your leisure to lunch and explore Oxford.
Coach £27, Ashmolean refreshments and tour £15. This amounts to £43 including a tip for the driver. However, the committee have decided that our funds are good and we should subsidise the cost of
the coach for our members. So the price will be £33 for members and £43 for non-members, to be paid by 31 May. Sign-up sheets are available.
Friday 21 June 2024 - Cheltenham guided tour and afternoon tea. Organised by Jennie G. Guided tour by Phil Collins in Georgian costume, followed by afternoon tea at The Halfway to Heaven tea rooms. List is now closed and all payments have been made, thank you. Due to location of the tea room, the starting place for the tour will be the bandstand in Montpellier gardens GL50 1SW at 1:30pm. Tea is booked for 3pm. Phil has booked the tea room for the 18 who have signed up, plus himself. They will offer the afternoon tea which includes a selection of finger sandwiches, scone with strawberry jam & Devon clotted cream, a cake and a choice of teas and coffee. Jennie has seen good reviews of the tea room online, but has no personal experience.
Captain Henry Skillicorne aka Phil Collins – our guide
The Tea at ‘Halfway to Heaven’
The comments were that the tea was ‘interesting’ and ‘curious’ – cheese scones with jam and cream!!
Monday 6 May 2024 – Morton Hall Gardens Tulip Festival. Arriving there by 10:50 for entry at 11:00, organised by Jennie G. Car sharing.
An unexpectedly warm and sunny day enjoyed by all even though the rain last week played havoc with the tulips.
Japanese Garden
The added bonus was a small selection of RSC costumes
Thursday 25 April 2024 –
Organised by Joyce. Cirencester. Car sharing (driver should suggest a realistic contribution from passengers). Meet up there for coffee approx 10.30 to 11 am (venue TBD). Shopping or just look around this attractive old town. Sign-up sheet. Joyce will send out an email with further details to those who are signed up. Sign-up sheet available at April meeting.
Friday 15 March 2024
Harvington Hall – arriving 10 am for a 10.30 tour. If there is a group of over fifteen the discount price is £10 each. Then followed by a wander in the gardens, and lunch from 12 noon onwards
at the Malt House which is run by Sticky Fig Catering (menu not available until 2024). Organised by Joyce Valentine. Please note: Kidderminster Road in that area will be closed but a detour can be
made via Chaddesley Corbett.
Susan – our guide
Monday 19 February 2024 – Bromsgrove School Heritage Centre.
Morning, time TBC, organised by Jane L. Archivist talk about the
school through the wars, also to see the chapel. Lasting up to 1.5
hours.
There is no charge for the talk, but we suggest we each make a £10 donation to the Bromsgrove School Foundation which provides bursaries for children from disadvantaged backgrounds (further info on sign-up sheet). Payment to FCWI in the usual way, ref BSF.
The café will not be open at this time, so afterwards we could walk or drive to a café in town.
Thursday 4 January, time – Morning TBC. Worcester Cathedral guided tour. Thursday 4 January, 11:00
organised by Jennie G. 90-minute tour by Philip Bowen. £10, ref CATH. Last sign up Tuesday 12th December. Table booked at Côte Brassiere for 13:00. Menu link has been sent out and choices to be sent to Jennie G by Thursday 21st December at the latest please. Transport is all sorted.
Too many Christmas trees to count and impossible to chose a winner.
It took some finding, but hiding round the back was Finstall Cross’s entry made by Jane L
After a very successful tour we retired to Côte Brasserie for lunch
2023
Friday 24th November – Friday 24 November, organised by Jane Lodge. Two groups of 16 people for a private guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. Travel by coach to the Houses of Parliament, leaving about 10am, stopping at a service station on the way down for lunch (members can bring their own). Private Guided tour of Houses of Parliament at 3.30pm (approximately 1 hour 15 minutes). Early evening supper at an Italian restaurant requiring £10 deposit (Jane has emailed menus to those going – please email her your choice of food by 10 October). Return to Bromsgrove by coach arriving in Bromsgrove before 10pm. A very successful day out apart from traffic on the way home.
Wednesday 11th October – Bodenham Arboretum. organised by Joyce Valentine. Car sharing (driver should suggest a realistic contribution from passengers – it’s about half an hour’s drive). £7.50 admission to be paid on entry. Lunch is booked but £10 deposits will be needed nearer the time with exact numbers. Carvery will be available @ £13 smaller plate, £16 larger plate. Also baguettes, soup, jacket potatoes and sandwiches. Payment ref BOD.
Wednesday 6th September – Walking Treasure Hunt – Henley in Arden. Car sharing. To arrive by 10:30 for the treasure hunt. Lunch to be booked for 12:30pm. Afternoon shopping.
Monday 7th August – Coach trip to Windsor Castle leaving at 08:15 and back by 18:10 – After days of rain, the weather was kind.
Friday 7th July – Shrewsbury – car sharing. Including a 45 minute boat trip on The Sabrina and coffee beforehand at The Riverside Inn just outside Shrewsbury.
Wednesday 7th June – Kiftsgate at 12:00 – car sharing
Monday 22nd May – Hagley Hall. Group tour at 13:00 followed by refreshments
Monday 8th May – Coronation Event at Joyce’s – partners welcome
Monday 1st May – Tulip Festival – Morton Hall – Travel by car to arrive for our entry time of 11:00. Jennie Gash has the tickets which will be distributed prior to the event. There is one spare ticket if anyone is interested please contact Jennie or Rose. – Cancelled due to rain leading to a water logged car park and pathways
Wednesday 8th March – Train trip (strikes permitting) to Lichfield. Probable departure from Bromsgrove 09:29, returning on the 15:43. Cancelled due to snow!
2022
12th October – Enviosort
2019
Wednesday 27th February – Birmingham Art Gallery and Museum
Monday 25th March – WFWI Spring Meeting at the Artrix
Thursday 25th April – Morton Hall Gardens
May 16th – Ludlow
June 12th – Shakespeare’s Distillery, Stratford
July 3rd – Birmingham Tour
Tuesday 13th August – Wells & Cheddar
September 4th – Harvington Hall
Tuesday 29th October – Group meeting arranged by Finstall Cross WI
Saturday 9th November – Annual Council Meeting, Malvern Showground
December – Worcester Porcelain
2018
2017
January – Hereford
February – Spa Day
March – Winterbourne
April – Stratford guided walk meet at 2pm at the Jester Statue
April – Royal Mint South Wales
May – Thenford gardens Banbury
June – Garden Party
July – Hanbury Hall
July – Perrycroft house Malvern
August – Salford Quays
September – Churchfields Farm, Droitwich
October – Okehampton
November – Gloucester Docks Christmas shopping
December – Edgbaston Botanical Gardens
FinstallCross WI 