CHEDDLETON WI
PRESIDENT Mal Smith welcomed members to the meeting including visitors Jen and
Val. After the singing of Jerusalem, Chris read out the minutes of the last meeting and related the information from County.
Doreen Hughes asked for a special thanks to be given to Mal for all her hard work on the display for the WI at the recent Cheddleton Carnival.
Mal introduced the speaker for the evening Prakash Samani. Members had been intrigued by the title of his talk “Refugee to Royal Duties”. Prakash had left his country, Uganda, in 1972 when all people with a British passport were made to leave the country. In Uganda he was a student, but having to leave all money and possessions behind he had come to England with his mother, five sisters and a brother with only the clothes they stood up in. Prakash went to Eccleshall to a transit camp until his family were offered a house in Leek and he was able to find a job to enable him to look after his family. The people in Leek were very welcoming and helped his family to settle.
Helped by David Knox he gained a job at a local paper and went back to college. David Knox also instigated his father’s return to the family. Prakash remained at the Post and Times having been made a director in 1984 and is now semi-retired. He has involved himself in Leek, for example being a governor of Berrisford Memorial School and a local magistrate. Members were still wondering where were the “Royal duties”. This he revealed as he had been made a Deputy Lieutenant of the County and had met the Queen on several occasions in his line of duty. Prakash ended his talk by saying he still lived in the house in Leek he first came to, amidst his Leek friends. Mal Smith thanked Prakash for such an interesting talk. He chose the fridge magnet of Frances Johnson as the winner of the competition as it contained a poem on friendship.
The raffle was held, winners being Lyn Gilford, Chris Horton, Ann Hall and Pat Lymer. The next meeting on October 2 will be Julie Beston’s talk on Donna Louise Hospice. Something from your Childhood is the competition. All are welcome at the meetings and for more information contact Mal om 01538 360774