Photo of the week
Centenary fun and games Denstone WI
ON Monday, November 15, Denstone WI met to celebrate their 100th birthday. A beautiful and delicious cake made and decorated by member Anne Harris was cut by Jean Langton, our longest serving WI member (58 years).
Prior to cutting the cake and enjoying a glass of port, we had a most entertaining talk from Helen Chambers entitled “A Tudor Christmas.”
Helen took on the character of a Tudor wife, Mistress Mountford from Cheapside, a fashionable part of London in Tudor times.
She regaled us with lots of interesting facts, many of which explained the story behind our modern traditions and words, such as the yule log, mistletoe, the 12 days of Christmas and the box office.
Helen wore beautiful and colourful clothes from the period and was a very accomplished musician, playing the bagpipes, various wind instruments and the harp. The evening was rounded off by the singing of Tudor carols accompanied by Mistress Mountford on the harp.
Trophies go to award winners Ashbourne WI
THE monthly meeting for November 2021 was our AGM held at the St John’s Hall and we were pleased to welcome 26 members, including one new member and two visitors. President Jill Smith welcomed those present and proceeded with the monthly business from the secretary, Lois Wilkes and the treasurer, Barbara Jones.
We then moved on to the AGM and the election of the president and the committee under the leadership of Susan Birch as chair.
There were reports from the secretary, the treasurer and the president covering the 12 months since our last AGM.
Jill Smith was re-elected as president, Lois Wilkes as secretary and Jill Foster is to take over the treasurer position from Barbara Jones. The committee was re-elected.
The annual cups were awarded. The Dorothy Kitchen Cup, awarded for the most points at the Ashbourne Show was not awarded again this year.
Stephanie Cole received the Kitchen Cup for the most points gained in the institute competitions and Linda Torr was awarded the Thorley Cup for service to the institute.
Grateful thanks were expressed to the president and committee for their sterling work over the year to keep the members informed and involved.
Following the business meeting, we enjoyed a bit of craft work with all the necessary materials supplied for members. Many delightful yoyo brooches made an appearance.
Our member, Stella Young, thanked those present for the good wishes and cards she had received on her 99th birthday recently.
The next meeting of the Ashbourne WI will take place on Thursday, December 9 at St John’s Hall, Auction Close, at 7.30 pm and will be our Christmas meeting. New members and visitors are always welcome.
Pro-rata subscriptions began on October 1. Alternatively, you may attend up to three meetings as a visitor (fee £2 per visit) before deciding to join.
For further information please email ashbournewi@ yahoo.co.uk
Insight into the world of brewing Rotary Club of Ashbourne
ROTARIAN John Griffiths introduced Mark Hunter the recently retired Global President and CEO of the $10bn turnover brewing group Molsoncoors, based in Denver, which includes the Carling and Doombar brands
Told by Sir Alex Ferguson as a young man that he was good but not good enough to be a professional footballer, Mark went to Strathclyde University before becoming a salesman with Hallmark cards, moving on to Bulmers the cider maker, before joining Tennent’s, the Scottish division of Bass, before becoming the Marketing Director of Bass in 1998.
In the late 1990s, the Government blocked the takeover of Carlsberg by Bass and Bass was subsequently sold, initially to Interbrew in 1999 but this deal was blocked by the UK Government too and in 2002 Coors acquired the majority of the business as a large American brewer who wanted a foothold in the UK.
Coors merged with the Canadian Brewer Molson in 2005 and Mark moved to Canada then back to the UK in 2007 as UK and European CEO and then to the USA in 2015 when he was appointed Global CEO.
In his first year as Global CEO he led the £$12billion acquisition of their joint venture in the USA, virtually doubling the size of the company.
Mark told us about a number of his experiences that have helped shape him and his career and develop in him an obvious and very strong leadership ethos developed through marketing world renowned products in an ever more exciting way against an increasingly competitive world market place.
Understanding the drivers in a business, always listening and willing to simplify and align but remaining true to one’s self.
An inspirational evening given by a man of world repute who has an enviable record of achievement and whose message was summarised as work hard, be prepared to make sacrifices, own your career development, widen experiences and listen, listen and listen again.
Rtn James Hollingsworth, himself a marketeer, gave the vote of thanks.
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