Our new president, Mrs Katherine Corkish, welcomed us and introduced two new members.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved and Mrs Corkish informed us about forthcoming events, particularly Arbory WI’s birthday lunch and the 75th anniversary of the WI on the Isle of Man in March.

We then went on to decide which one of the resolutions (campaigns) we, individually, wanted to support.

Business being concluded, Mrs Corkish introduced the speaker, Mrs Ruth Hall, whose talk was entitled ’1903 in miniature - the story of Loughrigg House’.

Mrs Hall told us how, at the age of six, she had begun to enjoy making things, following instructions from hobby magazines.

Three years later, when she was nine, she made her first cardboard dolls’ house and from then on she was hooked and continued collecting and making things.

When her children left home she decided to make another dolls’ house based on a real house and designed by her husband on a scale of one inch for every foot.

This was to be Loughrigg House.

Her father also pitched in and, at the age of 86 made very precisely measured railings for the front of the house while other volunteers assembled furniture.

As this house was to date from 1903, Mrs Hall began research to find out what was appropriate and was amazed by how much we have now which was invented before 1903 such as Coca Cola, candy floss, the Kodak camera, the Ferris wheel , the Otis escalator, potato crisps and the vacuum cleaner.

Even the humble paper clip was patented in 1899 and has not changed at all since then.

We saw pictures of the inside of the house which is lit by electricity installed by her husband and inhabited by dolls which she made herself. Everything in it is tiny but perfect .

Determination

The work was begun 20 years ago and is still a work in progress as well as a tribute to what can be achieved with bits and pieces of material if the will and determination are there. We enjoyed her talk very much, as Mrs Diane Jones said in the vote of thanks.

The competition - a miniature item - was won by Mrs Judy Rae with Mrs Diane Jones second.

Our next meeting will be held at Arbory Methodist Chapel on February 13 at 7.15pm.

Arbory WI report by Mrs Sheena Gilbert