Covid-19 influenced our Autumn Walks with a vengeance!     

That did not stop us getting out and about, however, and our walks were managed within coronavirus guidelines 6-person rule and NFWI guidance for WI activities.  18 of our members, please note – not all at once, have taken part in one or more walks.   Recruitment of additional walk leaders has gone very well, and sincere thanks goes to those volunteers.

Bognor Pier to Aldwick along the beach at low tide was the first walk.  As it coincided with a dress down day at Sage House, one of our WI charities, walkers wore unusual hats and raised £40.00 for their funds.   

Halnaker Windmill walk, on a bright sunny morning, was a tribute to our late member Stella.  The information our walk leaders share about key points on the walks, extended to a reading of a poem, written by Hillaire Belloc, about the similarity of Halnaker Windmill’s dereliction in 1923 to the state of the country at that time.

The erosion that the last winter’s storms caused at Climping shocked some of us on the walk along the shoreline from Middleton to Climping.   Does anyone know when Climping was spelt as Clymping?   Jan, our main walk leader, had to concede that Climping spelt with an ‘i’ seems to have been around longer than Clymping spelt with a ‘y’.   £41.50 was raised for ACWW, Associated Country Women of the World – we were taking part in Women Walk the World Day.

The next walk took us back to Pagham Harbour North Wall to Siddlesham Quay.   Sadly, no one saw the Cattle Egrets, that had recently arrived, with their yellow beaks – however, there was plenty of other wild life to spot, along with some rather tricky puddles!

Now looking forward to the rest of Autumn.   Details will be sent out shortly, and more WI members would be welcome.

Jan Marsden