Members of Elstead Afternoon WI were happy to meet again after the summer break, and to have a special guest in Valerie Arnold, the Chair of Surrey Federation. President Anne Moon reported on some excellent fundraising events in July with the cake stall on the village green at the Elstead marathon and the Jacket Potato lunch. She also gratefully acknowledged a donation from Elstead Evening WI which has now closed its books. The next big event for our local charity was the Art and Craft display in the URC Hall on 22 and 23 September. This was a wonderful opportunity to show the talents of members, and would be extensively publicised. She also reported that the WI would be contributing £100 to the Village Hall appeal for funds, as it was a vital asset to the village and a wonderful facility for the WI. We would also be having a special meeting for our senior members on 10th October.

Valerie Arnold said she was delighted to see such an active WI that was working as part of the local community. She told members about the events being planned for Surrey Federation's 90th birthday in 2008. She also encouraged members to attend the Federation meeting in Dorking in October.

Betty Moxon reported on the Farnham Group meeting she had attended and  the arrangements for the next Group meeting on 18 October. She also introduced the  Elstead Eco-team to members and invited them to join in a 3 month programme to save money, have fun and help the planet.

After a summary of the many activities - from swimming , bowling and walking to books, art and craft and scrabble - Anne introduced the speaker for the afternoon, Mr Mike Carrigen, who gave an entertaining talk on "Felons and Fingerprints" based on his career working as a fingerprint and scene of crime officer for the Metropolitan police. We were intrigued to hear of his adventures, and of the various ways criminals could be traced even before the days of DNA. The meeting concluded with the usual excellent tea.

The next meeting will be on Thursday 4th October when the speaker will be Dr R Cox on "Your Family Tree", and the competition  A Victorian Photograph.

You may have read my article last moth about Poppy Appeal and this is a follow up. I have a real problem. some of my collectors, having given years of valiant service to the Legion have had to give up because of old age and/or illness. My House to House rounds, that is 21 of them in the village, are not completely covered. I also have the opportunity to collect at Farnham and Godalming Sainsburys.