President Helen Ebitt welcomed everyone to the October meeting of Norley WI. Congratulations were given to the Bowls team,

Di Ramsbottom, Anne Palmer and Mary Ramskill, for coming second in the WI Bowls Competition. Helen asked all members to consider joining the Committee and/or standing for President. Anybody interested in either should please see a member of the Committee.

Next year, Norley WI will receive £250, so decisions will need to be taken on a special speaker, outing or activity.

Forthcoming events, include, November 15, Wine Tasting at Norley Village Hall, price £12.50 including light supper, for details contact Judith Hull; November 22, curry evening at the new Parish Centre, £15 including supper and a glass of wine, contact Barbara Buckley for tickets; December 1, Carol service at Kings Church, Frodsham; December 6, Christmas Dinner, Tickets £18; January, 3, New Year Walk, and finally May 21, 2015, a coach trip to Anglesey.

Jo Sykes, Chairman of the Chester Mystery Plays, was the speaker, and gave a very engaging and informative talk on the Chester Mystery Plays.

Mystery Plays go back as far as the 13th Century, when they were not only a means of celebrating stories of the Old and New Testaments, but also a way to bring these to a congregation that could neither read nor understand the Latin Church services. The scripts, as in the case of the Chester Cycle, were often written by medieval monks, and were originally performed inside churches.

In the 16th Century all Mystery plays were banned but in 1951 they were revived for the Festival of Britain and have since been staged every five years. The next production, as always performed by local people, will be in 2018.

Photo: Jo Sykes, Chairman Chester Mystery Plays