Launton WIreporting...

February’s meeting began with business matters and our treasurer reported that, as our finances were in profit, annual subscriptions due in April would be reduced by £3 to £48. The committee felt that this was good value for 12 meetings including 10 speakers and 15 events during the year.

Congratulations were offered to Pauline for her birthday this month.

Among forthcoming events is a trip this month to Woodstock Museum to see the EH Shepherd exhibition and a visit to the Houses of Parliament on 29 April as well as a fund raising coffee morning/ craft/ table top sale on 26 April. Our meeting in March will be our AGM.

This month’s meeting had been advertised as a talk about cleaning your house, your mind, your life and taking back control. However, it soon became clear that the subject was, in fact, about Clearing your house …etc.

Our speaker Helena McBride, a member of the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers, had founded her company, The Spacemaker, in 2017 following a career in hospitality, publishing and PR. From her illustrated talk we learnt how clutter can negatively impact our lives and that the decluttering of our homes is never finished: the process is easier if done with a friend, relative or professional. Why do we keep so much stuff?

There are numerous reasons e.g. ‘may come in handy’, emotional attachments. Trauma and grief should not be underestimated so counselling could also be part of Helena’s job. Where to start? What to tackle first? and Helena’s answer to ‘What should I do each day?’ was ‘Make the bed’. She went on to demonstrate the benefit of using boxes in our cupboards and wardrobes to keep similar items together.

On a more thought-provoking note, Helena explained that the term ‘Swedish Death Cleaning’ means reviewing and assessing what your family would want to keep following your death.

So, decluttering is much more than a bit of tidying up!

New members are always welcome to come along to any meeting.

Lynne Harper