NWR Connect Winter 2025

NWR connect ISSN 2978-395X

NWR Connect Reg charity no 295198

Quarterly Bulletin for the National Women's Register adsadsadasQGQQood

WINTER 2025

Letter from the Trustees Deirdre McCarthy, NWR’s Chair, looks ahead to an exciting 2026!

A s we approach Christmas, we hope you’re all

feeling festive and ready to enjoy the season.

However, it’s important to remember that this time of year isn’t always easy for everyone— some may be spending it alone, and our thoughts are with them.

Reflecting on 2025, we’ve experienced both loss and growth. Sadly, we’ve said goodbye to some groups and members, and they will be sorely missed.

At the same time, we’re delighted to welcome new members and celebrate the formation of new groups. This progress takes dedication and hard work, and we want to thank everyone who has contributed to making these connections possible.

Looking ahead, 2026 promises to be an exciting year! We’re planning to establish many more groups so future generations of women can connect, share, and thrive. Your support will be invaluable—existing members play a vital role in helping new groups get started, and we truly appreciate your involvement.

Next year’s themes are Iceland and The Ripple Effect, and we can’t wait to explore them together. There will be plenty of online activities, and we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our monthly national quiz—a fun way to stay connected! We’re also introducing new short courses, including Meditation, Art, and Chair Yoga, to support wellbeing and creativity.

And don’t forget—our National Conference in Norwich this September will be a highlight of the year. It’s shaping up to be an inspiring event, and we hope to see many of you there.

Thank you for being part of this incredible community. Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Deirdre

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Reason and rebellion in the West Country

AREA EVENTS

After a five year absence the NWR Area Lunch Southwest was back!

Glenda Cooper of Plympton group reports

This annual event was a very well supported occasion until Covid stopped it in its tracks in 2020 and we’ve been a long time resurrecting it, but this year, on 9th October, 50 women from groups across Devon and Cornwall were reunited once more.

Our venue for the day was Boringdon Park Golf Club in Plymouth, and to celebrate this year’s theme of Connection and our reconnection as an Area we started the day with a giant NWR ‘meeting’. Divided into small groups our attendees had a pot of discussion topics to choose from and spent the morning chatting, laughing, getting to know members of other groups – connecting! We deliberately kept the topics light and uncontroversial for this event – so members talked about their first jobs, loved and hated teachers from school, where their happy place is, what superpower they would like to have, and earliest memories, to name a few. Judging by the buzz in the room, everyone enjoyed a lively discussion!

After a wonderful and very generous buffet lunch provided by the Golf Club we were treated to a fascinating talk by locally based author Pamela Vass whose work shines a light on hidden histories and voices that deserve to be heard. Pamela writes historical fiction as well as non-fiction but for our event she treated us to a fascinating talk based on her book Reason or Rebellion where she transported us back in time to better understand the courage, passion and determination of all those involved to secure the right of women to vote and Robert Lukeman @ Unsplash

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Reason and rebellion in the West Country (continued)

AREA EVENTS

specifically the actions and stories of women in the Southwest. Everyone was treated to a wonderfully presented talk full of visuals of women from Devon and Cornwall and even archive audio – the feedback from attendees was unanimous in its appreciation.

Finally, and most importantly thanks must go to the Plympton Group for organising a very successful event and for all the thought, care, time and commitment that went into creating a lovely day for our members. And the good news is that other groups are indicating they would like to host future events so hopefully this was not a one off and our annual Area Lunch is truly back on the calendar. Watch this space!

NWR Darlington Conference – Connections Day The NWR team was delighted to see such a successful and wellattended day conference take place in Darlington on 18th October

by our Teesside groups in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of the Stockton HandostedDarlington Railway, and held at the fittingly historic Hopetown venue, the Connections conference brought together around 85 members from across the UK, travelling from as far afield as Aberdeen, East Anglia, the South of England and the North West. The atmosphere throughout the day was warm, welcoming and buzzing with conversation, new ideas and – of course – new connections.

The opening address by local organiser Andrea set the tone beautifully. Andrea spoke movingly about connection in all its forms – from family and place to creativity and shared history, combined with Darlington’s unique place in railway history. Her talk wove together humour, heritage and heartfelt storytelling, reminding everyone why NWR’s emphasis on connection and friendship matters so much. .

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AREA EVENTS NWR Darlington Conference – Connections Day (continued)

T he programme itself

reflected this theme perfectly.

Mike Crawshaw, Head of Culture and Heritage at Darlington Borough Council, explored the town’s rich railway legacy and cultural life, while Dr Kelly Rose, nutritionist and founder of Nourish Minds, offered insights into gut–brain health and wellbeing. Afternoon workshops ranged from creative writing and crafting to a deeply relaxing sound bath, alongside opportunities to share experiences.

The day concluded with tea, cake and announcements from Jan Tuffs about the 2026 National Conference in Norwich, before members shared some of their own “connections” stories.

Our thanks go to Andrea and the Teesside organising team for their imagination, hard work and attention to detail, and to all the volunteers who supported the event on the day.

Special thanks are also due to Julia Hamby for financial oversight, Karen Campbell for the beautiful handmade table decorations, and everyone who contributed cakes, time and practical help.

Most of all, a big thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Darlington Connections conference such a memorable, uplifting and enjoyable day. It was a wonderful example of NWR at its very best.

Thanks from the NWR team!

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The Jersey Girls

MEMBERS’ CORNER

NWR members from Leighton Buzzard 1 flew out of Luton for an NWR-themed break to Jersey - it seemed like a very good excuse, writes Gwyn Grout

W e spent four days exploring and learning a lot about one of the islands of the nominated

‘country’ for 2025. None of us was well-informed about the Bailiwick of Jersey's history. It felt somewhat humbling to realise our ignorance of this British Island Territory, particularly their recent history during the Second World War. The fantastic Occupation Tapestry was unveiled on the fiftieth anniversary of the Liberation, on 9th May 1995. Thousands of Islanders contributed to sewing 7,520,256 stitches to create depictions of the story of the years of German occupation and the liberation in May 1945. There are stories of heroism and many of tragedy. The tapestry is housed in the maritime museum, where we also learned the story of ‘Diana’, a small boat from the Jersey Yacht Club involved in evacuating people from St Malo. ‘The Little Dunkirk’ saw over 21,500 Allied troops evacuated from St Malo alone.

Several years after the war, the contribution of Jersey’s boats was officially recognised by the Admiralty, and members of St. Helier Yacht Club were granted a unique award – a distinctive defaced red ensign. St. Helier Yacht Club is the only yacht club in the world to have such an award as a battle honour. We had to look up what a “Defaced Red Ensign” is, and discovered that it is a red ensign with an addition, in this case, to depict Jersey.

We found out more about the island as we tootled along the South Coast between St Helier and St Aubin on Le Petit Train.

Jersey has been a selfgoverning possession of the British crown since 1204. On many occasions, the islanders have chosen to remain British rather than French, despite France being so close by.

There is much evidence of defences against French incursions in the form of towers and castles. While Jersey is and mostly feels British, many of the place and street names are French.

Girls on tour!

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MEMBERS’ CORNER

The Jersey Girls (continued)

The island is governed by a Chief

Minister and 49 elected members, each representing one of the 12 parishes.

Using the excellent bus service, we made our way to St Brelade and explored the church, which incorporates a medieval fishermen’s chapel, complete with original wall art, built on the site of the original wooden structure, dating back to the 6th century.

Another bus journey took us to St Matthew’s church in Milbrook, famous for its spectacular Lalique glass. The glasswork was commissioned by Lady Florence Trent in memory of her late husband, Jesse Boot (of Boots the Chemist fame).

We took every possible opportunity to sit, with tea, obviously, and admire the glorious coastline. The tides are enormous, giving completely different views depending on the sea level at the moment.

The variety and quality of food and drink on offer met our needs very well. We sampled Portuguese, Greek and Jersey menus, as well as delicious Jersey ice cream.

By coincidence, we had chosen the week in which Jersey hosted an International Air Display. Despite windy, showery weather, we were able to thoroughly enjoy the display from a bay-side café seat. The Red Arrows were particularly thrilling.

All in all, we had a very enjoyable few days.

It is always fun to spend a bit of extended time with NWR friends.

Messing about in trains!

The font at St Matthew’s

Did you know...?

The Jersey cow was once so valuable that exporting it was banned, leading smugglers to paint the cows different colours and sneak them off the island in disguise.

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MEMBERS’ CORNER Friends, Romans, Countrywomen Navenby and District and Grantham groups enjoyed a fascinating tour of Roman Lincoln. Gill Matheson sets the scene

N avenby and District NWR was recently joined by members of Grantham NWR for a

fabulous guided tour of Roman Lincoln led by local archaeologist Rob White, exploring the people who lived here in Roman times and how the city was established under their rule.

Lincoln has had many different people living and working in the area, with archaeological remains dating from pre-Roman times through to the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and into the Medieval times and beyond. Lincoln’s history is therefore marked by cultural changes and various battles, but we decided to focus on the Roman occupation for our tour.

We found out that although the Romans had previously been in Britain around 55-54BC, they finally settled in the country in 43AD. They moved north over the next 15 or so years, and the 9th legion built a fort in Lincoln before later moving on to York and further north. The fort began with wooden walls, which were later rebuilt in stone as the population grew, and the walls eventually extended down to the River Witham as the city became a Colonia. We found out that the name Lincoln comes from the Roman name ‘Lindum Colonia’.

We were able to visit below the ground to see Posterngate, which was originally on the banks of the River Witham and served as a footbridge into the city.

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Friends, Romans, Countrywomen (continued)

MEMBERS’ CORNER

T he walls are very thick here, and we were shown the area where the gate used to be

and the grooves in the flagstones where it would have been opened and closed to let people and traders in. We then walked up Steep Hill, passing where the south entrance to the city used to be, and saw pictures of how imposing this structure would have been to anyone walking up the hill.

A short walk through Lincoln Castle brought us close to the Roman Westgate, which is now totally underneath the medieval castle ramparts.

Further on, we were able to see a larger part of the original Roman wall, which gave us an idea of how high and defensive it would once have been.

Passing one of the original wells, we then walked under Newport Arch, the northern entrance to the city, and now the only Roman archway where traffic can still pass in the country. Our fascinating tour finished near the Lincoln Hotel, where we saw the remains of one of the towers that once helped protect the city. This was an amazing tour, with Rob passing on so much information and really helping bring Roman Lincoln to life for us. The question now is, what era shall we ask Rob to tell us about next?!

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MEMBERS’ CORNER The art of success Talented Kilbarchan group member, Margaret Borthwick, takes us on her journey to being shortlisted for the British Art Prize 2025

The pool at Calgary, Mull by Margaret Borthwick

I am a long-term member of Kilbarchan NWR and was a GP in Johnstone Renfrewshire for 37 years. On semi-retirement about eighteen years ago I rekindled my love of art and started on a journey leading to an Honours Degree in Painting from the University of Creative Arts, London. This journey has already been shared in a previous NWR magazine.

I was delighted recently to learn that my oil painting depicting a pond on the Calgary Art and Sculpture Trail in Mull was selected as one of the fifty shortlisted painting for the British Art Prize 2025. There were 2900 entries. This painting was also in the extended long list for the Jackson’s Art Prize earlier in the year. The painting was inspired by an island-hopping family holiday in September 2024.

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MEMBERS’ CORNER

The art of success continued

T he British Art Prize is organised by Artists and Illustrators magazine, a leading art publication and the short list of fifty was chosen by a panel of five judges. These included the ROI president and BBC presenter Adebanji Alade, international watercolour master Alvaro Castagnet, Artists and Illustrators editor Niki Browes, National Trust curator and art historian Dr Amy Orrock and Tiffany Hall, co-founder of Panter and Hall gallery.

The shortlist can be viewed at awards.artistsandillustrators.co.uk When I heard the news that my painting had been selected I was shocked and delighted. It was fantastic to have my work recognised at this level along with many talented and inspirational artists.

It showed that it is never too late to follow your dreams. I am now an artist member of The Paisley Art Institute and the Glasgow Society of Women Artists.

The British Art Prize exhibition took place at the OXO Gallery in London, an attractive venue on the south Bank of the Thames. It ran from 26th to 30th of November and there was a reception and prize giving on the 27th of November. There were four major prizes and a People’s Choice award. We were encouraged to be active on social media and involve the local press. Luckily my daughter in law is involved in PR and I belong to numerous WhatsApp groups. This was a learning experience.

I travelled down to London by train with a friend and my painting went earlier by art courier.

The reception was another ‘first ‘for me. It was great fun, good to view the fifty chosen paintings, meet established artists, drink Prosecco and nibble delicious canapes. I did not win any of the prizes but it was great experience.

I felt that I was a proper artist!!

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Congratulations from NWR, Margaret!

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MEMBERS’ CORNER

Hanging on the telephone Sonning Common group enjoyed their most successful telephone quiz yet thank you to NWR for yet another successful telephone quiz. We think we had one of Aourbiglargest ever turnouts on the evening of Thursday 13th November with 15 of our 20 members braving Storm Claudia to take part. It was very cosy in Mary's sitting room but we all applied ourselves to the task in hand. Two of our three newest members were also able to join us and it was fun to try to explain the format of the evening, especially outlining which clue holder to call to give an answer or get the next clue (we always get it wrong at least once). The cry 'chinchilla' resonated through the room as we got the final clue!

A message from Sonning Common - “We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of our group next year on 16th May and it would be nice to hear from any other groups who have reached/passed that milestone and how you celebrated the occasion.” You can contact the group via their group page on the website directly or via the office.

Newport (Shropshire) group enjoying this year’s TTT

N ewport enjoyed the TTT which

challenged us on quite a few questions.

Many thanks to the compilers.

If you enjoy quizzes, look out for our new monthly online quiz - you can take par t in groups or independently!

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MEMBERS’ CORNER Getting crafty for Christmas Truro group’s artistic efforts

T ruro NWR members spent a fun evening creating Christmas baubles, expertly instructed and with all materials and examples provided by our skilled craftswoman member, Liz.

I f you wou l d l ik e to inc l ude an art ic l e for the Spr ing issue of NWR Connect, pl ease email the of f ice at of f ice@nwr.org.u k by the end of January

And did those feet?

Tadley group roamed around Jane Austen country

T adley NWR went on their annual walk in Overton, following the Jane Austen trail. The weather was kind, the river Test beautiful, and we saw many interesting buildings, most connected to Jane, whose brother was the curate at Overton Church, and who lived in the old Rectory. We ended with afternoon tea at a local gallery, seated on their back patio, eating cake!

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Window to the stars

NWR WRITES

Glynis Shaw of Battle and District group was one of the participants in our six-week writing course ‘NWR What's your story?’ run by published author Jan Ellen. This is her submission...

D o I know it well? St Paul de Mausole, the psychiatric hospital in St-Remy-de-Provence. I have visited twice but there’s still much more to absorb.

Walking from St Remy-de-Provence town, a slight incline forces me to rest from time to time. I draw breath and read information boards relevant to Van Gogh’s paintings. Cypress trees with their woody scent still abound albeit a different generation, confirming that I am on the right route.

As I arrive at the imposing hospital, it is easy to imagine the desolation of those incarcerated here during the 1800s. I pass through the shop and wind through the rooms of the old monastery. Thick stone walls keep the interior at a steady, chilled temperature, regardless of the season. The inmates were unlikely to have cared if it were spring or autumn. Van Gogh did.

Finally, reaching the one room that everyone wants to see, my gaze alights on the furniture. The bed; the chairs; the window. Not originals today, but it was easy to picture the scene of Van Gogh’s world during his time spent in this room.

The window with its stone surround gives me shivers down my spine. That view, that specific spot, was exactly where Vincent would have stood and looked out over the monastery garden to his Starry Night. The twinkling town lights in the painting were his creativity, presumably inspired by St-Remy-de-Provence. Now, I am gazing out onto that very space upon which he had gazed, all those years ago…...

"I was fortunate to join a small group on the first Creative Writing Course under Jan Ellen's excellent tuition. The course was informative, thought provoking and essentially fun! Thanks Jan. This is part of an exercise from the course."

The country near St-Remy-de-Province 13

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Jackie Chua @ Unsplash

NWR WRITES

Island

Janet Guild of Norwich group also took part in the ‘NWR What's your story?’ writing course and completed this piece as one of the exercises...

I n planning a three month post-retirement retreat, I wanted the very island in Local Hero.

That very bay and that tiny harbour where the jealous Russian woman so dramatically splashes her small boat to a halt. That dull hotel dining room with tartan tablecloths and Jimmy Shand playing Och-aye music on a loop. That red phone box. That ceilidh. That strange and eerie whale song as the soundtrack. I knew it didn’t exist. Dream certainties are not rational.

Orkney proved too far away. Iona lovely but too small. (Yes, more than a touch of The Three Bears.) I eventually shoe-horned myself and my younger daughter onto the island of Arran for a trial weekend in late summer before my December retirement. It was fun.

But no. This wasn’t my island. Too ordinary. Too bland, I thought, though an idyllic place for a little break.

We drove to the North End just before leaving, getting out to stand by a 14th century ruined castle, staring across the bay in silence at a line of cottages and grand white houses. A tiny brown road sign over a road bridge pointed ‘The Way to the Faery Dell’. At home, I dashed off a small advert to the local newspaper without a single thought, and turned back to finishing my workload.

After rejecting three offers, a fourth reply popped into my Inbox as I was in my local Scottish Borders village restaurant with a friend. Excuse me, I said to her, I need to check this out. There it was. A humble bungalow in that North-tip village of Lochranza, nestled on that very shore we had gazed upon.

There is a seal colony at the end of the shore path, the London-based owner wrote.

Yes, I replied. Yes. Unplanned and unmapped, the Way to the Faery Dell led me into the next nine years of my life. From a short retreat to a lifetime choice. Or so I thought……

"I completed Jan Ellen's 6 week Memoir Writing online course in the Autumn of this year. Jan was very helpful and encouraging and it was inspiring to hear other womens' stories and reasons for their memoirs. I recommend this course highly" 14

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Lochranza

Charlie Mooney

NWR WRITES

Christmas was five days away and Mirabelle was usually so excited but this time it was going to be different, writes Lesley Fenton, from the Online Morning group, in a festive NWR tale....

M y name is Mirabelle and I am six years old and so used to being the special little girl in Mummy and Daddy’s life and also Nana and Papa’s and Grandma and Grandpa, but two months ago that all changed - a baby boy arrived in the household and his name was Sebastian. Sebastian needs to be fed, Sebastian needs to be changed and it went on and on like that. Everyone from far afield came to see this object that had suddenly come and disrupted my day to day life, and cry - you have never heard a noise like it, every half hour and Mummy and Daddy fussed over it! Well, I was getting rather fed up with it all! My school friends laughed when I tried to get some sympathy, they all wished they were me, and would have loved a baby in their home - well, that is what I have been told, ‘It’ is. I was having none of it, I decided that ‘It’ would have to be out of the house in the next few days.

The next morning I thought ‘It’ was gone, no sound, everything was unusually quiet, but then I discovered that Grandma and Grandpa had called round and taken ‘It’ off for a walk in the big fancy pram they had bought, around the neighbourhood to try and quieten ’It’ down, another excuse to show ‘It’ off to all and sundry. I was told it was so Mummy could prepare for us to go to Nana and Papa’s for Christmas. Well that was another first, they usually came to my house, and we all had Christmas together. I ask, how could a thing so small turn my world upside down?

I started to think, now how would Father Christmas find me, I was going to be away from home! Mmmmmm...this was serious, and I was having none of it, but how would I stop ‘It’ from ruining my life anymore? Oh this was a big disaster, and I only had 48 hours to sort this problem out!

‘It’ is just too much!

Alfonso Scarpa @ Unsplash

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NWR WRITES Charlie Mooney (continued) ere we all are in the car Hdriving down the motorway, car

Is that you, Charlie Mooney?

totally laden with a pram, a bath and bags and bags belonging to this thing sitting next to me in a specially converted car seat. I was going to think fast, I could not let it spoil my Christmas anymore than it had! Mummy did not get to my dance display, but Daddy came? All my friends had both parents, but not me! Mummy and Daddy usually take me into the big shopping mall in

Kraken Images @ Unsplash

town, where I get to spend my pocket money on a little gift for each of them and see Father Christmas. He is a lovely cosy old guy, and he always remembers my name, he always smiles and says, come and sit on my knee Mirabelle - he looks a bit like Charlie Mooney who lives two doors down, but that is impossible! Well this year it never happened because of the object, it would interrupt the routine, I ask what routine and more importantly my routine, well, ‘It’ is going and the quicker the better.

We arrived safely but ‘It’ once again got centre of attention! So much for my thoughts and plans, Nana and Papa never left the side of ‘It’! All they did was awwwwwed and coooooed, oh this is getting too much! I thought they would understand at least, no I just had to accept ‘It’ was here for Christmas At least Father Christmas would not know about it, as it could not speak, so it means it cannot write either, and Father Christmas only comes to those who write a nice letter to him, and that is something I always do...I wonder if Charlie Mooney is Father Christmas, I hope he knows that I am at Nana and Papa’s this Christmas!

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Not happy!

Javad Allahyari @ Unsplash

The Big Read 2026

NWR READS

Get ready to work your way through next year’s booklist, selected by the NWR National Office Team. All descriptions are adapted from Goodreads and all books are widely available in multiple formats

Fiction

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom Eddie has stopped noticing the years go by. On his 83rd birthday, he is fixing rides at the amusement park where he has worked most of his life. When a cart falls, he sees a little girl in danger. He tries to save her and dies. Afterward, Eddie learns that death is a chance to understand life, meeting five people who help him uncover the mysteries of his life and answer the question: “Why was I here?”

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

Still Life by Sarah Winman Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops move in and bombs fall, Ulysses Temper, a young English soldier, ends up in the wine cellar of an empty villa. There, he meets Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who is in Italy to save paintings and remember her youth.

Ulysses and Evelyn connect in the middle of war-torn Italy, starting a journey that will shape Ulysses’s life for the next forty years.

The Lightkeeper’s Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol Elizabeth’s mind is sharp, but she can no longer see. She misses reading her favorite books and looking at art, so she turns to music and memories of her family. When her late father’s journals are found in a shipwreck, Elizabeth and a truculent teenager named Morgan read them together. As they go through the diaries, the two become close friends and are drawn into the world of Porphyry Island, where Elizabeth’s father worked as a lighthouse keeper 70 years ago

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NWR READS

The Big Read 2026 (continued)

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.

The group becomes known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky and what happens to them - and to the men they love becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent Iceland, 1829: Agnes Magnúsdóttir is sentenced to death for her role in the murder of her lover. Agnes spends her last months on the farm of district officer Jón Jónsson, his wife, But as the year goes on, Agnes’s story comes out, and the family realises things are not as they seemed.

Non-fiction The Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci Piero Ferrucci, a respected transpersonal psychologist, looks at the many sides of kindness. He believes kindness can bring happiness to us and those around us, and help us in a world that often feels cold and difficult.

Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce (UK) London is still reeling from World War II, and Margery Benson, a schoolteacher and spinster, is trying to get through life. One day, she abandons her job and small existence to set out on an expedition in search of an insect that may or may not exist: the golden beetle of New Caledonia. When she advertises for an assistant to accompany her, the woman she ends up with is funloving Enid Pretty in her tight-fitting pink suit and pom-pom sandals. But together these two women find themselves drawn into a cross-ocean adventure that delivers something neither of them expected to find: the transformative power of friendship.

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The Big Read 2026 (continued)

NWR READS

The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days by Alda Sigmundsdottir In the past, Iceland was a tough place to live. Located in the North Atlantic Ocean at the edge of the habitable world, it was isolated and very poor. Years of colonization brought oppression, and the harsh climate and frequent disasters made survival difficult for everyone.

Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland by Sarah Moss During the 2009 financial crisis, Sarah Moss and her husband moved to Iceland with their two young children. Living in a temporary home among unfinished buildings in Reykjavik, Moss visits boiling mud hills, volcanic craters, and remote farms and fishing villages in the north. She watches the northern lights and migratory birds, and over time, her family finds new ways to adapt.

Biography Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai Thrust onto the public stage at fifteen years old after the Taliban’s brutal attack on her life, Malala Yousafzai quickly became an international icon known for bravery and resilience. But away from the cameras and crowds, she spent years struggling to find her place in an unfamiliar world. Now, for the first time ever, Malala takes us beyond the headlines in Finding My Way—a vulnerable, surprising memoir that buzzes with authenticity, sharp humor, and tenderness.

Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain by Margaret Willson Captain Thurídur was born in Iceland in 1777 and lived an unusual and bold life. She first went fishing in open rowboats at age 11. Not long after, she started wearing trousers, which was daring for her time. She became a respected fishing captain, skilled at reading the weather and handling boats. In the dangerous Arctic seas, she never lost a crew member. She was also known for her sharp observation skills and even solved a famous crime.

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NWR READS The Big Read: Reviews The Wren, The Wren certainly gave Deepings group food for thought - just not in a way that any of the members expected

I t has won prizes and widespread acclaim so it must be good!? Some reviews say it’s a masterpiece, brilliant, incandescent. So, why did The Wren, The Wren leave most of us confused and frustrated?

11 of us met to discuss the book with e-mail comments from other group members. We scored it everything from zero to seven with a cluster around five.

“Like a Salvador Dali painting,” said one, “like trying to find your way without a map” - but we mostly had kept going.

Why? Because we don’t like giving up; it was The Big Read choice and because reviewers call it brilliant and because, amidst the confusing structure there were moments of scintillating prose, poetry and insight into human emotions and relationships which kept us going.

We agreed the writing itself was very good but the constructs used were confusing so we weren’t sure what was going on which left some of us feeling a bit ‘adrift’. Was it us?

Why weren’t we understanding this ‘masterpiece’. Paradoxically, in a book said to be all about connecting, we weren’t.

This isn’t a beginning, middle and end story. It changes between first and third person narrative and is an account from different perspectives of wrongs perpetrated, damage done and the ripples of consequences through three generations of women. It is Phil, the grandfather, the philandering, charismatic Irish minor-poet who is the rock thrown into the pond that sets the ripples running through those three generations – his dumped wife, their bereft daughters and his whiptail granddaughter, Nell, who experiences the culmination of all the built-up family turmoil.

But goodness we’d had to work hard to get to this understanding; some of us gave up early on, (the first two chapters particularly incomprehensible) most of us had got to a partial interpretation by ourselves but needed the group discussion and insights from reviews we read to figure out what the heck was going on. This did make for an interesting lively meeting!

Having achieved some kind of Eureka moment from these insights gained, we questioned whether Phil’s appalling treatment of his wife and daughters would realistically have caused such devastation for Nell that she willingly succumbed to the dreadfully abusive, controlling and sadistic Felim. Carmel, Nell’s mother, really loved and cared for Nell and was a strong character in her own right so wouldn’t she have given Nell plenty of 20

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The Big Read: Reviews

NWR READS

Deepings review continued positives to take forward in her own life?

There was Irish humour here; one group member with strong Irish connections gave us examples which, once pointed out, we appreciated afresh and there was beautiful poetry too. We are all avid readers and are mostly up for a challenge but the abstract structure of The Wren, The Wren left us unimpressed.

We felt that had we been given this book as an academic challenge, we could have applied ourselves to an intellectual understanding of it, probably agreeing with the critics but as a bedtime read it was a confused step too far.

Finchley and Whetstone group read Normal Women by Philippa Gregory.

Group leader Denise Piddington shares their thoughts...

Philippa Gregory spent a decade researching her social

history Normal Women. We should, perhaps, have undertaken a little more research of our own before deciding it would be our chosen read: it turned out to be a very weighty tome indeed.

In the end, most of us started at the beginning, gave up somewhere along the way, and picked up the thread again towards the end. Some of us felt there were too many lists and not enough stories but we agreed that the book was eye-opening and informative.

Women may have been largely absent from the history we were taught at school.

However, this book, by documenting the changes in women’s economic, social and legal constraints over the centuries – and the way they made the most of opportunities open to them – confirmed our view that women have always been the stronger sex.

Arnold (Nottingham) group had some feedback on this year’s Big Read (and other things)

W e held a vote and the winner was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Just for your feedback we all thought the "Connections" theme was a little tenuous and that The Music Instinct and Good Energy were both too academic in content.

We would all have liked more books with the Channel Island theme.

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The Big Read: Reviews

NWR READS

Sutton & Carshalton group shared their thoughts on the 2025 book list The Lost Bookshop - 3 readers were unanimous in not enjoying the book and finding it very disjointed.

The Invisible Women’s Club read by two and enjoyed.

The Familiars was enjoyed.

The Best Things by Mel Geidroyc was not liked Wild Hope by Donna Ashworth was enjoyed especially the poem “Yesterday’s Rubbish” which resonated with many of us.

Elsworth group joined forces with Somersham for a very interesting and enjoyable visit to the headquarters of the MAGPAS air ambulance in Alconbury Weald

M AGPAS (Mid Anglia General Practice Accident Service) is a charity providing the air

ambulance helicopter which serves Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire together with surrounding areas, treating patients with life-threatening emergiencies every day of the year.

On average it is called out 4 times a day.

Our visit included a talk on the history of this emergency ambulance service, how it works and is staffed, a demonstration of CPR, and a short video.

During the talk the helicopter was called out, and through the windows by the side of the helicopter pad, we were able to see the pilot, engineer and three skilled medical practitioners race to the helicopter, and watch it takeoff.

We were pleased to welcome members of the Somersham NWR group who joined us for this event.

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