BOWI's Committee

Becca Beynon

President

Bio coming soon!

Anne Untisz

Vice President 

Chief Twirler & Media Queen

About me

I’m in middle youth a shoe and vintage dress kleptomaniac, a glass half full kind of person, who has an addiction to twirling in obscure locations. Twirls are an exuberant expression of my passion for beautiful flowing dresses and proving when you retire you are #notinvisibleyet. Spinning on the spot in unusual places such as  the ski slopes of Borovets and in the shadow of a New England lighthouse.

My job is being a professional ‘do nothing’ retiree, as I was lucky enough to retire at 56. In my working life I’ve worked on a stall on the original Market Hill Market at 6 years old, washing celery for my Uncle Tony and I retired from my job as Markets and Town Centre Manager, responsible for the new Barnsley market’s development, love it or hate it, I was so proud to do something for my hometown.

In between I have been a packaging designer for among others Asda, M&S and the Masterfoods, my claim to fame being meeting the Mars brothers and telling them, as an honest Barnsley lass, that I didn’t like the colour his wife had chosen for the Pedigree Petfoods packaging, and I kept my job! I have worked for Barnsley College running their design and print units, been Tourism Manager for Barnsley Council and a host of other roles in between. Needless to say, I loved a challenge.

Away from work I’m married to Nick, who I met at Art College, I’m typing this on Valentine's Day, he’s cooking and I'm drinking wine and typing this, which says something about our relationship. We have two lovely grown up and married girls, one working at Weston Park living locally. The other living ‘down south’ married to an American airman, who facilitated my best twirl on the wing of a F15 fighter jet.

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What inspired you to join the WI?

When I retired, I really missed the comradery of both the market traders and the teams I worked with. I went from working at 100 miles an hour to a full stop. I had often wondered about joining the WI, but as until recently I had a 50 plus year aversion to kitchen white goods, didn’t cook, didn’t bake, had no crafting skills and my idea of the WI had been clouded by Calendar Girls and singing Jerusalem, I wasn’t sure it was for me.

I went to one meeting and was absolutely hooked, it was just what I was looking for, a group of lovely ladies, of all ages, all keen to share one thing, friendship and laughter. I was buzzing and couldn’t wait for the next meeting.

Since I joined, I’ve started baking, to such an extent I wrote a cookery book for my girls for Christmas and bake for my friends and neighbours. I’ve upcycled furniture, in fact if it’s not nailed down, I’ll paint it, I’m surprised the cat’s still black and not refurbished! I have even tried my hand at loads of crafts, not all successfully, especially not the crochet kit bought and now living in the bottom of the wardrobe, well we all have one guilty secret.

I’ve learnt to zoom on a computer and not on my Triumph motorbike, danced Bollywood style in a field, the security guard on the site next door now needs therapy, and we have had loads of my personal favourite, afternoon teas.

My Committee post is just doing ‘stuff’, the best job of all!  I love it!