Women who do things

4th April
I am very pleased that the article which appeared today in the Daily Telegraph did not appear on 1st April . Otherwise several people would have read it as an April Fool. The heading "The WI ladies off on tour in search of prostitutes " would not have been believed.However it is true and it is not the first time that the WI has tried to protect the health and well-being of the ladies of the night. It is part of a campaign to eliminate some of the violence perpetrated against women which is itself part of the campaign against the dangerous lives that some women live at home as well as on the street.The WI has been trying to get brothels legalised and has secured support from unlikely sources such as the Roman Catholic bishop of Portsmouth.
I think these ladies from Hampshire deserve a lot of credit and I wish them luck in their research.
16th April
There was a lively Group Meeting this evening where a young woman came as the guest speaker. She was an excellent speaker and entertainer. It was hard to believe that someone so slight had rowed across the Atlantic twice! What fortitude and bravery and all to raise money for the National Epilepsy Society! I must admit that I went along expecting an obvious athlete with bulging muscles and there was this slip of a girl.Everyone was full of admiration for her and for her mother who rowed with her.
17th April
Today two members of my WI went along to see whether we could set up a Let's Sew project in a school near us.We came back full of enthusiasm to get going. The staff were keen and felt sure it was possible. However we really need some funds to finance the creche as we don't fancy playing about with sewing machines and needles and pins knee deep in toddlers. I am hoping we can come to some arrangement similar to the Let's Cook scheme which was promoted nationally by NFWI last year.
The WI is still respected for its work with crafts and who better to pass on the expertise than the WI members?
18th April
Another Group Meeting tonight when the WIs concerned celebrated their 80th birthday and what have they just done? Made themselves an embroidered banner. This is a beautiful example of the traditional and the modern techniques available. I keep on saying how the WI must maintain its traditional skills and hand them on. It was a very happy evening with good food, a little drama and singing and a lot of chatter. Some of the previous members had travelled large distances to attend and to join in the celebrations.
From these members I learned that some Federations have given up having groups which seems a great pity. The reasons cited were financial complications and the lack of time for 2 extra meetings a year. How pathetic! Groups have always been outside the Federations and gone their own way and it seems a shame to close them. A meeting of 4or 5 WIs enables them to afford a more expensive speaker and to show off their individuality beyond the confines of the WI constitution.
I hope our federation doesn't plan to abandon our Group scheme.

Busy,busy meetings

25th March
Today three of the local WI members travelled South to visit the WI shop at Stuart Lodge. Although they planned to buy a few items, the main reason was to view the BFWI Offices. They were really impressed: of course, it was post a bank holiday weekend but the level of activity was amazing. Besides the usual three members of staff and the shop people, there were some judges working on some secret mission and members of Executive popping in for paperwork and equipment for forthcoming events. If all Bucks members could visit Stuart Lodge, they would understand just what running a WI Federation involves and also be able to put a face to the voice on the phone.
It was great to see the finished upstairs bathroom and to view the redecorated committee room.
26th March
Local WI committee tonight, the main purpose of which was to plan next week's Open Meeting. We want to cover everything in as short a time as possible because, hopefully there will be lots of visitors.We also want to fly the flag a bit. We don't usually have a timed agenda but for this we must and take the record of the last meeting "as read".However, the committee refused to abandon Jerusalem as part of the time-cutting exercise!
31st March
What a day! In the afternoon the local Book Group met. Everyone was very pleased to be in print in WI Life but not so pleased to have been given away to another County! We discussed the "Book Thief" which all rated highly.
Then it was a short meeting to sort out a ballot for a couple of the WI summer rambles which are oversubscribed. Anyone involved with running an event hates to turn any members away. BFWI has been criticised for opening events to non-members but sometimes we need those extra bodies in order to actually hold the event. If the number of tickets is cut, it is up to the WI to locally distribute the tickets on the basis of members first, non-members next.
In the evening three members of the local WI attended the Briefing Meeting in Aylesbury. This is when experts are called to give information to the delegates to use at their own WIs in May. It was a lively meeting and there was lots of informed discussion which augurs well for the AGM in Liverpool in June.
2nd April
I may be biassed but I think our Open Meeting was a success. We did have lots of visitors and also we had an excellent speaker who appealed to a general audience. His subject was his experiences around the world while in the diplomatic service. We kept to time and there was a healthy buzz of conversation during social time. We were also able to arrange some dates for working party meetings and fix attendance at the Town Council's meetings to produce a Town Plan and to attend the Bucks CC day school on Closer Links with the Community. All part of the social conscience of being a WI member but it does make for a busy couple of months.