Things to do to escape the weather

24 November
The latest issue of WI Life is very important because it contains the voting slip for members to nominate which Resolution they prefer for the AGM in Cardiff on 1st June 2013. It is between one about town centres and another about the dangers of Internet sites promoting suicide among young people.Hand your vote in to your local WI Secretary or send it direct to the Bucks Federation Office in High Wycombe but not to NFWI where it will be discounted.
Also in the December magazine there is a very important survey about what Denman College means to you. The National Board of Trustees alerted members to the problems in maintaining the college in the future and has opened up the debate through this survey. Please really think about this discussion and fill in the form.I am sure most WI Secretaries will be willing to collect them and send them up together to save postage on individual returns.
The December issue of our own newsletter is important too as it lists many events planned for the next 3 months which are not advertised on the website calendar---a missed opportunity it seems to me.Spread the word so that we can escape this ghastly weather together at some event:it saves on the heating bills too!

22 November
WI Christmas shopping days were held this week in members' own homes.Merchandise is brought out from the WI Shop at Stuart Lodge so that people who cannot face the journey there may enjoy looking and buying while consuming homemade mincepies and coffee in comfort. It is also a time to catch up on local news and check on what other WIs have been doing over the past few months.

14 November
A meeting was held in Winslow this evening to inform people about the changes being made in healthcare in North Bucks. This was one of a series set up by Aylesbury Vale Clinical Commissioning Group (AVCCG)---a new organisation run by family doctors which will take on budgetary and decision-making powers from April 2013.
More detail was given of the new non-emergency out-of-hours telephone number 111 which will direct callers to the most appropriate service in their area via a telephone triage system.More volunteers were needed to take up the role of being a member of the Patient Engagement Group (PEG). The Director of Quality for AVCCG and the Clinical Leads will all welcome feedback about health services, both positive and negative from the public.
Every GP is a member of the CCG and each practice manager is involved, so these changes are going to affect all WI members and their families wherever they live. Therefore it is a good idea to be aware of what differences are going to be made and to know what is meant by AVCCG, CCG and PEG.

12 November
A craft afternoon for the local WI when members gathered together either to learn a bit of crochet or to continue with some other project in the company of others. Is this the definition of a sewing bee? Certainly everyone was very busy and enjoyed the chat as well as finalising plans for attending other events and talking over what they had thought of those held recently.