29th April
What a lovely morning to take part in the Women Walk the World event for the Associated Country Women of the World! It is an inspiring idea that people as far away as Papua New Guinea will set off to walk at 10am their time and, across the world, others will start walking at 10am as the sun catches up with them. A small group of seven and a dog left Hillesden at 10am this morning and enjoyed a walk through the countryside in sunshine and among daffodils. There were quite a few other groups of WI members walking in Bucks at the same time so a tidy sum will be raised from sponsorship to support ACWW. It's the least we can do after May Kidd's inspirational talk at the April Council Meeting in Aylesbury last week.
26th April
The NFWI has been doing a lot of work on the 2012 mandate passed at the Annual General Meeting at the Albert Hall . All members have been kept informed through the WI Life:we were asked to fill in a survey and to send up information on local experience of the midwifery services so that a cross-country report could be produced. We were asked to contact our MPs and Health Bodies to express our concerns about the shortage of midwives and the need for more to be trained.All the Bucks MPs received letters in readiness for the lobby planned for 3rd May to coincide with the publication of the report.I was very pleased to be able to join two other members of Winslow WI to meet with the Speaker, John Bercow at his surgery in Buckingham.He was interested in the campaign and supportive and has promised to do what he can to help the WI. After all he is a father of three young children so hasn't forgotten the benefits of the caring role of a fully trained midwife.Hospital targets in some parts of the country put mothers under pressure to hasten birth, resulting in 38% of births being induced and the rate of emegency caesarean section can vary from 20% in some hospitals to 40% in others.An experienced midwife giving one-one attention can avoid a lot of distress to the mother and save the NHS money on costly unnecessary medical intervention.
Given a sensible straightforward mandate with which to work, the WI can make a difference:it has the clout to force the Government to look at a problem.
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Sunday, 3 March 2013
2nd March
Today Winslow WI hosted a Cookery Event with Carrie O'Regan from Denman College demonstrating Easter recipes.This event started off as the WI's Bursary meeting but members from other WIs and the general public were invited to come along as well. Every year Winslow offers a Bursary either to one member chosen by ballot to attend a course at Denman College or to finance a group activity with an educational theme or a link to Denman. This year the link was the demonstrator Carrie who produced 6 dishes with a vaguely Easter relevance.The ploughman's lunch and gorgeous traybakes were made and served by Winslow WI members.The finished items which Carrie produced were raffled to the audience so six people went home with a lovely contribution towards a celebratory meal. A very enjoyable and informative day.
Today Winslow WI hosted a Cookery Event with Carrie O'Regan from Denman College demonstrating Easter recipes.This event started off as the WI's Bursary meeting but members from other WIs and the general public were invited to come along as well. Every year Winslow offers a Bursary either to one member chosen by ballot to attend a course at Denman College or to finance a group activity with an educational theme or a link to Denman. This year the link was the demonstrator Carrie who produced 6 dishes with a vaguely Easter relevance.The ploughman's lunch and gorgeous traybakes were made and served by Winslow WI members.The finished items which Carrie produced were raffled to the audience so six people went home with a lovely contribution towards a celebratory meal. A very enjoyable and informative day.
Playing at home
26th February
It has been a week of stay at home local WI events. Tonight 16 of our members met in one of the local pubs to re-discover card games. This was the third get-together of the Games Group. We played Newmarket and a game new to me called May I? a version of rummy.It was a most enjoyable evening and another opportunity to get to know people a little better outside the monthly meeting. Some of those attending were also escaping from TV football.
21st February
There was a good turn-out from the Craft Group members today at a member's house. We met for coffee and brought lunch so that we could get down to producing items for our summer commitments at shows and garden parties.One room housed the machinists and another the knitters and sewers and a great deal of progress was made on the various projects in hand.It is pleasant to work together like this and there is always someone available to offer advice or help with problems.
19th February
Two of us from the local WI have started to plan the programme for 2014. We have received some suggestions from the members and we consulted recent Bucks Newsletters for ideas outside the Speakers List produced by the Speakers and Publications Federation Sub-committee.We will also be attending the Presentation Evening which this committee hosts early in every year.Like all WIs we try to obtain speakers near to home for the winter months but beyond those we are looking for a broad range of topics. Ours is a large membership so we can afford quite expensive speakers so should be able to avoid too many charitable organisations or commercial ones.Smaller WIs with fewer funds at their disposal benefit from free demonstrations. The programme can make or break a WI so it is very important to attract not only new members but to retain the faithful.We are thinking about one home-spun group effort and also an open meeting with a title attractive to family and friends.It does seem very early to be thinking about 2014 but speakers get booked up well in advance and the committee likes to have it ready to add the competitions and then go to print by October at the latest. If we start now we have time to shuffle dates to suit the speakers.
It has been a week of stay at home local WI events. Tonight 16 of our members met in one of the local pubs to re-discover card games. This was the third get-together of the Games Group. We played Newmarket and a game new to me called May I? a version of rummy.It was a most enjoyable evening and another opportunity to get to know people a little better outside the monthly meeting. Some of those attending were also escaping from TV football.
21st February
There was a good turn-out from the Craft Group members today at a member's house. We met for coffee and brought lunch so that we could get down to producing items for our summer commitments at shows and garden parties.One room housed the machinists and another the knitters and sewers and a great deal of progress was made on the various projects in hand.It is pleasant to work together like this and there is always someone available to offer advice or help with problems.
19th February
Two of us from the local WI have started to plan the programme for 2014. We have received some suggestions from the members and we consulted recent Bucks Newsletters for ideas outside the Speakers List produced by the Speakers and Publications Federation Sub-committee.We will also be attending the Presentation Evening which this committee hosts early in every year.Like all WIs we try to obtain speakers near to home for the winter months but beyond those we are looking for a broad range of topics. Ours is a large membership so we can afford quite expensive speakers so should be able to avoid too many charitable organisations or commercial ones.Smaller WIs with fewer funds at their disposal benefit from free demonstrations. The programme can make or break a WI so it is very important to attract not only new members but to retain the faithful.We are thinking about one home-spun group effort and also an open meeting with a title attractive to family and friends.It does seem very early to be thinking about 2014 but speakers get booked up well in advance and the committee likes to have it ready to add the competitions and then go to print by October at the latest. If we start now we have time to shuffle dates to suit the speakers.
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Food for thought
18th February
The story of horsemeat mixed in with or even being completely substituted for beef in prepared meat products is obviously going to run and run. Thank Goodness that eating horse is not a danger to our health but only to our sensibilities. I imagine there are droves of little girls instantly becoming vegetarian.As WI members we ought to be up in arms at this commercial dishonesty.The WI passed a mandate about the need for correct labelling of food way back in 1995 and we have suffered from EU legislation for many years which demanded a full account of the ingredients in jams and cakes sold on market stalls.So this becomes an issue with Europe where the rules are disregarded but it is the British farmers who are feeling the brunt when the shoppers turn away from buying beef.This mood will not last but even a short dip in sales will affect the livelihood of the farmers who are already struggling with the crisis in dairy farming and the recent weather disasters.The WI has always supported the rural community so it needs our help at present more than ever.
13th February
The local WI held a discussion evening tonight. We meet in a member's house, settle down with a glass of wine and talk about some topic set at the previous gathering. The subject can be anything at all except party politics or religion. The topic tonight was China so it did touch on politics and beliefs a little bit. I am ashamed to admit that I realised that I knew very little about China. However there were people present who had visited and had been fascinated by the different way of life and its culture.It was a pleasant evening: we learned a lot and only wandered off the subject once or twice which is pretty good for us!
12th February
We attended the By George...that's style! day at Princes Risborough. This was a new venue to us and in spite of the snowy conditions outside it was a capacity audience.The speakers covered the costume, social life and gossip of the period. In the afternoon there was the opportunity to learn how to dance a minuet and how to promenade with grace and style in order to impress in Georgian society.There was a lot of laughter and audience participation.Some are planning to visit Handel House in London following the talk from Antonia Grant who works in the museum and it would be great to see Fran Saltmarsh from Cambridge return to describe another slice of historical costume.We had to take our own refreshments or go out into the town for these but if the BFWI wants to keep the entrance prices down this is the only way it can be done: halls and good speakers are expensive for a full day's programme.
The story of horsemeat mixed in with or even being completely substituted for beef in prepared meat products is obviously going to run and run. Thank Goodness that eating horse is not a danger to our health but only to our sensibilities. I imagine there are droves of little girls instantly becoming vegetarian.As WI members we ought to be up in arms at this commercial dishonesty.The WI passed a mandate about the need for correct labelling of food way back in 1995 and we have suffered from EU legislation for many years which demanded a full account of the ingredients in jams and cakes sold on market stalls.So this becomes an issue with Europe where the rules are disregarded but it is the British farmers who are feeling the brunt when the shoppers turn away from buying beef.This mood will not last but even a short dip in sales will affect the livelihood of the farmers who are already struggling with the crisis in dairy farming and the recent weather disasters.The WI has always supported the rural community so it needs our help at present more than ever.
13th February
The local WI held a discussion evening tonight. We meet in a member's house, settle down with a glass of wine and talk about some topic set at the previous gathering. The subject can be anything at all except party politics or religion. The topic tonight was China so it did touch on politics and beliefs a little bit. I am ashamed to admit that I realised that I knew very little about China. However there were people present who had visited and had been fascinated by the different way of life and its culture.It was a pleasant evening: we learned a lot and only wandered off the subject once or twice which is pretty good for us!
12th February
We attended the By George...that's style! day at Princes Risborough. This was a new venue to us and in spite of the snowy conditions outside it was a capacity audience.The speakers covered the costume, social life and gossip of the period. In the afternoon there was the opportunity to learn how to dance a minuet and how to promenade with grace and style in order to impress in Georgian society.There was a lot of laughter and audience participation.Some are planning to visit Handel House in London following the talk from Antonia Grant who works in the museum and it would be great to see Fran Saltmarsh from Cambridge return to describe another slice of historical costume.We had to take our own refreshments or go out into the town for these but if the BFWI wants to keep the entrance prices down this is the only way it can be done: halls and good speakers are expensive for a full day's programme.
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Bright new future
This is my first blog entry specifically aimed at the new BFWI website. How exciting is that! While the weather has been so bad and everyone has been confined to barracks, members of the Buckinghamshire Federation Board of Trustees have been busy setting up this website. The previous webmistress has announced her retirement. It is a very time-consuming job and I admire the work that has been done. Those of us who are going to be able to contribute towards this new site have been led gently through all the stages and so far I have not heard of anyone who has succumbed to stress-related illnesses. In my case, it was a near thing!
Anyway please look at the site and use it. Let us know what you think. It is not complete yet: there are bits to add and perhaps a bit of shuffling to do but LOOK and KEEP LOOKING. We will know how many people do make contact but unless you admit to it we will not know what you are thinking. Don't let all this commitment be wasted. We want what Bucks WIs do to be shouted from the rooftops and we want to attract even more members than we did last year. After all, we're worth it!
6th February
The members of the local WI were pre-warned that the speaker had been forced to cancel which unfortunately is a known hazard at this time of year. However without much tearing of hair, the committee came up with an excellent solution by using our own members to fill the gap. So we heard about the work of the new BFWI Digital Champion: what she had learned at a course at Denman College and how she was supposed to use this training. Judging by the interest shown and the number of members who signed up to have her to visit and help them to make full use of their computers, I think she is going to be a very busy lady.
Then we listened to a presentation by a trainee WI Adviser in which she explained the progress of a resolution from the proposing WI right through to its being discussed at the NFWI Annual General Meeting, before becoming a mandate which all WI members may support. This was particularly interesting to our WI because we have been brooding on putting forward a resolution again. We know it involves quite a bit of hard work in preparation but even so...watch this space.
Unfortunately the WI application for a grant to help set up an outdoor community fitness area has not been successful. We had the blessing of the Town Council but that wasn't enough. We will think of other sources of funding and try again. The rest of the meeting took the form of a steady flow of dates for events both within our WI and in BFWI and in things where NFWI is involved.
The bursary cookery demonstration day 2 March in the town could do with some more people attending so we are opening it to others.They will have to pay for an entrance ticket although it is free to our own members.
4th February
I think I have been suffering from cabin fever. I have had to miss so many events during December last year and January this that I was really quite excited to attend the local WI craft group. We spent most of the time thinking about competitions which are being held this year and also about promotional events at shows where the committee had suggested we might have a presence. This also involves fund-raising with which our little group seems to have been saddled. Of course we produce items that are eminently saleable but we don't really want to be spending all our time doing that---dedicated members though we be. Competitions and especially co-operative ones are popular because they concentrate our minds on a shared activity rather than working on our own.
Anyway please look at the site and use it. Let us know what you think. It is not complete yet: there are bits to add and perhaps a bit of shuffling to do but LOOK and KEEP LOOKING. We will know how many people do make contact but unless you admit to it we will not know what you are thinking. Don't let all this commitment be wasted. We want what Bucks WIs do to be shouted from the rooftops and we want to attract even more members than we did last year. After all, we're worth it!
6th February
The members of the local WI were pre-warned that the speaker had been forced to cancel which unfortunately is a known hazard at this time of year. However without much tearing of hair, the committee came up with an excellent solution by using our own members to fill the gap. So we heard about the work of the new BFWI Digital Champion: what she had learned at a course at Denman College and how she was supposed to use this training. Judging by the interest shown and the number of members who signed up to have her to visit and help them to make full use of their computers, I think she is going to be a very busy lady.
Then we listened to a presentation by a trainee WI Adviser in which she explained the progress of a resolution from the proposing WI right through to its being discussed at the NFWI Annual General Meeting, before becoming a mandate which all WI members may support. This was particularly interesting to our WI because we have been brooding on putting forward a resolution again. We know it involves quite a bit of hard work in preparation but even so...watch this space.
Unfortunately the WI application for a grant to help set up an outdoor community fitness area has not been successful. We had the blessing of the Town Council but that wasn't enough. We will think of other sources of funding and try again. The rest of the meeting took the form of a steady flow of dates for events both within our WI and in BFWI and in things where NFWI is involved.
The bursary cookery demonstration day 2 March in the town could do with some more people attending so we are opening it to others.They will have to pay for an entrance ticket although it is free to our own members.
4th February
I think I have been suffering from cabin fever. I have had to miss so many events during December last year and January this that I was really quite excited to attend the local WI craft group. We spent most of the time thinking about competitions which are being held this year and also about promotional events at shows where the committee had suggested we might have a presence. This also involves fund-raising with which our little group seems to have been saddled. Of course we produce items that are eminently saleable but we don't really want to be spending all our time doing that---dedicated members though we be. Competitions and especially co-operative ones are popular because they concentrate our minds on a shared activity rather than working on our own.
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Welcome 2013
13 January
I hope you all saw the article in the Sunday Telegraph commenting on the rising membership countrywide of the WI.Over 350 new WIs have been formed and there are 52,000 new members. Isn't that good news to start a new year! Let's hope that we can keep up the momentum. In previous years when I have been booking speakers for meetings I would often have to start by explaining what the WI is and what it does but recently even industrial firms and colleges know about the organisation and are keen to be associated with it.The reporter writing the article doesn't explain why it has happened and I don't think the members know either.Although we have modernised a little, the basic "package" is still the same. It isn't all due to the Calendar Girls and Tony Blair: it is more recent than that. Whatever the reason, let's not rest on our laurels and let's keep on welcoming the new intake.
10 January
First meeting today of the Current Affairs sub-committee and we have some new members coming along who will probably join us.We were running a bit short of workers so they are very welcome.Part of our job is to keep an eye on the BFWI mandates which have been handed down to us over the years.Those that are coming up to being 30 years old have to be reviewed because the 30 year rule requires that they are either re-endorsed or allowed to lapse. There was one this year from 1983 which was an appeal to the Press Council to rein in the media treatment of the royal family. In a way it is still relevant but at the moment the media is under scrutiny by a higher authority than the WI so we considered we could allow that one to lapse.We spent a long time working out the details for the By George! event in February and forward planning for the meeting fixed for National Science week in March.They both look super days so we hope the members will turn out to support us. In these dark winter days it is enjoyable to get out and meet friends.If one is able to gain a little new knowledge at the same time it is all to the good.
9 January
The local WI started the year with some quite strenuous chair exercises under the guidance of a physiotherapist. It is one way to get to grips with the extra pounds gained over the holiday and it was surprisingly good fun too.Everyone had a go with different degrees of success and it certainly warmed us up.We paid our subscriptions and the membership is now up to 66 in spite of 2 previous members deciding to retire from ill-health. They will be missed but not forgotten as they will be watched over and invited to most of our activities.The year ahead promises to be a busy one. We have a full committee, a new president and a planned programme.The extra interest sections eg craft, book group and discussion meetings are all flourishing and there are 2 new ones starting up---theatre and games evenings are being planned.Members were pleased to hear that their entry for the Big Walk, Little Splash was wanted for display at the April Council Meeting.What we really want is a photo of Michael Portillo reading it---any coloured jacket will do!
1 January
Happy New Year to any reader of the blog. I have changed the picture heading for the year. Before I have always gone for a gate or a doorway because I think the WI is an entrance to all sorts of things but I don't seem to have a really good one to hand. So how about this bridge? We are often asked to explain the links between the three levels of the WI movement so perhaps a bridge is a good image. Or the links between different WIs? Or the way the WI reaches out to others in the community? I leave it to you to decide and does it matter because it is a lovely bridge. But who knows where it is?
I hope you all saw the article in the Sunday Telegraph commenting on the rising membership countrywide of the WI.Over 350 new WIs have been formed and there are 52,000 new members. Isn't that good news to start a new year! Let's hope that we can keep up the momentum. In previous years when I have been booking speakers for meetings I would often have to start by explaining what the WI is and what it does but recently even industrial firms and colleges know about the organisation and are keen to be associated with it.The reporter writing the article doesn't explain why it has happened and I don't think the members know either.Although we have modernised a little, the basic "package" is still the same. It isn't all due to the Calendar Girls and Tony Blair: it is more recent than that. Whatever the reason, let's not rest on our laurels and let's keep on welcoming the new intake.
10 January
First meeting today of the Current Affairs sub-committee and we have some new members coming along who will probably join us.We were running a bit short of workers so they are very welcome.Part of our job is to keep an eye on the BFWI mandates which have been handed down to us over the years.Those that are coming up to being 30 years old have to be reviewed because the 30 year rule requires that they are either re-endorsed or allowed to lapse. There was one this year from 1983 which was an appeal to the Press Council to rein in the media treatment of the royal family. In a way it is still relevant but at the moment the media is under scrutiny by a higher authority than the WI so we considered we could allow that one to lapse.We spent a long time working out the details for the By George! event in February and forward planning for the meeting fixed for National Science week in March.They both look super days so we hope the members will turn out to support us. In these dark winter days it is enjoyable to get out and meet friends.If one is able to gain a little new knowledge at the same time it is all to the good.
9 January
The local WI started the year with some quite strenuous chair exercises under the guidance of a physiotherapist. It is one way to get to grips with the extra pounds gained over the holiday and it was surprisingly good fun too.Everyone had a go with different degrees of success and it certainly warmed us up.We paid our subscriptions and the membership is now up to 66 in spite of 2 previous members deciding to retire from ill-health. They will be missed but not forgotten as they will be watched over and invited to most of our activities.The year ahead promises to be a busy one. We have a full committee, a new president and a planned programme.The extra interest sections eg craft, book group and discussion meetings are all flourishing and there are 2 new ones starting up---theatre and games evenings are being planned.Members were pleased to hear that their entry for the Big Walk, Little Splash was wanted for display at the April Council Meeting.What we really want is a photo of Michael Portillo reading it---any coloured jacket will do!
1 January
Happy New Year to any reader of the blog. I have changed the picture heading for the year. Before I have always gone for a gate or a doorway because I think the WI is an entrance to all sorts of things but I don't seem to have a really good one to hand. So how about this bridge? We are often asked to explain the links between the three levels of the WI movement so perhaps a bridge is a good image. Or the links between different WIs? Or the way the WI reaches out to others in the community? I leave it to you to decide and does it matter because it is a lovely bridge. But who knows where it is?
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