Denman Courses and more ............

During this time of Lock Down and Social Distancing it has not been possible to go to courses at the WI Denman College.
So they have come to us via on-line courses.  They are remarkably good value for money - starting from as little as £5.  



One of our members did a Vegan Cookery class.






Two others are about to do a Felting course.  Why not give it a go?  There are a variety of courses to suit everyone's interests.

In addition we had the opportunity to join a SCFWI Zoom event when on Tuesday 23 June Emma Britton gave a talk about her radio career at the BBC and how she is now also a Civil Celebrant writing ceremonies for those important moments in people’s lives!
It was really interesting and entertaining.  We look forward to more of these events.

Monday 15 June

Monday was our third Zoom monthly meeting.  It was slightly more structured this time and we all seem to have a better understanding of getting the best from Zoom – along with some useful tips from Jenny!  We appreciate not all members have access to this but if you do please give it a try.  It is not too difficult and it doesn’t matter if you press the wrong button by mistake.  You might be surprised at what you will find!

Mary brought us up to date with some WI items and everyone had a chance to speak on these matters or anything else they had been doing and wanted to share.  There are some more detailed notes under the “Previous Meeting” section if you would like to have a read.

Members were keen to be able to meet in small groups (under the current rules & restrictions).  Please contact Mary or one of the committee if you are interested in joining in or hosting.

Reminder that the next planned event is our Zoom Scavenger Hunt on Monday 29 June at 7.30pm.

JUNE 2020 MEETING

In common with so many other organisations we will not be able to hold our “normal” meeting for members in June.  However, a Zoom coffee morning has been arranged for Monday 15^th at 10.30am and we hope as many members as possible will be able to join in.  This is an opportunity to see each other, have a chat about WI matters and discuss what we have been doing and hoping to do.  Mary has sent by e-mail & post lots of information on things that may be of interest.  If anyone has already tried some of these out perhaps you can share it with the rest of us.  Denman are running a few on-line courses ranging from History, Yoga, Crafts and Cookery.

Our members have a wide variety of talents and interests.  It is not only crafts & cooking.  Some will be really pleased to see a gradual return to sporting events to watch on TV or may be able to actually take part in themselves – tennis & golf clubs now opening on a limited basis.  Gardening and walking have been a great way of getting outside during the really wonderful weather.  Now it has turned a little colder and damp perhaps members are now thinking of what they can do indoors.  Please get in touch and if you would like to share any of this on the Blog contact Jan or Mary who will upload it for anyone to see.

After the Coffee Morning we are organising a Scavenger Hunt via Zoom on Monday 29 June at 7.30pm.  Watch out for further details.

Perhaps there are ladies out there who have come across our Blog and are interested in learning more about the WI - contact Mary on 01373 812415.

Meanwhile enjoy this photo of one of Kaz’s many Craft items she has made during this time of being at home.

WI Resolutions 2020

As the NFWI Annual Meeting was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two resolutions due to be discussed were not able to be debated or voted on by delegates.  In the shortlisting selection stage, two resolutions (stem cells and modern slavery) attracted a clear majority of selections from members (over 70%).  The NFWI Board felt that this was the most democratic means available to determine the outcome of this year’s resolution process. This means that the two resolutions have now been adopted by the WI, and members are free to campaign on these issues.

The resolutions are as follows:

A call to increase potential stem cell donor registration

There is an urgent need to increase the number of people registered on the aligned UK stem cell registry in order to provide potentially life-saving treatment to people of all ages with certain blood cancers. We call on all WI members to promote registration to the database to avoid people dying whilst waiting for a match.

At the moment due to Coronavirus they have temporarily stopped recruiting new stem cell donors but more information (if you wish to read and discuss with friends and family) is available on:

https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/389087/Stem-Cell-Briefing-Notes-1.pdf

End Modern Slavery

There are tens of thousands of victims of modern slavery hiding in plain sight in the UK. Modern slavery has severe consequences for the health and mental wellbeing of survivors. The NFWI calls on the Government to protect victims of modern slavery in the first instance and deliver longer term support to help them rebuild their lives. We call on our members to raise awareness of the prevalence of modern slavery throughout society and to campaign to defeat it.

For more information see:

https://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/389031/End-Modern-Slavery-Briefing-Notes-1.pdf

The Public Affairs Department will be producing a range of educational and discussion materials over the coming weeks and months to allow members to consider the issues in more depth.