Today we kick off our Centenary year at Middlesex Federation, and a year of looking back at our achievements and forward to our future.
Happy 100th birthday Middlesex Federation!
MFWI Updates
Is our centenary afternoon tea in your diary?
Happy Birthday – April 2021
A happy birthday to our Middlesex WIs celebrating in April
De Beauvoir
3 April 2015
Sunbury on Thames
15 April 1980
East End
16 April 2007
And to us, of course: Middlesex Federation turns 100 on 6 April 2021!
Happy Birthday – March 2021
A happy birthday to our Middlesex WIs celebrating in March!
Ruislip Evening
04 March 2011
Ruislip Evening
04 March 2011
Gothic Valley
08 March 2012
Field Dames
09 March 2015
Teddington
09 March 2011
Hampton Tudor Rose
14 March 2017
Harlington
22 March 1932
Norwood Green
25 March 1985
Gothic Valley
08 March 2012
Field Dames
09 March 2015
Teddington
09 March 2011
Hampton Tudor Rose
14 March 2017
Harlington
22 March 1932
Norwood Green
25 March 1985
Resolutions 2021
The selection results of the MFWI voting for the recent shortlist (as listed in WI Life) is below.
The number of votes received is much higher than we expected to be honest, as lockdown prevented many WIs from co-ordinating any responses.
Votes have now been sent to NFWI Public Affairs.
- Ovarian Cancer 246
- Women’s Heart Disease 144
- Racism & Discrimination 70
- Protect Your Nature Space 69
- Peat Bog Destruction 36
Grand Total 565
In February, the NFWI Board of Trustees will confirm the 2021 Annual Meeting resolution/s based on the number of selections from WI members.
We will receive resolution/s briefings and wording in the March mailing.
Further reading…
Treasurers’ Workshop, January 2021
The workshop for new WI treasurers held on 23 January 2021 was one of a series of training sessions for new committee members (or those looking for a refresher) run by Federation Treasurer, Sarah Endersby.
The session, run on Zoom of course, was an interesting and informative session, and it was nice to meet other new treasurers, and some deputy treasurers, on the call. The session was full of practical suggestions for running the accounts and keeping the books up to date throughout the year.
We learnt about our responsibilities as trustees and whether our WI needed to register independently as a charity (only if income is above £5,000). There were also tips for managing the petty cash; and I was impressed to hear one WI has managed to do away with cash altogether!
The discussion amongst attendees provided plenty of food for thought as well, and all in all it was a very useful and enjoyable way to spend two hours on a Saturday morning. I look forward to putting what I learnt into practice at Stroud Green WI.
Show The Love Campaign
This annual campaign is run by the Climate Coalition of which the WI are an integral part. Every year it is the biggest conversation opportunity to raise awareness of climate change. Why not make some Green hearts/pompoms to hang on your doors/in windows or give one to your neighbours. There are resources on MyWI that your members can create items to raise awareness. In 2021 campaign runs from 1-21 February.
The Wonders of Bicarbonate of Soda
Bicarbonate of Soda, or Sodium bicarbonate, or Baking Soda, or Bread Soda, or carb soda, is a chemical compound composed of a sodium cation and a bicarbonate anion. It is a white solid that is crystalline, but often appears as a fine powder. Slightly salty in taste, its natural mineral form is nahcolite and components of this mineral are often found in many natural springs. Naturally occurring deposits of nahcolite are found in the Green River formation in Colorado, US. It is deposited as ‘beds’ during periods of high evaporation, ie drought. It is commercially mined using common mining techniques, such as used in coal mining. It can also be a solution, mined by pumping hot water through previously mined beds, and reconstituting dissolved nahcolite through a natural cooling crystallisation process.
There are so many ways in which we can use Bicarbonate of Soda…
Cooking
Used as a leavening agent in baking, it causes the expansion of batter in quick breads eg soda bread. Acidic materials that induce this reaction include cream of tartar, lemon juice, yogurt, buttermilk, cocoa, and vinegar. Heat by itself causes bicarbonate of soda to act as a raising agent because of thermal decomposition – it releases carbon dioxide at temperatures above 80 degrees celcius/180 degrees Fahrenheit. It is sometimes used in the cooking of green vegetables, giving a bright green colour, as it reacts with the chlorophyll in the leaves, but also affects the taste and nutritional content. It is used to soften peas and pulses, and is used to make the traditional ‘mushy peas’. It is used to tenderise meats, and enhance the crispness in fried foods as it allows passages of steam to escape. [Read more…] about The Wonders of Bicarbonate of Soda