October marked the 86th birthday of Laleham WI and as, no celebrations were possible for last year’s birthday, we made sure this year was marked in style.
Members enjoyed a lovely main course prepared by Anne Furst, our Treasurer, along with tasty puddings and wine.
We were entertained by a lovely singer who delivered a varied repertoire covering opera and show tunes.
A really good evening was had by all.
Stroud Green has been tentatively holding meetings in-person, since June, our first in-person meeting since the first Covid lockdown. We met in Finsbury Park for a foraging session on a cold mid-summer’s evening, and it was great to see and be with each other.
In August we had a socially distanced outdoor ‘social’ and had a great evening in a beautiful church garden.
September saw us holding our first in-person meeting indoors in our new venue at Mind In Haringey, which focussed on climate change. It was Great Big Green Week and with COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, just around the corner, the meeting focused on climate change and our part in addressing it. And in October we held a hybrid AGM with a great talk on Secrets, Sex, Scandal and Salacious Gossip of the Royal Court with most members in person and some joining in on zoom. Both of these held with Covid precautions in place.
At our October Meeting on the 11th we had Reama Sharman speaking on the Thames Valley Adventure Playground, designed for disabled and autistic children. Reama has an autistic son who is now 17. Two of our members went to visit and are now going to volunteer at the playground. It was very interesting with many questions; a very good speaker who was enjoyed by all.
On the 18th we had our book club at a member’s house with many discussions, Also on the 28th we a had an afternoon gathering at Flowerland which 15 members attended: a lovely afternoon catching up.
The ladies of Greenefielde WI celebrated the WI’s 65th birthday in style and went out for an Anniversary Lunch on 12th October 2021.
We had a lovely time and we particularly enjoyed getting together again after such a long break.
October has been a sad month, remembering that a year ago that our Treasurer Viv, who started HTWI, died on the 3rd, and Joan, our President died on the 5th.
This year, on 1st October, we had the very sad news that Sandra Johnson had died of cancer. Sandra, who had an OBE, had been a very funny, active, loved, loyal Secretary of Hayes Town for 13 years.
She was always busy organising parties, many coach outings and often in later years after counting everyone on board, would have to dash back home to look after her elderly parents.
Upon their death four years ago, Sandra had moved to Devon to be nearer her brother and family.
Sandra was an active member of the Middlesex Federation Board of Trustees for about ten years, serving on both Fundraising and Speech & Drama committees, and she organised the catering at many Federation events.
She was a great organiser and team player, always encouraging and enthusiastic to make events fun for members. She is remembered fondly by many in the MFWI family.
Another WI member, Linda Garthwaite, many years with Uxbridge and latterly with Hayes Town also died at the end of September. To start our Thursday meeting, a lighting of a candle a minute’s silence to remember our lovely friends .
In happier news, we welcomed another two new members, now ten in all since reopening in August, and our meeting went on with much hilarity, with five games of bingo and winners taking away chocolate and lottery tickets: they could be millionaires yet!
West Hampstead WI celebrated 10 years at our meeting on 7 October. Prosecco and cake were the order of the day and award-winning local actress Sarah Woodward did the honours cutting our celebration cakes. She had spoken at the meeting about the life of a jobbing actress, the ups and downs and stresses of an uncertain profession.
A vote of thanks to our founder Vicky Brown, who has served as President throughout our first decade, proposed by Membership Secretary Jane May, was greeted with enthusiastic applause.
From small beginnings, our membership has grown to nearly 40. Monthly meetings have included practical crafts and skills ranging from fashioning willow, hat making and creating natural cosmetics to massage techniques and mixing cocktails. We are fortunate we can draw on a plethora of local talent for our guest speakers including actors, authors, historians, academics, garden designers, psychotherapists, vets, and many more.
We have enjoyed talks from actors including Jim Carter, Imelda Staunton, Edward Petherbridge and Phillida Law, learned about conservation of paper and musical instruments, heard about creative writing from several novelists, restorative justice, protection from terrorism and food recycling as well as many more esoteric topics.
During the lockdown, we stayed in touch with each other as best we could. As soon as restrictions eased, members were able to meet outside for coffee mornings at Fortune Green, our local park, and in the summer we resumed our regular monthly programme, enjoying visits to both the Coexistence Exhibition of Elephants in Green Park and the current Frieze Sculpture Exhibition.
As Vicky said, “When we set up the new branch, we had no idea how it might develop. It has been very rewarding, offering local women an opportunity to meet socially. Many of us have made new friends, learnt a variety of new skills and met some wonderfully talented and interesting guest speakers. As part of the wider WI, we have been able to support some important national initiatives including the Show the Love climate change campaign and No More Violence Against Women, still very much an active issue of particular importance to women. Having survived the disruption caused by the Covid-19 lockdown, I look forward to a bright future for West Hampstead WI as we enter our second decade.”
Stone Rangers WI (Leytonstone) marked The Big Green Week in various ways throughout September.
Climate ambassadors Jill Hasler and Jane Ramsell worked together to produce a special edition Green Newsletter – providing simple ideas which members could action locally on an individual basis to reduce, reuse and recycle.
We asked members to consider the MFWI survey points – electric car charging points and tree planting – which led to a lively discussion in our September meeting which we will follow up on with our local councillor.
The month’s efforts culminated in a ‘Pick up Plastic’ walk on the last Saturday of The Big Green Week. 12 members and friends collected 4 huge bags of rubbish and recycling in an hour of pleasant camaraderie on Wanstead Flats. One passer-by commented, “how very community spirited of you, thank you very much.” We considered this a job well done and a month well spent!
Our first Bedfont Belles trip out this year was a visit to the Tower of London organised by Chris. We all enjoyed a talk by a jolly Beefeater and then went our own ways to explore. Fewer visitors meant no queuing, and the weather was kind.
Our AGM was held once again at the British Legion. Our WI Advisor Carol Sullivan came to oversee the proceedings. The committee was once again voted in with grateful thanks from the members. They surprised us with a Lucky Dip from which each person received a gift. We were warned not to get too excited as some people received toiletries while others received a scourer, sponge and J cloth. Such a sense of humour!
Harlington WI had its third meeting in its new temporary venue, and everyone is getting familiar and comfortable with it now.
The Reverend Mike Talbot came to the meeting to introduce himself, as our normal venue is next door to the Church. He will be leading the prayers on our event on Armistice Day in Harlington.
We have been busy making a poppy-themed knitted and crocheted wreath and a postbox topper is nearly finished for the village post box.
An excellent talk was given by Ali Wade from London Air Ambulance service. It was a fascinating insight into the range of work and volume of cases the service deals with every day. We all felt very grateful that we live in London and have access to this service should we have misfortune to need it. Imagine getting across the M25 in 11.5 minutes: they have done it in nine minutes, weather dependent.
We enjoyed our raffle, quiz and delightful refreshments.
By the time you read this we hope you’ll have been thinking about the 2022 resolution shortlist and that your WI will have scheduled a discussion or debate on the list. This year’s shortlist feels fresh and challenging: what do you think?
Remember, the deadline for members’ resolution selections to be returned to the Federation (usually via your WI) is 14 February 2022.
Here are the shortlisted resolutions.
Girls’ clothing ranges often promote harmful gender stereotypes and can lack the practicality and robustness of boys’ clothing due to the differing design features and materials used. The NFWI calls on clothing manufacturers and retailers to produce and market clothes for girls at all ages which are equal to their boys’ clothing ranges in terms of design, quality and coverage, and which aim to empower and enable girls to feel comfortable and confident in whatever activity they choose throughout their childhood.
Women in prison are some of the most vulnerable in society. The majority have committed non-violent offences, and many have been victims of much more serious offences than those they are accused of committing. Prison can do enormous lasting damage to women’s mental health, and research shows that community support and management can be far more effective and produce better reoffending outcomes than custodial sentences, as well as mitigate the negative impacts on children and their wider families. The NFWI therefore urges government to renew its focus on early-intervention and community-based solutions for women who have committed non-violent offences as a matter of urgency.
Too many women are experiencing discrimination at work and in wider society during the menopause. The NFWI calls on the Government to strengthen equality law by including the menopause as a protected characteristic alongside pregnancy and maternity under the Equality Act 2010, in order to provide better protection for women and to help tackle the stigma around menopause.
Women and girls presenting with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are going undiagnosed. The NFWI calls on the government and funding bodies to fund research into the female presentation of ASD and ADHD, and for action to be taken to improve the diagnosis process for women and girls, to ensure that they are equipped to better manage these conditions and do not suffer in silence. The NFWI further calls on WI members to raise awareness within their WIs of the issues facing women and girls with ASD and ADHD.
Digital exclusion in the UK is preventing a significant proportion of the population from accessing the internet, and therefore limiting access to essential services, learning opportunities and social connection. This can be due to a lack of internet connection, lack of access to devices or lack of digital literacy. With millions of people affected, the NFWI calls on the government to increase investment in digital infrastructure, ensure access to suitable devices and appropriate education and training.
The NFWI website has some great resources to assist WIs in this process:
https://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/resolutions/resolution-shortlist-202122
