Reports

GFWI Garden Party at Blaisdon 12 June
Diane Thomas Upton St Leonards WI writes: I woke up and looked out the window. Oh dear it was rather overcast. Did this mean I would have to wear a coat over my Posh Frock? Luckily the sun came out as the morning progressed and I left my coat at home.

My friends and I drove to Blaisdon following the well posted route. We arrived about 1.45 to be greeted by a waitress, dressed in black skirt, white blouse and white hat. She had either wine or fruit juice for us.
We then wandered around the gardens, glass in hand, admiring the lovely flowers and trees. What a lovely tranquil place. At 2.15 we made our way to the tea marquee which had tables for 10 people all laid out beautifully with matching china and plates of a variety of sandwiches, scones, cream, fresh strawberries and delicious looking cakes.

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Margaret welcomed all of us. Sheila gave a few words welcoming us to her beautiful garden. Jan gave her “elf and safety” speech. Well it was rather a dangerous place what with all the steps and the stream running through!! Our guest speaker was then introduced and gave us a very interesting history of tea. Transporting us to China and India without having to leave our seats.

Then at last we could start eating. It had been very difficult with all that food in front us not to pick. (Luckily it was covered with cling film!) The food very soon disappeared, washed down with a cup of tea or coffee. We were then able to explore more of the garden before the raffle was drawn at 4.30.

What a lovely afternoon it had been. Seeing everyone dressed up. The sun shining from a lovely blue sky.

Many, many thanks to Glenda and her team for organising such a great event. A lot of work must have gone into it to make it perfect.

Report on the National Federation of Women’s Institutes AGM held in Cardiff 2nd June 2010
Brenda Kimmins from Benhall WI writes: The Annual general meeting of the WI was held in Cardiff International Arena on 2 June 2010. I went to represent Benhall WI and I am so glad I did. It was an unforgettable experience. Our coach left Royal Well at 6.50am then travelled all around the Cotswolds picking up WI delegates from Bourton on the Water, Cirencester and Stroud. Another coach picked up ladies from the Gloucester side. It was a very misty morning but the sun broke through before we got to Cardiff at 10am.

Cardiff is a beautiful city which is definitely worth a day trip on its own, but we just had time to take our seats in the packed arena. There were around 5000 WI members there from all over the British Isles including Jersey and the Isle of Wight. Many had stayed overnight. When they all stood to sing Jerusalem it was very uplifting. But being so well organised the day raced on in top gear until 4.30.

I wish I could have bottled the atmosphere and brought it here for you, but all I can do is try to give you a flavour of what impressed me in a few bullet points!

  • There are 207,000 members in WI at the moment
  • The subscription for next year will be £30 ~ a very modest rise of 50p.
  • By 2015 the aim is 250,000 members then the subscriptions will be split as follows: 50% kept by individual WIs, 25% will go to GFWI and 25% will go to NFWI will
  • Supermarkets such as the Co-op and Tesco will be selling WI range of cakes from this Autumn
  • £1.8million has been paid to WI net of fees by the government as repayment of VAT wrongly charged on subscriptions over the last 37 years! This money will be really helpful in furthering the aims of the WI and grants will be given to WIs to help them attract and keep members
  • NFWI has a surplus of £67,000 but Denman College, which has to be self-funding, has had a difficult year and has a deficit of £89,000 mainly due to a complete refurbishment so all rooms are now ensuite and a very high standard. Members are encouraged to visit and use the college
  • MPs are voting in the European Parliament on 14 June on issues including the mandatory labelling of food with country of origin. The results of the WI vote (6273 for/55 against) will be forwarded to the relevant people and it will carry a lot of weight according to Gwyn Jones from the NFU. Apparently the new coalition government looks favourably on this issue.
  • The Union Flag on a product does not necessarily mean it is British while the red tractor sign does
  • 2015 is a very significant year on lots of fronts: 750th Anniversary of the founding of the House of Commons, 800th Anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, and 100th Anniversary of WI. Many celebrations are being planned nationally and by WI
  • The Big Lunch will be held on 18 July all over the country. 11,800 streets took part last year, this year the aim is for many more. Plans are underway for 2011 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with street lunches, and for 2012 to celebrate the Olympics being held in UK
  • WI will be working towards a new Constitution which is more up to date and relevant
  • Future AGMs of the WI will be held in Liverpool in 2011, Albert Hall in 2012, Cardiff Arena in 2013, Liverpool in 2014 and the O2 Arena in London in 2015 to celebrate the centenary. The O2 Arena can hold 15,000 members! Imagine that – unmissable. There will be choirs, music, drama and sport all represented. There are also plans for a Royal garden party, a time capsule, and a walk from one federation to another as well as a book of memories of 100 years of WI.
  • Our programme was entered in the national competition with Moreton in Marsh but sadly we did not win. The best overall came from a WI in Dorset, 2nd Lickey in Worcestershire and 3rd from the Isle of Wight
  • 263 WI members joined the Let’s Cook and Get Cooking
  •  programmes last year. They were funded by SSA to train parents and young mums to cook healthy, nutritious and economic meals. They also encouraged the family to sit and eat together to encourage social skills and communication and family relationships. Several thousand children benefitted from these programmes. This is just one of the many worthwhile initiatives the WI Public Affairs Committee is involved in.

In between all the business that was discussed at the AGM there were several world class inspirational speakers. Each in their own way impressed and inspired us. First there was Gwen Parry Jones. With her Masters degree in Finance and her PhD in Physics she was bound to impress, but then we learned that she is also the first woman to become Station Director of a nuclear power station! She gave a great talk on nuclear power called Deal or No Deal – or a World without Jam! She heads 500 staff and generates 8% of the country’s electricity. She explained that generating electricity from nuclear or wind sources uses only 5grams of carbon whereas using coal etc uses a hundred times that. She demonstrated the amount of fuel used and waste produced with a £1 coin. Clearly it is a complex and emotive issue. I lived near Windscale in 1957 when the nuclear accident occurred and I have seen firsthand the results of the Chernobyl disaster. But if only the top 1% of the world’s population has power on demand now and even that is causing problems with the supply then clearly we can’t go on depending on non – renewable sources for our power.

Next we heard Lee Durrell the Hon Director of Durrell Wildlife Conservation, give a wonderful talk on endangered species illustrated with fabulous photos of some of the rarest animals in the world, many of which I had never seen or even heard of! She is the widow of Gerald Durrell the great conservationist who wrote a famous book, My Family and Other Animals. He also founded Jersey Zoo to further his aims of protecting endangered species.

The most amusing, even alarming speaker was Tim Smit. A versatile and very clever man, he was responsible for the restoration of the lost garden of Heligan, and is Chief Executive of the Eden Project. His background was in archaeology and anthropology, then music both rock and classical, before he became a business guru with a very unusual management style! Tim has very strong opinions about most things and is devoted to leaving the world a better place when he dies. This was his challenge to all of us. He has instigated the Big Lunch idea which takes place on 18 July. He wants every community to join in and get their neighbours together. He believes passionately that Britain is not broken but is a bit battered and bruised and it is up to all of us to help make it better for everyone, starting in our own community.

Another speaker booked to attend was Rt Hon John Bercow MP, the speaker of the House of Commons. Due to the fact that Wednesday was the first Prime Minister’s Question Time for the new Coalition Government he really had to be in London. However he did join us by a video link and gave a very blunt and forthright speech. He basically said that MPs know that government has to completely change; that respect has to be earned and relevance demonstrated. The crisis caused by the expenses scandal has proved to be a catalyst for that change. The aim, similar to the WI’s is to maintain traditional values while dealing with topical issues. What he explained, which the press has not featured, is that MPs have started to reconnect with the public by taking government out to the people. Mr Bercow is responsible for this Outreach programme which will encourage the public to take part in and influence government. He invited WI members to go to Speaker’s House to discuss issues and concerns. He has already welcomed groups with a variety of special interests ranging from Burmese exiles to people with brain tumours. He said he is the 157th Speaker of the House. In the past 7 have been executed, 1 killed in battle and 1 murdered so he is slightly nervous!

The entertainment to round off the AGM was provided by Only Men Aloud who won the Last Choir Standing in 2008. They were simply sensational. They sang a mixture of traditional welsh male voice choir songs, a medley of Tom Jones hits, and a selection of classical music including my favourite, the duet from the Pearl Fishers by Bizet. At the end they sang Jerusalem followed by Land Of My Fathers in Welsh, and the National Anthem. It was an awesome end to an unforgettable day. It made me so glad that I joined the WI. Any member can go to the AGM. Do try to go next year.

 

Climate Chaos at Gloucester Guildhall:  28 April
Sue Moulds from GFWI Public Affairs Committee writes: This was the second Gloucestershire event as part of the 3 year national ‘Women Reaching Women’ campaign. We were pleased that Yetunde Akintola from NFWI, David Drew, Stroud MP for some years and visitors from neighbouring counties as well as GFWI members were in attendance.

This joint venture of NFWI, Oxfam and the Everyone Foundation is funded by the Department for International Development. Representatives from federations throughout the country have attended Denman courses and are asked to hold events to inform as many people as possible about the issues discussed.

Three excellent presentations were made.

Dr Wendy Stephenson from the Converging World Charity told us about their work in India and gave a presentation on climate change. Fiona Remnant from Oxfam showed how the impact of climate change is greater on women in developing countries, showing some problems and the efforts being made to alleviate them in an African and an Indian community and Naveed Chaudhri also of Oxfam gave a presentation on the Millennium Development Goals.

All three speakers had superb audio visual resources which are available to WIs in the county. Please contact Pam Sparrow, Chairman, Public Affairs Committee or Sue Moulds GFWI representative on NFWI’s Women Reaching Women campaign for details.

Sharpness, Purton and the Incredible Hulks
Jenny Cooper from the Leisure Committee writes: On a glorious mid-October morning a group of almost 60 set off from Sharpness for one of the regular mid-week walks, on this occasion with an historical theme.

Participants had come from all over Gloucestershire, and for many Sharpness was a rather delightful, undiscovered corner. Assembly and registration completed at the Pier View Hotel, where there was a welcoming coffee from Tina and her team, the group set off along field paths in the direction of Purton, to the accompaniment of birds singing as though it were Spring!

Here, a short break to explore the church or canal, or just enjoy the peace and wonderful autumn sunshine with some refreshments from the backpack. Then it was across the canal, via a swing-bridge, towards the estuary.

After a short while the route emerged between the river on the right and the canal on the left, and there they were  - the Purton Hulks! Some 80 ships abandoned between 1909 and 1963 and the largest ships' graveyard in Britain. Home to the finest collection of schooners, concrete and steel barges in the country, representing the birth of British industry, supplying coal to the blast furnaces of Ironbridge and then transporting the products around the world. Now beached and left to protect the bank from erosion by the strong currents in the river.

Immediately afterwards are the remains of the Severn Railway Bridge, opened in 1879, which carried a single-track railway between Sharpness and Lydney and was used most regularly for transporting coal from the Forest of Dean to the docks. In 1960, an accident in thick fog between two barges caused part of the bridge to collapse and it was finally demolished in 1970.

The original canal, itself an impressive engineering feat, comes to an end by way of a colourful marina, in the Old Dock of 1827, complete with the original entrance lock into the Severn. The working waterway now leads into the New Dock of 1874, where sea-going vessels of up to 5,000 tons can be accommodated.

All in all, a fascinating walk, followed by an excellent lunch at the Pier View Hotel, an end to a perfect autumn day.

Especial thanks to Shirley Wood and Jenny Buckland from Southfield WI for their research and for leading the walk.

Visit to Shugborough 16 June
Kathy Quant from Upton St Leonards WI writes: On a delightful summer's day eight coaches of WI members set off to visit Shugborough in Staffordshire.

Enthusiastically we visited the working dairy, mill with water wheel, old fashioned sweet shops, stables with tack and bridles, hay wagons of days past - pure nostalgia.
Sitting for lunch amongst the animals, refreshed we moved onto the fine "Mansion House" plus servants quarters, home of the Earls of Lichfield, whose artistic photography of the late Earl was striking.

Celebrating later with iced cake, fanfare of fireworks, speeches by Margaret and Glenda we toasted our very own 90th anniversary with champagne.

Fantastic!

Visit to the Houses of Parliament 12 May
Poppy Moss from The Chase WI writes: Our trip to London was organised because we had been so overwhelmed with applications to go last year that another visit was arranged to allow everyone the chance to visit the Houses of Parliament. 
The members enjoyed a tour round the Palace of Westminster and a good few of them went to listen to a debate in the House of Commons. We concluded our visit with a Question and Answer session with David Drew the MP from Stroud and the MP from Gloucester Parmjit Dhanda. Altogether this was a most interesting and informative day! The photo shows our members gathered in a Committee Room for the question and answer session.

Visits to the Houses Of Parliament have been a very popular item on the the Public Affairs agenda within the last three years. and this was the sixth visit. We have been sponsored by the MPs from The Forest of Dean, Mark Harper, for Gloucester Parmjit Dhanda and for the Cotswolds Geoffrey Clifton Brown.

WI walking weekend at Abergavenny.
Di Burgum writes: Thirty nine WI ladies, husbands and friends were picked up by Rover coaches at various places to travel, in the sun, to ‘The Hill’ at Abergavenny for a weekend of walking in the beautiful Welsh countryside.

On arrival we were greeted with a welcome cup of tea and cake before wandering round the beautiful walled garden or relaxing in our rooms. During a delicious 3-course dinner members were soon chatting and comparing WI experiences. Bill, one of the local guides gave a brief outline of the three walks for the following day, and everyone signed up for the walk of their choice. Some social time was spent in the bar before gradually people retired to their beds.

Saturday morning dawned dry and sunny and following breakfast people joined their chosen group to enjoy a day of walking.

 After a steady climb with regular stops to admire the view (and get your breath back) we had to time to ooh! and ah! at the baby lambs, and soak up the beauty of dark blue bluebells under a canopy of fresh green beech leaves, Mother Nature at her Spring best.
Picnic lunches were a welcome excuse to sit down, admire the views and address the hunger pangs.

There is more to walking than walking. One group enjoyed a tree hug round a 400 year old sweet chestnut tree,
while another group were marvelling at the sculptural wonder and ‘enchanted wood’ atmosphere of Sessile Oaks with their moss coated trunks and branches.

Two of the walks finished at the charming, historic town of Crickhowell with time to visit the castle, wander down to the river or enjoy some retail therapy before catching the minibus back. Several walkers had taken the longer, blustery Sugar Loaf route to get there; others had climbed Table Mountain (no not the South African one!).


On Sunday many more of the party made it to the top of the Sugar Loaf Mountain while others enjoyed the peaceful tranquillity of walking along the banks of the river Usk, and through a densely flowered buttercup meadow. During the lunch picnic by the river, a rare and unusual pochard duck flew past and back again. One group were spurred on by Brian’s promise of a visit to a local vineyard. Three varieties of wine were sampled and the general consensus was the white wine was the best.

A most enjoyable weekend. Thank you to Diana and the leaders.
Campaign and Debate Day 29 April
Lisa Lovering from Tutshill WI writes: Over 70 WI members from across the county gathered at Witcombe  for a full and informative day, made all more pleasurable by the excellent refreshments provided by Southfields WI.

The morning began with a short presentation by Liz Wright from Oxfam on the Women Reaching Women project. Liz outlined how climate change impacts women differently to men.

Pam Sparrow chairman of Public Affairs committee and Liz Wright, Community and Activism Campaigner for Oxfam South West. 

The NFWI is running a three year campaign to raise awareness of world poverty and climate change, focussing particularly on how women are affected. With funding from the Deparment for International Development NFWI will be working closely with Oxfam and the Everyone Foundation until March 2011 to bring global inequality to the top of the WI agenda. We then watched "Sisters on the Planet"  - a specially commissioned dvd which illustrated not only the impact of climate change on women in different continents but also what some women were trying to do to combat this. The dvd is well worth watching and is available from WI House.  As you would expect from any gathering of WI members a lively debate followed which continued through lunch.

Following lunch we went on to hear more about the plight of the honeybee from Dave Maslan, a bee keeper.  

All in all a very enjoyable day - thank you Pam and all on Public Affairs committee for organising this. Thanks too to Southfields for looking after us so well!

Cheltenham Rugby Festival on 25 April
Sue Wilson, on behalf of GFWI,  presented the Golden Fern Cup to the winners of the Ladies competition at the Cheltenham Rugby League Festival. The women's event was a new addition to the nine-a-side tournament, which started last year to commemorate the Rugby league Test series, played in Cheltenham in 1908, between England and New Zealand.

The Cup was won by the British Army who beat England Students in the final. Sue Wilson (right) with Pat Crawshaw, presenting the Golden Fern Cup to the captain of the British Army team.
Sue joined Pat Crawshaw, the chair of the RFL's National Female Steering Group, to present the trophy and choose the player of the tournament. This was won by Briege Williams from the Cheltenham Ladies team who normally play rugby union.

Around 30 ladies' teams play rugby league across the country and tornaments like this can only help to increase interest in the game which traditionally has its roots in the north of England.

Might we see a WI Rugby League team in the future? You never know!

County Walk hosted by Edge WI on 18 April
Caroline Fennell from Norton WI writes: The weather was dry and bright, the village hall at Pitchcombe crowded with walkers keen to be off!!
Our four mile walk, led by Mary and Liz, set off up the hill towards Edge Common. Once we reached the top of the hill the rest of the walk was all on the level or downhill - so we could relax and enjoy the views.
From Edge Common we carried on through some woodland and on to Haresfield Common where we walked out to the bronze 3D map
We continued through Standish Wood where the bluebells were just coming out, across some fields and then through the village of Pitchcombe and back to the hall. Four miles completed and no stiles!!
Everyone enjoyed the walk and the excellent lunch of soup and ploughmans. Many thanks to Edge WI.
Annual Council Meeting at Cheltenham Town Hall
Some 700 members gathered at Cheltenham on Wednesday 25 March for the annual council meeting. As ever the day was filled with a mix of business to be conducted and some very interesting speakers.

 In our 90th year our County Chairman, Margaret Clarke chose as her theme in her keynote address "embrace the new and cherish the old".  We were able to congratulate ourselves on another successful year with membership rising within the federation. A new style County Newsheet was unveiled.

The Federation remains financially sound. Rising membership and well supported county activities have helped to offset the predictable loss of income from the Federation investments. We were very pleased that our National Chair, Fay Mansell, was able to join us too. Fay reflected on her many years as a WI member and more recently her experience at the national level. Fay urged all members to seize the opportunities within WI and aspire to become National Chair too!

The full calendar of events to celebrate our 90th anniversary year was announced. Take a look at 90th Celebrations page and the Forthcoming Events pages for full details! We were thrilled that Edward Gillespie, the Director of Cheltenham Racecourse, was able to join us so that we could thank him for  the marvellous support that the Racecourse are giving us during our 90th year. In his entertaining address he concluded with a hint that we may be able to visit the Racecourse again next year so watch this space...!
 

Margaret Clarke was very pleased to present awards to our Federation winners:

Nailsworth WI: Tim Poole Cup

Uley WI: Banff Award for recruiting the most new members in the over 25 members category

Siddington with Preston WI and Dursley WI awarded jointly for the most new members in under 25 category

Margaret Chappenden received the Judges Cup for the best photo in the calendar

Weavers Group won the Federation skittles tournament

Our final speaker for the day was Lisa Potts. Lisa recounted how in July 1996 she had been attacked by a schizophrenic with a maschette whilst she was looking after children in a day nursery in Wolverhampton. Lisa was awarded th George Medal for Bravery for her actions on that day. We heard how her life had changed since the attack and how in particular she had founded a charity "Believe to Achieve"  within 5 schools in the Wolverhampton area.

With the meeting over the 700 or so members made their way to cheerfully queue for the park and ride!
90th birthday celebrations begin at Cheltenham
Over 250 WI members from across the county came together at Cheltenham Racecourse to enjoy a magnificent day of racing, fun and friendship.
We were a mix of experienced racegoers and those who were at a racecourse for the first time. Our marquee was awash with hats, feathers and fascinators with everyone determined
to begin our birthday celebrations in style. The unanimous verdict on the day was "can we come back next year please!" 

We were very well looked after by everyone at the racecourse and shared the day with friends from BBC Radio Gloucestershire, BBC Points West and ITV West.  
Members from Woodmancote shared their experiences throughout the day with BBC Radio Gloucestershire listeners including the odd flutter or two on the horses!

ACWW was the nominated charity for the day and we were very pleased that Dato Ursula Goh the ACWW World President was able to join us too. 
Pictured with Data Ursula Goh are Margaret Clarke looking very elegant, Mary Watkins a GFWI Trustee, Anphia Grobler the ACWW Treasurer. and Sue Wilson looking stunning in purple. Sue was the Ladies Day Ambassador 2009.
Nintendo comes to Lechlade WI
Lechlade's Secretary responded to a Nintendo article in WI Life last summer offering a trial session to any interested WI. Nintendo were inundated with requests and chose 10 venues throughout the country, Lechlade being one of them.

Maggie Burrows, Lechlade WI writes: Fun, laughter and good company (all the things you would expect from the WI) were in evidence when Nintendo visited Lechlade in Gloucestershire recently. Nintendo see the WI as perfect partners as we have diverse sets of interests and an open-minded attitude to innovation.

They brought with them two Wii Fit Boards and several DS Lite games consoles. At first many people were sceptical about using the Wii Boards, but after a first tentative attempt they soon realised that the Wii Fit system was designed for all ages and abilities.
Liz Banks trying jogging with Wii Fit
Not only does the Wii Board measure weight and balance but using four different inbuilt programs it proved to be a very enjoyable way of keeping fit and supple. Not to be outdone by grandchildren we had a go at some of the other games and the roars of laughter as we attempted to ski jump or ski slalom must have been heard all over Lechlade!

The DS Lites were found to be almost addictive as we tried to train our brains through a variety of games and puzzles.             Janet Edwards and Jean Rust checking their brain ages on DS Lites

Some of the ladies also had a go in the village hall at a bit of Tai Chi which proved to be both therapeutic and relaxing as well as being good for balance and posture. Everyone who joined the Lechlade WI on the day had a really enjoyable time.
It was an excellent way of bringing Gloucestershire WIs together in a day of fun and, if Nintendo have their way, we will all become a lot fitter and develop new skills.
2009 Shortlist conference
Elaine Webb, Toddington WI, writes: Monday is laundry day? Wrong! If you had been in Churchdown near St Andrew's Church Hall on Monday 12th of January, you might have heard the 'Buzzing' sound of bees swarming around their hive? Surely not in mid-January!
Wrong again! - it was in fact around 100 WI members from all over Gloucestershire busy discussing and selecting their choices from the short list of resolutions to send forward to the 2009 AGM.

From five short listed resolutions, one of which was in fact about bees and the need for research into the problem diseases they are experiencing, we were to choose our favourites for the AGM.
In fact the 'Bee' resolution topped the list after we had heard some statistics and discussed the problems and the outcome if we lose all our bees. The other two which got high marks were concerned with i) re-allocating hospital cleaning to 'in-house' control, ii) urging the Government to adopt the Pitt Review to adopt measures to better deal with potential flooding in the future.
Pam Sparrow and her Public Affairs sub-committee organised and stewarded the morning with expertise and aplomb! It was enjoyed greatly by all who went and exercised their democratic role in WI.
Many thanks to Pam and her team!!