Annual Conference of the WI in Wales

More than 700 members from across Wales will be attending the 85th Annual Conference of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes-Wales (NFWI-Wales) at Venue Cymru, Llandudno on 2 April 2009 between 10.45am and 4.00pm. The theme of the conference is ‘Mines and Mountains’.

The conference will be addressed by the following speakers:

• NFWI Chair Fay Mansell from Gwent will speak about her passion for climbing mountains and her stories of the challenges of climbing all the Welsh peaks over 2000ft as well as her most recent effort, Kilimanjaro. She will also share with delegates the mountains she has climbed with the WI and the goals ahead for the organisation;

• World-renowned operatic tenor Rhys Meirion will speak about his venture as a Welsh Tenor;

• Members from the Search and Rescue Dogs Association in Wales (SARDA) will talk about search dogs with an overview also of mountain rescue. They will be accompanied by their dogs;

• Archaeologist David Chapman from Ancient Arts will address members on the subject “From Ore to Axe-Ancient Copper Mines and the Search for a Bronze Age Civilization”;

• Rhian Connick, Head of NFWI-Wales, will present a report of work highlighting the campaigning activities, projects and events organised since April 2008;

• Media and Corporate Communications Officer Luned Jones from Oxfam Cymru will illustrate to delegates, with a film and slides, the relationship between gender and climate change and how globally climate change is hitting women the hardest.

Marylyn Haines Evans, Chair of the Federations of Wales Committee said: “Women and Climate Change is one of the key campaigns of the Women’s Institute.  Our Women Reaching Women project is raising awareness about world poverty, inequality and climate change issues, focussing particularly on how women are affected. During the coming months WI members plan to campaign on these issues in the run up to the United Nations climate change talks in Copenhagen in December”.