The WI has a long history of campaigning on a
wide range of issues that matter to women. Some current campaigns are listed
below (or go to http://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns
)
WIonER Charity of the year 2017
We are pleased to support Friends of Porter Valley, who's vision is to conserve, protect and restore the ecology, landscape and cultural heritage of the Porter and Mayfield Valleys for the enjoyment of all and the benefit of future generations, Click Here for more information.
WIonER Charity of the year 2016
For information about this charity and it's work with the homeless, which we are proud to support this year, see their latest information at: Cathedral Archer Project
WIonER Charity of the year 2015:
Golddigger Trust is an award-winning charity, working to equip young people with the confidence and skills to make positive choices for themselves. Golddigger Trust is at the forefront of self-esteem work in Sheffield and across the UK - see http://www.golddiggertrust.co.uk/
WIonER Charity of the year 2014
WI on Ecclesall Road chose Baby Basics (http://baby-basics.org.uk/) as their charity of the year 2014. This local charity was founded by one of our members and provides essential baby products to vulnerable new and expectant mothers who have been referred by healthcare professionals - such as midwives, health visitors or social workers.
WIonER Charity of the year 2017
We are pleased to support Friends of Porter Valley, who's vision is to conserve, protect and restore the ecology, landscape and cultural heritage of the Porter and Mayfield Valleys for the enjoyment of all and the benefit of future generations, Click Here for more information.
WIonER Charity of the year 2016
For information about this charity and it's work with the homeless, which we are proud to support this year, see their latest information at: Cathedral Archer Project
WIonER Charity of the year 2015:
Golddigger Trust is an award-winning charity, working to equip young people with the confidence and skills to make positive choices for themselves. Golddigger Trust is at the forefront of self-esteem work in Sheffield and across the UK - see http://www.golddiggertrust.co.uk/
WIonER Charity of the year 2014
WI on Ecclesall Road chose Baby Basics (http://baby-basics.org.uk/) as their charity of the year 2014. This local charity was founded by one of our members and provides essential baby products to vulnerable new and expectant mothers who have been referred by healthcare professionals - such as midwives, health visitors or social workers.
SOS for
honeybees
The decline of honey bees represents a major loss in
biodiversity as honey bees are not only responsible for producing honey, but
play a vital role in pollinating plants. Approximately a third of our human
diet is directly dependent on bees. Winter
2012/13 was the worst on record for loss of honeybee colonies- and wild and solitary
bees are in trouble too.
Bee decline is multi-faceted, with decreases of foraging
habitat, changes in the climate, pests and diseases, and use of pesticides all
playing a role. Such declines are a major threat to biodiversity, not just for
bees but also for the plants they help pollinate.
The Great Food Debate
The NFWI has launched a project on food
security, a pressing issue as the world grapples with multiple threats to
agriculture and food supply. From climate change causing frequent floods and
drought and a worldwide population heading towards 9 billion by 2050, to war
and civil unrest, there is an urgent need to take action to ensure safe,
sustainable and nutritious food supplies. Members can get involved by joining
the debate – see notes from 2 members who attended a Great Food Debate event lower
down this page.SOS for high street and town centres
Over the last ten years changes in shopping habits have hit
the high street hard. Combined with reduced consumer spending, banks reluctant
to lend, and increasingly high rents and business rates, many high street
businesses are struggling. A resolution calling for an end to the decline of
our high streets was passed at the 2013 AGM . The challenges facing our high
streets and town centres reach to the heart of all our communities.Dementia Friendly Communities
In 2012 the Prime Minister set out his
challenge on dementia and delivery of improvements in care and research by
2015. Ruth Bond, NFWI Chair, has joined a Dementia Friendly Communities Champion
Group, co-chaired by Alzheimer's Society Chief Executive and Angela Rippon - to
find out what could make our communities more dementia friendly. The group is
looking at how to make 20 cities, towns and villages more dementia friendly by
2015.
Care Not Custody
The NFWI is calling for people with mental
health problems to get the right care for their condition via more diversion
schemes and better community mental health services offering safe alternatives
to imprisonment.
Love Your Libraries
At the 2011 AGM WI members adopted a
mandate launching Love Your Libraries.
The campaign is built on the understanding
that our public libraries are cherished spaces that hold a unique position at
the heart of local communities. WI members have championed the library
service, highlighted the important role that public libraries play,
particularly in touch economic times, and raised awareness of risks to the
service.
More
Midwives
The UK shortage of midwives, results in
fragmented, rushed care and extra demands on maternity services. Midwives are
facing increasing pressure with chronic staff shortages, the ongoing baby boom
and increasing numbers of complications in pregnancy. All combined, these
challenges make it harder to deliver a high standard of care to women and children
and mean that despite increases in the number of NHS midwives, maternity units
are still short staffed.
The
Great Food Debate
Notes from an interesting and informative event at SYFWI in Doncaster (autumn 2013)
Notes from an interesting and informative event at SYFWI in Doncaster (autumn 2013)
The first session reminded us to use food
sensibly, avoid waste and to consider shopping for seasonal, locally produced food.
The second session concentrated on food
safety – Remember the 4 C’s:-
-
Cleaning
-
Cooking
-
Chilling
-
Cross–contamination
The third session, on Genetic Modification,
was led by the biologist Gill Atkinson. A
great contribution can be made from GM in :-
-
feeding
populations through bigger and better disease–free crops
-
preventing
diseases/allergies eg research is ongoing to identify and remove the gene which
causes nut allergy
-
vaccine
protection eg cholera vaccine can be genetically modified so that refrigeration
is unnecessary, resulting in its longer life and more effective use in disaster
relief situations
-
rearing
animals to avoid infections eg chickens can be bred with immunity to bird flu
-
saving
human lives eg adapting pigs to be more suitable for human organ transplants
But we must not forget the possible dangers –
-
widespread
GM reduces bio-diversity so that whole species of plants may be wiped out,
which in turn, could eradicate particular insects, birds and so on . . .
-
long
term effects are not known . . .
Overall we were urged to keep an open mind to
the whole concept of GM. The future must include more research to give us the
ability to feed the global population, but should also include safe, regulatory
measures.
(The full report Food for Thought: Global and
National Challenges of Food Security is available on the WI’S Website at http://www.thewi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/49842/food-security_dec2012_web_rev130108-1.pdf
- note 40 pages)
Mary Tattersall and Esmée Pond 23 February
2014
