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As you will know plastic carrier bags are a target of the NFWI environment campaigns due to the amount of pollution they cause. It seems that that London Councils, as part of the 10th Amendment of the London Local Authorities Bill have started a public consultation to see what London residents would think about a city-wide ban on plastic carrier bags.
Looking forward to seeing you all at the Chutney Making Day on the 13th October. It should be lots of fun and a chance to learn one of the older style WI skills.
Some info for the day:
Venue: Holy Cross School, Sandal Road, New Malden. You can find a map showing the location here
Travelling by train? Take a train from Waterloo, Clapham Junction or Wimbledon to New Malden. (FYI Joanna Hackett is planning on taking on 9.21pm train from Clapham Junction.) From the station, walk left down the High Street, turn right at the roundabout into Kingston Road and then Sandal Road is third on the left.
Entry is through the big red door.
Driving – there is plenty of parking in the street outside the school.
Timing: Please be at the school for 9.45am.
We should be all finished by 2.30pm.
Bring: The school has a few aprons we can borrow, but please bring one if you have one and don’t forget some sort of bag to carry your wares home in! Please also bring some money as the jam jars and ingredients etc are to be paid for (cost price).
If you have any questions, please contact Joanna Hackett
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Article from the NFWI website
Three members of the WI will be appearing on Alan Titchmarsh’s chat show every Tuesday, during the months of September and October. The members are Jean Sheppard from Berkshire, Katie Best from London and Sharon Badby from Yorkshire. And there may be even more members chatting to Alan over the two months.
This is a lively show and whilst Alan will talk to our members about serious issues he will also be giving them fun challenges. Support our ladies by tuning in to ITV at 3.00pm every Tuesday.
If you can't watch the show- you can catch up with the WI ladies here
Original post 01/01/07. Links updated Sept 2007. 'Simple Solutions' booklet as featured on the Alan Titchmarsh Show!
Get your New Year off to an environmentally-friendly start with some easy-to-keep resolutions inspired by the NFWI:
Spent too much over Christmas? Save pennies, and the planet with this little booklet full of 'Simple Solutions' for making your own beauty products and cleaners using simple ingredients that are probably already in your home. Produced as part of the 'Chemicals and Health Campaign', 'Simple Solutions' is packed full of tips from WI members on how to leave your skin glowing and your home sparkling! To order a copy, please call the Public Affairs Department on 020 7371 9300.
Over-packaging of food was the focus of a day of direct action by WI members across the country in 2006. Do your bit to stop the pollution caused by the 167 plastic bags you use each year by purchasing a long-lasting jute shopper from the NFWI website. Larger, stronger and longer-lasting than your average carrier- it's even compostable at the end of its very long life! The WI Jute Shopper measures W47cm x H32cm x B18cm and costs £7.50 (incl p&p). Buy yours today from the NFWI website. For day-to-day use why not keep a smaller cotton one in your handbag? These are available for £3 (incl p&p) again from the same source.
For further inspiration and information on how to make 2007 even greener, visit the 'Campaigns' page of the NFWI website.
Climate Change Bill This article is adapted from the NFWI website
You can download the response here: Download nfwi_draft_climate_change_bill_consultation_response_11jun071.pdf |
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| The next phase of the Climate Change Bill will happen this autumn, when the Bill is passed through the House of Lords. This is an important time to write to your MP to ask that they support a strong Climate Change Bill so download the draft letter at the end of this post to send to your MP. Please write to your MP after 9 October 2007 as they will be back in office after the summer recess. For contact details for your MP, visit www.writetothem.com |
You can read the draft Climate Change Bill here
As you know climate change is a hot topic for everyone and no less for the NFWI. Why not take the short survey and see how big or small your carbon footprint is? 
The site include handy tips on how to make your lifestyle greener without having to be like Barbara from 'The Good Life'- so there's not excuse, sign up today!
You can find some background on the WI Carbon Challenge on the FWI blog here
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WI EcoTeams are groups of eight members who represent their households. They meet once a month for four months to learn how their daily actions affect climate change. Discussions include water, energy, waste, transport and shopping. The EcoTeams share ideas and work together to learn how to make simple yet effective changes to their lifestyles to become more environmentally friendly and save money. EcoTeam leaders are responsible for recruiting members to their EcoTeams and organising their monthly meetings. Defra's Climate Challenge Fund is funding the EcoTeam programme until 2008. Defra's 'Tomorrow's Climate, Today's Challenge' initiative aims to involve and encourage individuals and communities to tackle climate change. |
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October Fulham WI meeting, Monday, 1st October from 7.30pm
Venue, as usual, is the upstairs function room at THE PETERBOROUGH
This meeting will be our 4th Birthday and also our AGM too-
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
The meeting will include talks from:
Alex Boyd: The mess in the Middle East
As a nation, we have been tied to the Middle East for nearly a century. We all have seen young O’Toole dashing across the desert with a moody Sharif in tow. We have carried this alliance on for decades, helping to draw the lines that formed their countries and even creating new ones along the way.
We now face numerous issues as there is an indeterminate amount of oil still to be bought: the Americans enjoy a disproportionate degree of power and the Islamic fundamentalists are seeking an unfeasible Utopia. What we don’t hear much about is how the US concentrates its foreign policy on energy protection, the Brits will play the long game backing whoever they deem to be favourable and we have to indulge a concept of religion that is, frankly, stuck in the Middle Ages.
If we pulled out, would there be carnage for eternity? If we are there to influence the region into a democratic benign area, then who are we dealing with and why should they change?
Having spent time working in that part of the world for both governmental departments (theirs, not ours!) and private companies, Alex is fascinated to find out how Fulham WI members feel and what we think the way forward is.
Carolyn Murison: It’s a Man’s World in the Army…..or so they think!
Major Carolyn Murison, Officer Commanding 5 Signal, Squadron, 31st Signal Regiment joined the TA in 1994. Major Murison will be talking to us about her time in the TA, particularly her experiences in Iraq on Op Telic in 2003 where, as well as experiencing both the good and the bad of Iraqi life she also met a variety of key personalities including Tony Blair, Gen Sir Mike Jackson and Nell McAndrew!
This will be a fascinating opportunity to hear about the role of women in today’s British army 1st hand.
Rick Brunwin: Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation
In 2000 it was discovered that up to 1 in 4 homeless people have a background in the armed services. The Oswald Stoll Foundation exists to ensure that vulnerable and disabled ex-serviceman and women live as independently as possible, enabling ex-service personnel to flourish and rebuild their lives by bringing them together with appropriate support within a community where they consider they belong.
The Oswald Stoll Foundation is our chosen charity for the 2007 Christmas Ball. A representative of the foundation will give us a brief introduction to its work and be available for our questions.
Fulham WI News and Events:
FWI Christmas Ball – “Viva Las Vegas”
The FWI Christmas Ball is a “Viva Las Vegas” theme … with live entertainment, disco and fun-casino and it’s on Saturday 01 December from 7.30pm to 1am at Fulham Town Hall (bang opposite Fulham Broadway tube/Centre)
The tickets are £60 per person and this includes a champagne reception, 3-course “Thanks-giving themed” meal and ½ bottle of wine (per person) on the table. There will be a cash bar selling wine, beer, champagne and soft drinks etc!
There will also be a raffle – we have some amazing prizes coming in such as: Tandem Sky-dive (thanks to the Bee-keeping Major!); £60 Dermalogica facial; Session with Image Trees – make up lesson or colour consultation; Session with a personal stylist; a years’ subscription to The Economist; bottles of wine and some other treats J Any other ideas – more than welcome!
Most importantly the money we raise from the Ball will be going to a local Fulham charity the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation – who we will hear from at this month’s meeting.
If anything it is a fun-packed evening and a great way to kick-start the Christmas season ………so, if you like the sound of it, want to dust off those party frocks and party the night away, tickets can be purchased at the October meeting – cheques should be payable to Fulham WI. We will be sending out a Ball mailer later on in the week with full details and also how to pay online!
All friends/partners or random good-looking people off the street welcome too – the more the merrier!! We are hoping to beat the £2,500 that we raised for last years’ charity!
Please keep an eye-open for further info on www.fulhamwi.org.uk and on Facebook – yes we have a FWI group on there too!
Nordic Walking
The Nordic Walking scheduled for Wednesday, 19th September has been cancelled by the organiser due to a personal matter. For anybody that has signed up to this activity, the organiser should have been in contact with you directly and is looking to re-arrange for another suitable date – perhaps the 26th September.
When I have any further information I will let you all know.
BBC Ready, Steady Cook
A BIG THANK YOU to the ladies who got involved with the filming for BBC Ready, Steady Cook. As soon as I have details of when it will be aired I will let you all know!
See you all there ... for those who cannot make it, see you very soon!
Fulham WI Committee xx
This article is an extract from the NFWI website
As part of the 90@90 project, the NFWI held two regional transport workshops in Hampshire and Oxfordshire federations to provide WI members with a forum to discuss local transport issues and with the expertise of Carplus, to devise sustainable transport projects and solutions.
There was a strong consensus at these workshops that WI members were keen to have a national WI lift sharing website. This would be an internet based scheme that allowed for WI members to match journeys with each other nationally. The website would be completely secure, save you money, take cars off the road and give you the opportunity to meet other WI members on your journeys around the country!
In order to take this idea forward, we are surveying the membership over the coming months to canvass opinions and support for such an initiative. If members are supportive, we will take further steps to investigate and source funding.
Want a preview? Have a look at Liftshare as an example website, keeping in mind that a WI website would be accessible to WI members only.
You can fill out the survey by clicking on the 'Lift Sharing Survey' link here
The following article has been extracted from the NFWI website: Do you want more local food in your community? We’ve got the tools to help you get it! |
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Through the 90@90 project, the NFWI has developed a toolkit to be used by WIs, community groups, parishes, shops and suppliers to help raise awareness about local food issues and get everyone working together to promote and increase local food sourcing in your community. | ||
| Over a 9 month period, the NFWI piloted a project in Bampton, Devon, working with the local shop and suppliers to trial a range of initiatives. As a result a host of local suppliers established links with local shops, the local Spar shop saw an increase in sales and the community became more aware of the importance of local food. Based on the successes in Bampton, we’ve now finalised the WI Living Local toolkit so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of increased local food in their communities. The toolkit is made up of numerous documents, templates and instructions to provide you with a range of initiatives for your very own Living Local project. We would like Living Local to be used by all members of your community; working together to raise awareness of all the wonderful benefits local food sourcing has to offer. |
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| The items in this toolkit will provide you with guidance on how to get started, no matter how big or small your Living Local project will be. Whether you are looking for information on how to approach local businesses, organise a tasting session, or give presentations to your local school, there are an abundance of tools to help you on your way. We want you to be creative; the toolkit documents can be used individually or as a set, as each Living Local project will be unique to your community’s needs. |
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