January started as we mean to go on with another full house for ‘Talkin Bout a Resolution’s general meet, craft and national resolution discussion running alongside membership renewals and a jolly good time.
The committee were on full form with their introductions, finance updates and branch information round up before leading the us into the Bunny-Battle-Loyal, with our lovely ladies putting the case forward for the 8 proposed national resolutions.
To give you a roses-recap, every January the national WI asks us to decide which worthy cause we would like them to campaign for publicly and with government. Such worthy causes as a parents right to stay overnight (first 24hrs) for a child admitted to hospital and increased awareness of the Organ Donors register have been some of our ever so successful campaigns as a national federation working together in unison..and together we are a mighty force!
Ban the microbead, the Brightest Bouncy Bunny that is our own Steph explained to us how those little hyper absorbent grains in make up and nappies to name but a few offenders are clogging up the sea floor and killing fish! Step also spoke out on the Prevention of sudden cardiac death in young adults in the UK imploring the Government to put in place a national strategy for the prevention of young sudden cardiac death to ensure that all young people between the ages of 14 and 35 have access to heart screening by appropriately qualified professionals to identity any potentially life-threatening conditions.
British fruit: reviving our heritage Our own Legal Eagle Emma spoke out for a campaign that creates a fruit revival in local communities, celebrates our WI roots, promotes health, addresses food security and whilst reducing the carbon footprint. Emma then went on to Avoid food waste, address food poverty calling on all supermarkets to sign up to a voluntary agreement to avoid food waste, thereby passing surplus food onto charities thus helping to address the issue of increasing food poverty in the UK.
Free sanitary protection for homeless women The Roaring Rose, Julie-Anne urged us to campaign for homeless shelters to be provided with a funding allowance to enable them to provide sanitary protection (tampons and towels) for homeless women and Mind or body – equal funding for care Calling upon the Government to ensure that the care of people with mental health issues to receive equal precedence with physical illness within the NHS..
First aid to save lives Our Ever-Caring Clare asked us to consider that suffering could be minimized and lives could be saved if more members of the general population were trained in first aid. The Government should therefore promote first aid training in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.
Finally, our own Princess Di of the WI, Grace-Ann spoke to us on Appropriate care in hospitals for people with dementia proposing the WI pressures the Government and the NHS to provide facilities to enable carers to stay overnight with people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia that have been admitted into hospital and often become disorientated and distressed, without the mental capacity to understand their situation as a result of their illness.
And Appropriate care in hospitals for people with dementia ultimately was the resolution you lovely ladies cast the most vote for and the resolution behind which we will be asking the national federation to put its’ force behind.
Thank you all you lovely people!
