Business and pleasure

The BFWI Annual Council Meeting on 1st May at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury was enjoyable and business-like. Pat Poole, the Federation Chairman reported on the past year’s events and heralded the programme for the centenary in 2020. The finances are healthy but there was disappointment when a show of hands revealed how few of the Bucks members use the MYWI website and our own Federation pages. Steve Irons, the BCC Resilience Officer with the help of Thelma Sackman gave an entertaining report on the work of his team in harness with the WI and announced tests and exercises planned for October 2019. Ruba Asfahani told us about new courses and visits being introduced at Denman College and encouraged everyone to try to attend either on her own or as part of a small group.
Thalia Jervis, CEO Healthwatch Bucks explained its purpose, how it responds to information from the public. It needs people to report good as well as bad practice experienced. Healthwatch had visited 24 care homes and GP surgeries last year. It was also tasked with translating information leaflets and notices into language which anyone with a reading age of 9 years would be able to understand: this is the average reading age of the public nowadays. (An intake of breath here from ex-teachers in the audience). The Red Box Project was explained by Janet Kingdon from a Wantage WI who is an active founder member of the scheme. This is a system for the provision of sanitary wear in secondary schools for the girls from poorer homes who had missed 138,000 days of schooling in 2017 because they could not afford adequate protection. What a worthy, thoughtful and practical solution to a problem undertaken by a WI ahead of government action!
It was disappointing in the afternoon that Judge Francis Sheridan was unable to attend but Simon King OBE took advantage of the extra time as he showed examples of his wild life photography and recounted some of his adventures while making nature programmes for television. There was time for some federation news before the enjoyable meeting closed at 4pm.
​