Campaigns in our area
Love Your Libraries - NFWI Campaign 2011
Thank you to all of you who completed postcards supplied by NFWI and forwarded to Edward Vaizey MP, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries urging him to honour commitment to act as a champion of the library service. However, as you know, funds for libraries are allocated from local government funds and Cumbria County Council has said no decisions have been made about the future of any Cumbrian library. They are having public consultations to see if the public can think of better ways of providing a library service that doesn’t tie up a building and a large stock of books for 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year but might only provide access for say 10 hours a week when the building is open and staffed. They have also been asking people if there are better ways of delivering the service in rural areas where at present a mobile library might visit once every 4 to 6 weeks.
If you have any comments you would like to make about this, do please write either direct to Cumbria County Council or to WI House.
Sandra Hill, Chair of Public Affairs sub-committee
January 2012
Cheques to stay - Wonderful News!
I expect you now know that a major decision has been taken by the Payments Council regarding the future of cheques. I quote from the Press Release sent to me by Helen Doyle, Senior Consultant, Policy and Markets Unit working on behalf of the Payments Council: “The Payments Council announced on the 12th July 2011 that cheques will continue for as long as customers need them and the target for possible closure of the cheque clearing in 2018 has been cancelled. The Payments Council Board will continue to focus on security, efficiency and encouraging innovation in all types of payments to ensure customers have options best suited to the 21st century.” The decision to withdraw the facility to guarantee a cheque using plastic card still stands. This facility was withdrawn at the end of June this year but you can of course still use a cheque and businesses can still choose to accept them.
So many thanks to all of you for the information you gave us regarding use of cheques and completing so many Payments Council forms which we sent off to them. They must have all contributed towards this U-turn. It is an excellent conclusion for everybody.
Sandra Hill, Chair of Public Affairs sub-committee
July 2011
COOL - Country of Origin Labelling - NFWI Campaign 2010
The European Commission voted in July 2011 on a new Regulation on the provision of food information to consumers. This was published on 22 November 2011 in the EU Official Journal. The go-ahead for country of origin labelling is to be extended to fresh meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry. Under current EU laws, it is mandatory to provide country of origin for fresh beef and beef products, honey, fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil. The new rules will also tighten up the law to ensure that shoppers are not being misled by the appearance, description or pictorial presentation of food packaging. Meats, such as ham, which consist of combined meat parts must be labelled ‘formed meat’. There must be highlighting of allergens (such as peanuts or milk) in the list of ingredients and better legibility (minimum size of text). With respect to food sold via internet, it requires to provide the mandatory food information before the purchase is concluded. Requirements on information on allergens are extended to non-prepacked foods including those sold in restaurants and cafés.
According to the new regulation, nutrition labelling will become mandatory. Therefore, information on the energy content as well as amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrates, sugar, protein and salt must be stated on the label. Formerly, this requirement was voluntary unless a nutrition-related claim was made concerning the food. The mandatory nutrition declaration must be expressed per 100g or 100ml. In addition, a portion-based declaration may be provided on a voluntary basis, especially when the food is pre-packed in individual portions.
The Regulation will apply from 13 December 2014 and the nutrition declaration will apply from 13 December 2016. However, the Regulation gives companies the choice to place on the market products with food labels compliant with its provisions ahead of the above mentioned transition periods. Companies will need to start planning now to be in a position to comply with the new labelling requirements by the time they become mandatory.
The Commission will draft a report in two or three years on the feasibility of providing the mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of provenance to other type of meats other than the above, to meat used as an ingredient, to milk, milk used as an ingredient in dairy products, unprocessed foods, single ingredient products and ingredients that represent more than 50% of a food. The Commision will have to assess the impact such rules will have on the internal market and whether they will be in line with international trade commitments.
Sandra Hill, Chair of Public Affairs sub-committee
January 2012
SOS for Honey Bees - NFWI Campaign 2009
This campaign arose out of the resolution SOS for Honey Bees, which was passed at the June 2009 AGM and calls for more to be done to stop the decline of the honey bee from pests and diseases. The decline of the 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, making them central to our existence. In the natural environment, bees are also responsible for pollinating around 90% of the wild plants which produce seeds and fruits on which birds and wild animals depend, thus making them even more central to our world’s existence.
The Federation arranged two visits to learn more about these fascinating and very intelligent insects. The first was kindly arranged at Cumbrian Beekeepers’ Apiary in Walby in 2010 with a follow up visit to the Chairman’s Apiary in 2011. Protective clothing was provided, as you will see from the photograph and the sun shone on both occasions!
We can all help by planting bee friendly plants and trees, examples being: aster, aubretia, berberis, campanula, heathers, herbs, wallflowers, cotoneaster, hebe, red hot pokers, lavender, lavatera, malus, fruit trees and bushes, poppies, pyracantha, sedum, viburnums, lime trees, maples and wild flowers such as clover, dandelions, scabious, lesser celandine, teasels, thistles and wood anemone. A good website is: www.beefriendlyplants.co.uk.
More information about Beekeepers’ Associations in Cumbria can be found at www.cumbriakeepers.co.uk.
Sandra Hill, Chair of Public Affairs sub-committee
January 2012
No More Violence Against Women
This Federation is supporting the NFWI’s Violence against Women campaign.
Facts about Domestic Violence in Cumbria
- Domestic Violence costs every one of us £469 per annum
- 14% of all reported crime is domestic violence.
- It has more repeat victims than any other crime.
- 39% of all calls for help are repeat victims.
- 90% of cases include children being in the same or next room
Much is being done in Cumbria but the Cumbria Domestic Violence Partnership do need our Federation’s support, not only to ensure they receive further secure funding, but that victims have access to and knowledge of all the support that is available to them to enable them to report these crimes.
If your Institute wishes to have a Speaker for this topic, please contact Julia Carver,
Business Manager of the Cumbria Domestic Violence Strategic Management Board, on
0786 7964103
or
e-mail:
julia.carver@cumbriacc.gov.uk
Help line numbers:-
Let Go: open 365 days per year offering free and confidential help - 01768 892179
Women’s Aid: 24hr helpline 0808 2000 247
Childline: 0800 1111
Domestic Violence in rural counties like ours is on the increase so please show your support for this campaign.
More information on this national campaign
can be found on the National Federation's website.
Porkers and Chicks
The 'Porkers and Chicks' Project was launched at the 2008 Spring Council Meeting. The aim of the project is to raise £3000 for the women of the Mpigi region of northern Uganda, to enable them to start a smallholding to raise pigs and chickens and grow seeds, so that they can turn this into a small scale commercial enterprise.
The Federation fundraising got off to a good start with £100 from the Federation and some guided walks in the Keswick area on May Day. Many individual WIs got behind the idea and raised funds through coffee mornings, bring and buys, cake stalls, Pudding Evenings etc and were so successful that the
target was reached by the end of the year.
A very big "Thank You" to the kind hearts and generous nature of all W I members in our Federation who have given so readily to this project and reached the £3000 target in such a short time.
This money will be of real benefit to the women in this part of Uganda.