WI Meeting Minutes
Febuary 2021
... and it was lovely to see everyone albeit in a small rectangle!
|
Our speaker was Charlotte Hollins who, with her brother Ben, run Fordhall Farm a Community Land Initiative just outside Market Drayton. |
We were all so impressed by Charlotte’s enterprise, determination and hard work as she explained about their struggle to fight off developers from the struggling farm her family had run for generations.
Nestled as it is in a meander of the river Tern with poor thin soil, Fordhall farmers had relied on chemical fertilisers which washed out the soil and left it increasingly dead and unproductive.
Gradually Charlotte’s father, Arthur, recognised that the contrast between the sterile land he had farmed since he was 14 and the surrounding vibrant countryside was the diverse ecosystem and world of microorganisms within the soil- more in a teaspoon of really healthy soil than the number of people on earth!
Slowly he worked out which plants protected and improved the soil, settling in organic matter where worms and other invertebrates could combine to restore the heart to the land. As a pioneer of organic farming he very slowly began to gain business by selling premium milk, yoghurt and ice cream direct to the public.
Nestled as it is in a meander of the river Tern with poor thin soil, Fordhall farmers had relied on chemical fertilisers which washed out the soil and left it increasingly dead and unproductive.
Gradually Charlotte’s father, Arthur, recognised that the contrast between the sterile land he had farmed since he was 14 and the surrounding vibrant countryside was the diverse ecosystem and world of microorganisms within the soil- more in a teaspoon of really healthy soil than the number of people on earth!
Slowly he worked out which plants protected and improved the soil, settling in organic matter where worms and other invertebrates could combine to restore the heart to the land. As a pioneer of organic farming he very slowly began to gain business by selling premium milk, yoghurt and ice cream direct to the public.
He taught Charlotte and Ben about his three key principles of: diversity of crops, rotation of land use and breeding native species suited to our climate. However they also watched his repeated, exhausting and costly battles as a tenant farmer to fend off eviction following the construction, right on their boundary, of the huge Muller factory. This meant that the land’s value to developers shot up and when their father died, Ben and Charlotte at 19 and 21 expected to lose the farm within a year.
The rest of her talk described their determined efforts during 2005 to secure the farm, raise £800,000 in six months, engage the community, encourage volunteers and publicise their scheme to become a Community Land Initiative by selling shares at £50.
We saw photos of the run down property they inherited and Fordhall Farm as it is now providing employment to over 100 local people and, in normal times, providing enjoyment, exercise and excellent food to hundreds of visitors.
Visit their website www.fordhallfarm.com and plan your post Covid visit.
Our next meeting is making the most of meeting remotely as we are going to hear from a room guide at Hampton Court Palace. The title of the talk is intriguing - Sex, Secrets and Salacious Gossip at the Royal Court!
Visitors and new members are always welcome. Please contact Victoria for the zoom details.
07773364992
v.gemmell@hotmail.co.uk
The rest of her talk described their determined efforts during 2005 to secure the farm, raise £800,000 in six months, engage the community, encourage volunteers and publicise their scheme to become a Community Land Initiative by selling shares at £50.
We saw photos of the run down property they inherited and Fordhall Farm as it is now providing employment to over 100 local people and, in normal times, providing enjoyment, exercise and excellent food to hundreds of visitors.
Visit their website www.fordhallfarm.com and plan your post Covid visit.
Our next meeting is making the most of meeting remotely as we are going to hear from a room guide at Hampton Court Palace. The title of the talk is intriguing - Sex, Secrets and Salacious Gossip at the Royal Court!
Visitors and new members are always welcome. Please contact Victoria for the zoom details.
07773364992
v.gemmell@hotmail.co.uk
January 2021
Trefonen WI
Well, here we are again, a little older and a little colder! Happily we’ve managed to stay busy and stay in touch with each other despite the difficult times. On a very positive note, the first of our members has had her vaccination so it definitely feels as if we’re moving forward.
Since the last report we’ve had two zoom meetings and we’re getting quite adventurous, moving into breakout groups for Christmas quiz teams and screen sharing to discuss the topics for the campaign focus later this year. This year we had to hold our usual Christmas party on screen but we managed to distribute hyacinth bulbs and glass jars to everyone to allow us to enjoy the first signs of Spring as we watch them grow.
At our January meeting K guided us through the choice of five resolutions which could become the subject of our national WI campaign for 2021. In a very successful discussion full of ideas and personal stories, we agreed that all five are very worthy issues.
The first two proposals relate to very important, but perhaps overlooked, topics in women’s health: ovarian cancer and coronary heart disease. The statistics are very concerning and much needs to be done on raising awareness of the subtle symptoms and what treatments should be on offer. Resolution 3 asks for the WI to join campaigns to combat the systemic racism and discrimination faced in a wide range of settings including the justice system, employment, education and healthcare. Resolutions 4 and 5 both relate to the preservation of our amazing natural environment- which we’ve all enjoyed so much over the months of the pandemic. The first asks us to create wildlife- friendly communities and the second focuses specifically on stopping the destruction of peat bogs to tackle climate change.
Each member has to vote for one resolution and the votes are tallied nationally to decide the campaign focus. With nearly 250,000 members nationwide, the WI has an important voice. Locally we have decided that there are actions we can take to raise awareness on women’s health and we will be working on this later in the year. Initially our focus will be on helping to create wildlife friendly communities. This fits in well with our ongoing tree project and we hope to involve as many local people as possible (particularly children). Watch this space!
In February we are looking forward to a zoom talk about Fordhall Organic Farm near Whitchurch which is owned by the community and majors on wildlife awareness and education. Our March meeting will also be virtual which allows us to have a guide from Hampton Court Palace to tell us about ‘Sex, Secrets, Scandal and Salacious Gossip of the Royal Court’!
If you would like to join us for these meetings, please contact Victoria on 07773364992 v.gemmell@hotmail.co.uk for the details. We’re always happy to welcome visitors and new members.
Well, here we are again, a little older and a little colder! Happily we’ve managed to stay busy and stay in touch with each other despite the difficult times. On a very positive note, the first of our members has had her vaccination so it definitely feels as if we’re moving forward.
Since the last report we’ve had two zoom meetings and we’re getting quite adventurous, moving into breakout groups for Christmas quiz teams and screen sharing to discuss the topics for the campaign focus later this year. This year we had to hold our usual Christmas party on screen but we managed to distribute hyacinth bulbs and glass jars to everyone to allow us to enjoy the first signs of Spring as we watch them grow.
At our January meeting K guided us through the choice of five resolutions which could become the subject of our national WI campaign for 2021. In a very successful discussion full of ideas and personal stories, we agreed that all five are very worthy issues.
The first two proposals relate to very important, but perhaps overlooked, topics in women’s health: ovarian cancer and coronary heart disease. The statistics are very concerning and much needs to be done on raising awareness of the subtle symptoms and what treatments should be on offer. Resolution 3 asks for the WI to join campaigns to combat the systemic racism and discrimination faced in a wide range of settings including the justice system, employment, education and healthcare. Resolutions 4 and 5 both relate to the preservation of our amazing natural environment- which we’ve all enjoyed so much over the months of the pandemic. The first asks us to create wildlife- friendly communities and the second focuses specifically on stopping the destruction of peat bogs to tackle climate change.
Each member has to vote for one resolution and the votes are tallied nationally to decide the campaign focus. With nearly 250,000 members nationwide, the WI has an important voice. Locally we have decided that there are actions we can take to raise awareness on women’s health and we will be working on this later in the year. Initially our focus will be on helping to create wildlife friendly communities. This fits in well with our ongoing tree project and we hope to involve as many local people as possible (particularly children). Watch this space!
In February we are looking forward to a zoom talk about Fordhall Organic Farm near Whitchurch which is owned by the community and majors on wildlife awareness and education. Our March meeting will also be virtual which allows us to have a guide from Hampton Court Palace to tell us about ‘Sex, Secrets, Scandal and Salacious Gossip of the Royal Court’!
If you would like to join us for these meetings, please contact Victoria on 07773364992 v.gemmell@hotmail.co.uk for the details. We’re always happy to welcome visitors and new members.
November 2020
|
|
|
November saw us break new ground with a very successful zoom meeting. Our speaker was Alison Utting from Ellesmere telling us about the life and times of Eglantyne Jebb a local passionate and effective philanthropist and campaigner who 100 years ago profoundly shaped international opinion.
Alison was a truly engaging and well prepared speaker. As part of her research she had visited Eglantyne’s homes and interviewed family members, gathering fascinating photos, maps and sketches to illustrate her ‘Lantern Lecture’.
We learned that in 1876 Eglantyne was born in Ellesmere into a gifted and creative family who all strived to improve social conditions nationally and worldwide. Alison painted a picture of an idyllic childhood with staff, animals and extremely capable and caring parents. Her mother, for instance, set up a school in Ellesmere where she taught local children craft skills with the initiative developing to over 500 schools in what became the Home Arts and Industries Association.
As well as opportunities and encouragement she experienced profound grief with the early death of her father and younger brother, frustration with her inability as a woman to graduate despite excelling at university and disappointment in finding herself unsuited to her chosen profession as a teacher.
Her life path became clear in 1919, the year after the armistice but with deep distrust and animosity still rife across Europe, when Eglantyne and her sister Dorothy faced a packed Albert Hall. The crowd had come armed with fruit and veg to pelt these ‘traitor sisters’ who were daring to challenge the nation to consider the enemy as human beings and send aid to the starving population of Europe. Such was Eglantyne’s fiery persuasive style and skilled use of photographs and life stories that the audience rushed to donate and spread the word. Soon her supporters ranged from AA Milne to the Pope and included the Miners’ Union who collected £2 million and Sir Archibald Bodkin, the judge who oversaw the court case intended to silence her.
To pursue her aim Eglantyne set up Save The Children to ‘help children impoverished and displaced by the Great War’. She was determined that it should be entirely humanitarian and not become political so she based it in Geneva, from where she travelled and campaigned tirelessly, walking the mountains to restore her strength. Eglantyne also wrote ‘The Declaration of the Rights of the Child’ which was adopted by the League of Nations, declaring her aim that individual and national attitudes should change to the extent that Save the Children would become redundant. Although she died at only 52 years old her work endured, changing the lives of millions and her Declaration has currently been signed by every country in the United Nations except one
Alison was a truly engaging and well prepared speaker. As part of her research she had visited Eglantyne’s homes and interviewed family members, gathering fascinating photos, maps and sketches to illustrate her ‘Lantern Lecture’.
We learned that in 1876 Eglantyne was born in Ellesmere into a gifted and creative family who all strived to improve social conditions nationally and worldwide. Alison painted a picture of an idyllic childhood with staff, animals and extremely capable and caring parents. Her mother, for instance, set up a school in Ellesmere where she taught local children craft skills with the initiative developing to over 500 schools in what became the Home Arts and Industries Association.
As well as opportunities and encouragement she experienced profound grief with the early death of her father and younger brother, frustration with her inability as a woman to graduate despite excelling at university and disappointment in finding herself unsuited to her chosen profession as a teacher.
Her life path became clear in 1919, the year after the armistice but with deep distrust and animosity still rife across Europe, when Eglantyne and her sister Dorothy faced a packed Albert Hall. The crowd had come armed with fruit and veg to pelt these ‘traitor sisters’ who were daring to challenge the nation to consider the enemy as human beings and send aid to the starving population of Europe. Such was Eglantyne’s fiery persuasive style and skilled use of photographs and life stories that the audience rushed to donate and spread the word. Soon her supporters ranged from AA Milne to the Pope and included the Miners’ Union who collected £2 million and Sir Archibald Bodkin, the judge who oversaw the court case intended to silence her.
To pursue her aim Eglantyne set up Save The Children to ‘help children impoverished and displaced by the Great War’. She was determined that it should be entirely humanitarian and not become political so she based it in Geneva, from where she travelled and campaigned tirelessly, walking the mountains to restore her strength. Eglantyne also wrote ‘The Declaration of the Rights of the Child’ which was adopted by the League of Nations, declaring her aim that individual and national attitudes should change to the extent that Save the Children would become redundant. Although she died at only 52 years old her work endured, changing the lives of millions and her Declaration has currently been signed by every country in the United Nations except one