The NFWI has published the list of eight shortlisted resolutions for 2015-16. Why not have a read below and see which one might be your cause. We’ll all have a chance to vote later on in the year – look out for the voting slip in your copy of WI Life!
2015–16 NFWI Resolution Shortlist
1) Ban the microbead
Beach litter and floating plastic debris is more than just an unsightly problem. Scientific research shows that plastic microbeads, found in cosmetic and personal care products, are polluting the oceans and causing long-term health risks for both aquatic life and people. We call on WI members to take action to reduce use of plastic microbead-containing products in their own homes and communities; to raise awareness of the problems associated with plastic microbeads; and to lobby manufacturers, retailers and see the UK Government following in the steps of the Netherlands and other countries in proposing a ban on the use of these products.
2) British fruit: reviving our heritage
This meeting calls on the WI to spearhead a national campaign that creates a fruit revival in local communities, celebrates our WI roots, promotes health, addresses food security and reduces the carbon footprint.
3) Free sanitary protection for homeless women
We call upon WIs 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.
4) Prevention of sudden cardiac death in young adults in the UK
Every week in the UK at least 12 apparently fit and healthy people die suddenly from undetected cardiac abnormalities. The majority of these deaths are preventable. This meeting urges Her Majesty’s 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 identify any potentially life-threatening conditions.
5) First aid to save lives
The NFWI considers that suffering could be minimised and lives could be saved if more members of the general population were trained in first aid. We propose that HM Government should promote first aid training in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace. Furthermore, that all WIs should support and encourage first aid training and volunteer first aiders in their communities so that we become a safer and better informed country ready to help save lives.
6) Mind or body – equal funding for care
The National Federation of Women’s Institutes calls upon the Government to ensure that the care of people with poor mental health receives funding and respect equal to that provided for people with physical health problems.
7) Avoid food waste, address food poverty
The WI calls 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.
8) Appropriate care in hospitals for people with dementia
We call upon HM Government and the NHS to provide facilities to enable carers to stay with people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia that have been admitted into hospital.
1. When you are shopping make a special effort to seek out British food. Pause when you select your food from the supermarket aisle. Look at the label. Does it tell you where the food has come from? Does it provide a description of who produced it? And if it is imported, is there a British equivalent in-season? When looking to purchase products, keep an eye out for marks such as the Red Tractor logo (right).
Crowlas & Ludgvan WI 