November news.....

Thank you to the lovely Carmel for sharing the great work she does at our last meeting and to Lucy to being an amazing quiz master.

 
Our November meeting will be the last of 2025 and it is jampacked!
 
We will be celebrating our 17^th birthday and hearing about all the greats things we have done over the year.  Members will be asked to vote on the WI resolutions to help determine which one will go forward to next years AGM.  The resolutions are:
 
1.     Accessible public toilet facilities to promote dignity, health, and social inclusion
This resolution is a call for accessible, clean, free public toilets which are fundamental to inclusion and wellbeing, especially for women, older people, disabled individuals, parents and carers. It invites WI branches to take meaningful action—through advocacy, partnership, and community engagement—to support local authorities and civil society in reversing the closure trend and ensuring dignity for all.

2.     Action on women’s homelessness
The NFWI echoes the calls of homelessness charities and urges all levels of government to take action to reduce women’s homelessness, reduce the number of women at risk of homelessness, and improve the quality of temporary accommodation. We call on WI members to support homelessness organisations in their communities and campaign to ensure that all women have a place they can safely call home.

3.     Every child needs a friend
We call on all WI members, the care system, and government to raise awareness of the independent visitor system for children in care in order to increase the number of volunteer Independent Visitors and the children in the care system who are befriended by them. We want every child in care to be offered the opportunity to have an adult figure in their life who chooses to spend a few hours a month with them.

4.     Love Your Vulva – Self checking is your best defence against vulval cancer
Self-checking your vulva is important in ensuring the earlier detection of vulval cancer and to enhance survival chances. We call upon WI members to work together to raise awareness of the importance of self-checking and seeking medical advice as early as possible, and, to help highlight this rare cancer to GPs to promote prompt referrals to medical specialists when needed.

5.     Nearer to Nature
There is a growing body of evidence that getting closer to nature is of great benefit to physical and mental health as well as to the environment. This is called ‘green health’. We call on WI members to work locally to improve access to local green spaces and support others to access it too. We call on health promotion services to increase public awareness of the use and benefits of ‘green health’, and health and care commissioners to support ‘green social prescribing’ in every GP practice.
 
We will be keeping you busy whilst we are discussing WI business by candle painting led by Clare (you will be able to take your candle home at the end of the evening.)
 
After leaving the corporate world, a period of serious illness, and becoming a mum, Clare decided to give herself a gift — the chance to do something she truly loved. That gift became Craft with Clare. What started as a small personal project to reconnect with creativity and joy has flourished into something magical: a growing community built around the simple, powerful act of making things by hand.
 
Through Craft with Clare, she now runs workshops and craft clubs across Bristol that bring people together to slow down, explore their creativity, and enjoy the wellbeing that comes from crafting. The belief is that creativity is for everyone — it’s not about being artistic, but about expression, connection, and taking time for yourself. Every session is an opportunity to relax, create, and leave with a sense of fulfilment.
 
We will be upstairs, on the second floor of the Tobacco Factory which will be signposted from the theatre entrance.  Committee members will also be on hand to direct you.
 
If this is not enough, for those who would like to join us, after the meeting we will go a drink at the bar to celebrate the end of our year and upcoming festivities.
 
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 26^th November.