acwwsouthwest UK: July 2008

Wednesday, 30 July 2008

WINCANTON

Wincanton RaceCourse, has been named as the South West's Small Racecourse of the Year for the last 17 out of 18 years. Either before or after the ACWW lunch on 15th October at the RaceCourse why not look at Wincanton itself. It has a long history - Queen Mary granted it a charter in the 16th century for two annual fairs. In the late 18th century it was important as a town on one of the main routes from London to the West. Terry Pratchet fans please note - it has the only Discworld Centre anywhere - based in the Cunning Artificer shop!!!! For nearly 6 years Wincanton has been twinned with Ankh Morpork - a place that only exists in books!!!! Also for those who have not heard of Discworld - there are some interesting antique shops which are well worth a browse.

Polo shirts

Arrived today - nice colour - badges good, not too big, white background with black embroidery. Asked them to do that if the dark green clashed, trust me, it would have clashed, as it is a lovely bluey green and it looks very smart - central compass and circle of friendship and lettering really stand out. PS: Esme you were right it is a lovely colour!!!! Reminds me of the sea around the coast!!! (on a sunny day, of course!!)

Sunday, 27 July 2008

New Countrywomen and Annual Report

It was good to get the latest posting from ACWW HQ. Many good photo's - I see Jackie on one of them!!! It was good to remember Turku - I saw quite a few familiar faces. The financial statements from all over the world certainly make interesting reading!! Personally, I support Anphia's comments, in the latest set of minutes, regarding individual memberships. If ACWW want to encourage individual membership then surely all board members should lead, so that others follow. What do you think? I'm sure that historically this may not have happened as all other societies are affiliated to ACWW but in the future, I think other members could well think that this old idea should change!!!! Your comments would be welcome.

There was a mention of the:

Somerset ACWW Lunch on 15th October which is:
UN International Day for Rural Women

and we are lucky that both the World President and Vice World President will be attending. Maybe some of the other Committee members too!! It certainly is going to be a most interesting day £15.00 to book a ticket - contact SCFWI HQ (address further down the blog).

Saturday, 26 July 2008

Team Wales with their
visitor Mioira from Bucharest
(wearing blue shirt).
Merilyn Haines-Evans,
Welsh Chair (wearing black) and Janice Langley, NFWI Rep (wearing green) are also in the picture with Alison on the left, Kathleen on the right + Chair of Ceridigeon Federation. Team Wales had sponsored Mioira's project to help the street children of Bucharest. Mioira gave a harrowing account of the lives these children live. They are posing for the local newspaper which is why they are all looking to the left!!!

Saturday, 19 July 2008

International Day of Rural Women

When Ursula Goh visits the Somerset Federation of WIs event at Wincanton ON the 15th October 2008 she will be talking about ACWW itself, plus her travel adventures around the world. She will include news of her travels to India this Spring monitoring final Tsunami projects. This will be particularly interesting as Somerset have just completed a project in Keoradanga nr Calcutta and have one nearing completion in Tamil Nadu, an area which was very badly hit by the tsunami.

Tsunami work in India

This 1st picture shows DMI (Daughters of Mary Immaculate)

and their helpers

ACWW = Associated Countrwomen of the World

Contact at: Mary Sumner House, 24 Tufton Street, LONDON,l SW1P 3RB

phone: 020 7799 3875 or email: info@acww.org.uk

Why not join the next Somerset County Federation event for ACWW:

Come to Wincanton Racecourse on 15th October and meet:

World President of ACWW - Ursula Goh,
World Vice-President - May Kidd plus
there may be more ACWW visitors present.
Other names still to be confirmed.

October 15th is UN International Day for Rural Women

Book now as numbers are swelling weekly!!

Buffet Lunch £15 - please contact SCFWI at Wilton Lodge, Trull Road, TAUNTON, TA1 4PT
Or ring 01823 284261 on Tues, Wed, Thurs between 10.00am and 3.00pm - cheques payable to SCFW Institutes please. or email: wiltonlodge@somerset-wi.org.uk

In the first week of September there will be a European Conference for ACWW
Women from all over Europe will be attending

If you can't manage the whole week - why not book a day pass £65.00
contact Hampshire Federation of WIs at 56 Hyde Abbey Road, Winchester SO23 7DB or email:
ros.cooper@hampshirewi.org.uk

ACWW = Associated Countrwomen of the World

Hi South West Supporters Group this blog is for ACWW South West members to enter and comment as they like.

Our group first met on 30th June 2008 at SCFWI HQ in Taunton.

Present: ACWW Representatives from Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire Somerset and Wiltshire.

Our speakers were:
1. Jackie Gregory from W. Midlands (subject monitoring a project in Gambia for ACWW and also snippets of her own 10 year project) and
2. Valerie Stevens from Dorset (subject - Turku and what it meant to her with history of ACWW and conferences - the bonus of getting to know countrywomen of the world.

A report was circulated widely afterwards to those attending, to ACWW HQ, to Janice Langley, NFWI, ACWW Rep, and the ACWW group in Wales plus one hoping to start centred in Derbyshire.

Janice sent us a reply letter which was also circulated.

It was decided to order polo-shirts for the group to wear at the September Conference for ACWW to be held at Southampton University. Eileen has taken orders and the order has gone in for Emerald, Fruit of the Loom polo-shirts with ACWW logo on left. Ian (Gen Sec) from ACWW HQ was consulted over colours of the badge and suggested that it would be preferable to use the badge displayed on all ACWW notepaper to have the widest impact worldwide.

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26th ACWW Triennial Meeting in the USA

For: ACWW South West Supporters Group

Hi - everyone - this blog is for you to have your say on future events within the group area of Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire.
Your comments and events will add to the interest of this blog.
NB: If you click on the smaller pictures in the main part of the blog they do get larger!!! Handy to see a few more details!! Sometimes it doesn't work - but give it a go anyway!!
2nd meeting due to take place on 18th May 2009 at Taunton - just gathering names of those who can attend. 3 speakers booked!!

Now we have polo shirts and sweatshirts

Well the polo-shirts were given an airing at the European Area Conference - where they caused quite a lot of comments. Also some were worn at Wincanton (see Valerie our 1st speaker) thanks for that, Valerie, Esme, Mary, Roma. If you would like one - contact Somerset ACWW Rep at County office or email at eileen.hurd@btinternet.com. They are for anyone who wants to support ACWW in the South West.

The sweatshirts have been delivered - they are comfy - but probably too hot to wear at a conference!!!

Merja Siltanen, European Area President and May Kidd, Deputy President

Merja (on the left in the Countrywoman front page shown below) chaired the recent ACWW Conference in Southampton. Merja with the help of Terhi ran an excellent event which was much enjoyed by all. Although, English is not Merja's mother tongue - she is from Finland, the conference ran very smoothly.

May Kidd was also present and a great support to us all. She is an excellent Deputy President and was able to help us through the complexities of resolutions, and recommendations. Her musical sessions were an added bonus and also added to the several collections for Pennies for Friendship held during the conference.

Mrs Madge Watt

The founder of the WI in Wales, followed by England and Scotland. Madge was then one of the founders of ACWW - she was the person who wrote 'Associated Country Women of the World' on the blackboard at the meeting in 1933 in Stockholm. Initial plans to start this worldwide association, although in Madge's mind from 1919, were discussed at the meeting in 1927 in Geneva and then were agreed on April 30th 1929 at the International Conference of Rural Women held in London.

1929 is considered the date when this association really 'started' - it was just that the name we recognise today came later. Three ladies were influential in the start of ACWW - Lady Aberdeen, Miss Elsie Zimmern and Mrs Madge Watt. (see more about this in the ACWW History Book - available for £5 from ACWW HQ).

NB: Did you know that near the Peace Bridge between Canada and the USA, near Niagara, there is a brass plaque on a stone in a garden which is a memorial of friendship? The plaque marks the crossing from the USA into Canada of a delegation from ACWW and is dedicated to rural women of that continent dated: Peace Bridge, June 12, 1936. Mrs Alfred (Madge) Watt, BME, MA, co-founder and first president of ACWW dedicated this plaque at a ceremony at the centre of the Peace Bridge on June 16 1936. It was accepted by representatives of the New York State Federation of Home Bureaux and the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada on the occasion of the 1936 Washington DC Conference of ACWW.

With the cooperation of The Niagara Parks Commission, this plaque was re-dedicated during the 23rd Triennial Conference of ACWW held in Hamilton, Ontario in June of 2001.

Turku 2007 - the last World Triennial Meeting

The flags are paraded 'in and out' at the beginning and end of this meeting. They are carried by the host country in national costume and make a wonderful and colourful display. There are approximately 365 Member societies in over70 countries. Each society has its own customs and runs its own meetings BUT they all come together to work internationally for the benefit of rural communities all over the world.

The next Triennial Meeting in 2010 will be held in Hot Springs, Arkansas and the 2013 meeting is scheduled for ShenYang, China.

(No picture - many have been 'wiped' from the blog - the penalties of a free blog I suppose!!)

Jackie Gregory, ACWW Speaker

Jackie spoke to us at the SW Supporters Group first meeting in Taunton on 30th June. Jackie told us about her visits to the Gambia (monitoring an ACWW project) and about her own work sending garments, sewing machines etc to a village. She specialises in making jam and brought some to sell on the day. It was delicious and we enjoyed it with scones and cream after lunch. Originally, the money from selling the jam (£1,000 a year) was used to pay for transport of items to the Gambia BUT now the money goes to ACWW as Jackie's own 10yr project has been completed. (Goodness me how many lbs of jam makes £1,000?) Certainly a full time job!!! Well done Jackie.

The picture below shows Jackie during a talk in Hereford at an ACWW lunch organised by Brenda Drake to raise funds for ACWW.

Vanilla Farm

One of Somerset's Projects was involved with starting a Vanilla Farm in Uganda. This picture shows the beans growing on the vines and some of the farmers involved. (I don't know if our Farm is prolific yet - it sometimes takes up to 3 years before the first flowers appear - also the flowers have to be fertilised manually - unless some African bees have adopted them)! Vanilla originally came from Mexico and the flowers were fertilised by the Meliponna bee. Vanilla was known as Uganda's Green Gold at one stage, as the profits from good crops were excellent. In some areas the beans are branded to protect them - even when shrunken during harvesting the brands are still visible. The vanilla vines improve with age rather like grape vines in vineyards.

Alison and Somerset

Alison and I met years ago whilst on our WIA training course. She was already very involved with ACWW and I had been an ACWW (non-active) member for years. Later, because of this interest (I was also ACWW Rep for Somerset at this stage) I was invited to a lunch in Gwent. I really enjoyed the speaker and decided to book her (Anna Boshoff from S Africa) for a lunch in Somerset (subject to the support of BOT). Unfortunately, as the lunch date approached Anna could not travel due to ill-health - so Alison stood in.

Alison is co-founder, with Kathleen Martin, of the ACWW Wales Supporters Team and both encouraged me to start an ACWW South West Supporters Group. I travelled with them to Turku and they have proved great friends. I have been to several lunches and meetings in Wales and thanks to them my knowledge of ACWW friendship has expanded.

In Turku we (Alison, Kathleen, Therese and I) stayed in a hotel with many women from Eastern Europe. It is thanks to some of these European ladies that I have managed to make some penfriend links in Europe.