News

Day by day, the shadow of the Coronavirus looms larger. We are on the brink of an unprecedented health event, unlike anything we have known in our life-time.

The WI has always stood strong in times of crisis. I exhort you to be active in your WIs and your communities, even at a distance, to keep in touch with your members and neighbours, and to offer whatever support, help and daily, remote contact that you can. After all, we can make a difference.

WE ARE THE WI!

The following was written in mid-February, before the COVID-19 epidemic affected our lives.

Will you be the one to blossom in April?

April is the month of comedy, contrast and change. Whether you view this month from the inspirational perspective of Christopher Morley, “April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go,” or the cynical view of Charles Lamb, “Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever,” April is full of surprises. What other month could begin with a day dedicated to
pranks?

April Fool’s Day, a day (or rather morning, don’t be caught out after mid-day) of jolly japes, is a custom shared by many across the world, and in Odessa, is even a public holiday! One of my favourite practical jokes took place on 1st April 1857 when an invitation was posted by the Tower of London to buy tickets to the Annual Ceremony of Washing the Lions. I am sure that you have your own favourite. Whatever your view of the day itself, April is indeed a month of surprises. The spring equinox has passed, the garden and countryside springs into life. It is a time of birth and rebirth, a time of optimism and new beginnings. As I write, late in January, on a grey, damp, chill morning, the earth is beginning to stir. I can see snowdrops, winter aconites, crocuses and the first wood anemones. I can also spot a rather confused camelia and an azalea, both flowering very early, a product of the mild winter, an indicator of climate change?

But as April arrives the world truly blossoms, despite the occasional surprise April shower. At one point in our history, before the Julian calendar replaced the Augustinian one, April 1st was the beginning of the New Year. Those who didn’t follow the change were considered comical, and hence possibly the origin of the April Fool tradition. For the Federation, April is also the start of the year, in that there is a new Board of Trustees with new members and new roles and responsibilities, although SFWI definitely does not fall into the above category! It is a time of change and of opportunity, to move forward, of new plans and strategies, and an enriched future for the Federation.

This, as you will have noticed, is also a time of reflection, renewal and rebirth, for the NFWI as it lays bare its blue-sky thinking to members’ scrutiny and launches its new Vision for the Future under the headings of Bold, Growing, Inclusive and Flexible. Many of you will have heard the NFWI Chairman Lynne Stubbings’ impassioned speech at our recent ACM. Please respond to the consultation if you have not already done so.

Will this also be a time of change for you? For your relationship with the Federation? Might you surprise yourself? Might you join this band of women? The Federation invites you to engage and expand your horizons! Will you participate in a Federation event this year? Will you learn a new skill through one of the many cookery and craft workshops? Will you step up and volunteer at Federation level? We currently need:

• A Publicity Officer
• ACWW Representative
• Human Resources lead
• An IT Champion

Will your name become attached to one of these roles? I do hope that you will meet the challenge, you are most welcome. The Federation is your oyster.

Carol A. Gartrell, Federation Chairman

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Glossing over the events which may have to be postponed or cancelled (updates will be shown on the What’s On page) there are still interesting items in this month’s magazine. For instance: Surrey’s lost village, the WI tea towel travelling the world, and a possible food safety and hygiene course.

The April SWIN has been mailed out to all those WIs where it comes direct from the publisher. The person receiving them is requested to try their best to distribute them to members without taking risk to themselves.

You can view it online through your My WI account either directly, or by using the link at the bottom of the Surrey WI News page.

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With the health and welling of our staff as our main priority, please note our office is now closed, and our staff are working from home.

If you need to contact us for any reason, please do so by email at info@surreyfedwi.org.uk, and we will endeavour to get back to you as soon as we can.

EVENTS & REFUNDS

We have cancelled all Federation events and workshops up to the end of May. Refunds should be with you by Wednesday.

Refunds for the Annual Council Meeting and VE Day Quiz are still being processed, there may be a slight delay due to office closure

NFWI Annual Meeting – most payments received were by cheque which have not yet been banked, so no refund is required. If you paid by any other method, there may be a slight delay due to office closure

If you have been asked to provide bank details, please ensure you have responded as we are unable to process your refund without this information.

We thank you for your understanding, and like all of you, we hope normal service is resumed as soon as possible.

Please stay safe.

The SFWI Board of Trustees

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It is with regret that SFWI has made the decision to withdraw from participation at this year’s Surrey County Show.

Therefore, we will not be having a presence in the marquee, have any form of displays or run any competitions.

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Denman Update – Provided by NFWI

Denman is postponing all courses and specific events that were scheduled to run until 12 April.

Please contact Denman directly if you have a booking to discuss how you wish to proceed. We understand that many of you are concerned about current bookings and may wish to receive a refund, however, we are all conscious of the financial impact this period of closure may have on Denman and therefore, request you to consider postponing your booking to a later date rather than cancelling if this is possible.

Please note that we will review all future courses again in a week’s time and will update you accordingly.

Thank you for your continued support for Denman.

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WI meetings

We are now actively encouraging WIs to follow the new Government advice and reduce contact as far as possible, particularly for those who are more vulnerable. We are putting together FAQs for WIs and members to outline this, as well as some of the other practicalities involved.

We will provide further information once this is available.

NFWI Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting at the Royal Albert Hall has been cancelled and further information will be forwarded in due course.

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NFWI events

In light of the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the new Government advice regarding social contact, the NFWI has made the difficult decision to cancel the Annual Meeting at the Royal Albert Hall on 4 June, and to postpone the Wales Conference on 26 April until later this year. We have been keeping a very close eye on the situation over the last few weeks but as the number of cases is rising and advice is becoming stricter, we believe this is the most responsible decision to make, even at this distance from the June event. We make this decision with great sadness and we know many members will be very disappointed, as we are, but we always prioritise the health and wellbeing of our members above anything else. We are still working out the practicalities involved for both events, but we wanted to let members know as soon as possible.

You will still receive your Annual Meeting documentation in the upcoming NFWI mailing as this was signed off at the end of February. Please retain this documentation and we will be in touch to confirm how we will proceed with regard to the selection of this year’s resolutions.

Denman

Denman is postponing all courses and specific events that were scheduled to run until 12 April. Please contact Denman directly if you have a booking to discuss how you wish to proceed. We understand that many of you are concerned about current bookings and may wish to receive a refund, however we are all conscious of the financial impact this period of closure may have on Denman and therefore request you to consider postponing your booking to a later date rather than cancelling if this is possible. Please note that we will review all future courses again in a week’s time and will update you accordingly. Thank you for your continued support for Denman.

 Walking Netball

England Netball have announced that all netball activity is being suspended until further notice, which includes Walking Netball. Walking Netball hosts will be contacted directly to discuss further.

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A free gift for all Surrey WIs.

IF you have visited our Federation HQ at Guildford you must have admired the wall hangings depicting scenes of Surrey villages and towns, embroidered by their WI members initially to celebrate the Federation’s 75th anniversary.

A printed copy of the wall hangings was included in our Centenary Scrapbook. It contained each illustration, together with a brief written description of each panel (where available); further panels created for later anniversaries, plus entries for the 2018 Eileen Bowler competition to produce a wall hanging to commemorate our Centenary.

Sadly not everyone will see the original hangings or the Scrapbook, so we have put all the illustrations listed above into an A4 booklet: Stitches in Time. Each WI in the county will receive a free copy. This gives every member the chance to admire the skill and beauty of these panels, and read some of the fascinating and curious tales that accompany them, for example:

• Do you know that someone is buried upside down on Box Hill?
• Where you can see the cauldron of a white witch called Mother Ludlam?
• That a group of Surrey women slaughtered Danish warriors fleeing from battle in the 9th century?

Your free copy will be included in the delegates’ packs to be collected at the Annual Council Meeting. Copies will also be available to buy at £3 each.

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Cut cleaning costs and carbon footprints

Spring cleaning can be an eco nightmare. Many liquids in plastic bottles kept in the cupboard under the sink are pollutants. But many cleaning problems can be solved with the help of three simple items. Not only will you reduce your carbon footprint but you will notice how economically sound it is to ditch some of the expensive products.

White Vinegar is an excellent way to clean glass. Use equal parts of water and vinegar in a spray bottle on windows. It is especially good for removing stubborn water marks on shower screens. And while you’re in the bathroom, rub a vinegary cloth around the taps to get rid of any scale and a shiny result.

Vinegar is also a great way to clean stainless steel draining boards and sinks. To rid stainless steel cutlery of sour smells and stubborn spots just rinse in a mild solution of vinegar and warm water and rub dry.

To boost your laundry wash just pour a couple of spoons of vinegar into the tablet tray, use any programme on your machine in the usual way and your wash will be cleaner, brighter and minus any stubborn odours.

Bicarb mixed into a paste with water is a wonderful way of cleaning stubborn greasy marks in the oven. To unblock bathroom and kitchen sinks, tip a tablespoon of bicarb directly into the sink followed immediately by a cup full of vinegar and watch the bubbles as it cuts through the grease.

To freshen the fridge just keep a small bowl of water with dissolved bicarb and a wedge of lemon in there. Sprinkle dry bicarb on to bathroom sinks and baths to be rid of a build up of limescale marks and rise off for a twinkling shine.

Bicarb is a wonderful deodoriser, especially for shoes — just sprinkle a small amount directly inside and for fresh smelling carpets and rugs sprinkle bicarb around and vacuum off. To keep loos sweet smelling, tip a cup of bicarb straight into the bowl, leave for a hour, scrub round and flush. To clean hair brushes and combs, soak in a mild solution of bicarb for 15 minutes.

Lemons: putting spent skins directly into dishwasher cutlery baskets and spiking them on the top rack will cut through grease and keep machines smelling clean.

To clean microwaves, pop lemon skins into a jug full of hot water and “cook” for five minutes. Then wipe the microwave dry. Remove the lemon skins, pop your dishcloth into the same water and “cook” for a few minutes to sterilise your cleaning cloths.

Use lemon skins to clean chopping boards. Lemon juice in a mild solution of bicarb can be used to wash the kitchen floor. Lemon juice and salt mixed together will remove rust.

Your house will be twinkling in the spring sunshine and after these cost cutting efforts, don’t forget to polish your halo before treating yourself with the money saved.

— Gill Harris

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