No.460
NFWI news
February 2018
CENTRAL SECRETARIAT
LYNNE STUBBINGS, CHAIR; JANA OSBORNE, GENERAL SECRETARY; KERRI FUCHS, BOARD SECRETARY & EVENTS MANAGER; KARIN GUMBLE, DEPARTMENT & COMMITTEE OFFICER;FIONA LAM, EVENTS OFFICER; CHARLOTTE MAUGHAN, MEMBERSHIP ADMINISTRATOR;JOANNA RAYNER,PR MANAGER;FIONA HUGHES, PR ASSISTANT; JASON DOUGLAS,HEAD OF DIGITAL SERVICES;ROSIE BERNARD, ONLINE CONTENT EDITOR
Details for the NFWI contacts mentioned can be found at the end of the newsletter.
2018 Annual Meeting
Plans are well under way for the Annual Meeting at the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff on Wednesday 6 June 2018. Tickets are priced at £20 each and are available for sale to observers directly from federations; be sure to get your orders in before the end of February.
Correspondence with Federation Secretaries
Please find below the information that federations should look out for since the last issue of NFWI News. If you have not received some of these items, please contact the individual/department responsible as indicated in brackets (their contact details can be found at the end of the newsletter).
Date / Title / Sender / Committee/department16 - Nov 2017 / Annual Council Meetings 2018 / Kerri Fuchs / Central Secretariat
14 - Dec 2017 / Gift Aid / Catrin Rosquist / Finance
4 - Jan 2018 / The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) / Karin Gumble / Central Secretariat
15 - Jan 2018 / 2019 NFWI Annual Meeting – venue confirmation / Fiona Lam / Central Secretariat
16 - Jan 2018 / Update on Pension Auto Enrolment and Employment Law / Karen Lake / HR
My WI
If you haven’t yet received an automated ‘Welcome to the Digital WI’ email containing your login instructions for My WI, please visit: to request access to the site.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The above forthcoming legislation, due to be adopted by the UK in May 2018,was discussed atthe Autumn National Council Meeting in November 2017. The NFWI will be issuing full guidance in respect of the GDPR legislation to both federations and WIs in March/April 2018. We are currently in discussions with specialist lawyers to ensure that data management at all three levels of the organisation is fully adjusted to the new legislation, in particular the MCS.
There is no need for federations to take any action now and they should continue applying the Data Protection Act 1998 to all their data management.
If you have any questions, please email
membership DEVELOPMENT committee
AMANDA WILLDAY, CHAIR;KARIN GUMBLE, DEPARTMENT & COMMITTEE OFFICER; VAL ANDREWS, HEAD OF NFWI-UNIT; ELAINE SMITH, ADMINISTRATOR
Contact details for the NFWI contacts mentioned can be found at the end of the newsletter.
WI ADVISERS
WI Adviser training
The format for WI Adviser training is changing from September 2018. Trainee WI Advisers will now be required to attend an induction webinar (online) prior to each module of their course. Webinars have been piloted by this year’s group and have been well received. For those unable to attend the live webinars, recordings will be available on WI Training. The course will also be condensed to reduce the amount of time trainees will be required to spend away from home.
The dates of the courses for 2018/2019 will be as follows:
24/25/26 September 2018Communication Skills & Understanding the WI
4 – 8 February 2019WI Money Matters and WI Activities
Closing date 24 April 2018
11/12/13 January 2019Communication Skills & Understanding the WI
20 – 24 May 2019WI Money Matters and WI Activities
Closing date 11 September 2018
All applications should be endorsed by the Federation Board of Trustees.
WI Adviser Forums
WI Adviser Forums for 2017/2019 are as follows:
19 – 21 October 2018Denman
11 – 13 February 2019Denman
All applications should be endorsed by the Federation Board of Trustees.
The WI Guide
The WI Guide is now available to download from My WI. The WI’s three key messages,which bring together the defining characteristics of this dynamic organisation, can also be found on the site. WIs and federations are encouraged to use the key messages in their communications to help explain the diversity the WI offers to potential members.
Formations / Suspensions / Enlargements/ Reformations
WI Advisers – when forming, suspending, reforming or enlarging a WI, please make sure the appropriate online form is completed and sent from the WI Advisers’ area of the WI Moodle or the relevant card is sent by post to the Membership Administrator in London as soon as possible to enable the MCS to be kept up to date. In the case of formations, this will also activate the sending of the formation pack to the WI Adviser. Further supplies of cards can be obtained by federations from the NFWI Resources department in London.
Workshops on the WI Moodle
These are ‘off the shelf’ workshops available in the WI Advisers’ area of the WI Moodle, complete with suggested handouts that can be downloaded for WI Advisers and others to deliver in their own federation. They are in MS Word format so they can be adapted and amended to each federation’s needs. Workshops available are:
- Talking for the Terrified – Communication Skills
- Taking the Lead – WI Presidents
- WI Treasurers
- Success for Secretaries – WI Secretaries
- Planning the Programme.
If you haven’t already requested access to this area, email Elaine Smith putting WI Moodle/WI Adviser in the subject bar.
COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS
Communication Skills for the Leadership Team
This new one-day workshop is aimed at Federation Trustees, WI Advisers, Digital Champions, Denman Ambassadors, Federation Contacts and anyone else involved in speaking in public at federation level. A member of the Training Team will come to your federation and the day includes preparing for speaking in public, persuasive speech, impromptu speaking, listening skills, and dealing with difficult issues. The cost is £205 plus trainer hospitality and photocopying. Contact Elaine Smith for further information.
Listen-Speak-Inspire, aConfidence Boost
This is an informal one-day workshop open to any member. It is particularly useful for building the confidence of WI Presidents and Secretaries and those members who find it nerve-wracking to stand up at their WI to make an announcement or to thank the speaker. It looks at learning how to relax and enjoy speaking to others. Federations that have held these workshops have all said how helpful and exciting the day was. A member of the Training Team will come to your federation or WI. The cost is £205 plus trainer hospitality and photocopying. For more information, please contact Elaine Smith.
Speaking with Confidence courses
For a more structured communication skills course, your federation may be interested in holding a Speaking with Confidence course. These two-day courses aim to develop students’ confidence and ability to speak in public, to express themselves clearly without undue stress and to make the best use of their voices, and can lead to a Laser Learning Awards accreditation on completion of Parts I & II. If they wish, students can progress to Part III, which is accredited by the English Speaking Board. For further information, please contact ElaineSmith.
Wow Your Audience
This is a one-day workshop open to any member and aims to give members the confidence and skills necessary to prepare and deliver successful presentations, with particular emphasis on PowerPoint. We’ll come to your federation or even to individual WIs. Students will also be shown how to put the equipment together. The cost is £205 plus trainer hospitality and photocopying. For more information, please contact Elaine Smith.
Regional Communication Skills Workshops
Coming Soon – One-day ‘Listen-Speak-Inspire’ regional workshops will be held during 2018. These one-day workshops are open to all members and are designed to build confidence and prepare you for many situations both within the WI and the public world beyond. Dates and venues to be announced shortly.
IFE training
Do you have a group of members who would like to be trained to independently examine WI Accounts? A member of the Training Team will come to your federation and advise you on the best methods of setting up a scheme within your federation. A refresher course is also available. The cost is £205 for a one-day course, plus trainer hospitality and photocopying. Contact Elaine Smith for further information.
Federation Trustee training
Federation Trustee training will continue to be offered free of charge, apart from trainer hospitality and photocopying. All days include a review of the responsibilities of a Federation Trustee. A member of the Training Team will come to your federation to train your Federation Trustees. For further information, please contact Elaine Smith.
WI Moodle
You might have noticed that the WI Moodle is looking a little neglected. Over the past few months we have been working on a new WI Training website, originally due to launch towards the end of 2017 but now scheduled to launch in early 2018.
The new WI Training platform is an updated system that will work across mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones. All content has been refreshed with old, outdated material removed. Most importantly, it will be easy to access and will sharethe same login information as My WI and the MCS.
More details will be released soon. Once the new site launches, your old Moodle username and password will no longer work, so in preparation, if you haven’t already done so, now is a great time to sign up and start using My WI. For help accessing My WI please visit and for any Moodle/WI Training queries please contact Elaine Smith
A guide to being a Federation Trustee
A short interactive course for members who would like to find out what being a Federation Trustee involves can be accessed on the WI Moodle. After completing the course, if you decide you may be interested in being a Federation Trustee, please contact your federation office. This course would also benefit existing Federation Trustees who would like to refresh their skills and knowledge.
Digital storytelling
The Training Committee has developed an interactive course for the Moodle on how to create your own digital story. A digital story is like a talking scrapbook and can be shared in all sorts of ways with friends and family – in exhibitions, in presentations, and online. Creating a digital story is a perfect way to record your WI or federation Centenary celebrations. See the link on the WI Training website.
Social media/networking resources
Social networking is a way of using your computer/smartphone to talk to other people, and to share information and media such as photographs or videos – whatever you want! There are many social networking websites that allow you to do the above, but the NFWI primarily uses Twitter and Facebook – currently two of the biggest social networking websites. If you need any further help, or have any questions about Twitter or Facebook, you can contact the NFWI PR Assistant Fiona Hughes.
WI training resource
This online training resource has been developed for Federation Trustees, WI Advisers, Independent Financial Examiner Trainers (IFE Trainers), Digital Team Leaders, Federation Contacts, NFWI Judges, Denman Ambassadors and anyone else who trains others in the WI or the local community. The course can be accessed through the front page of the WI Moodle. All the above people who already use the WI Moodle have been ‘enrolled’ onto the course. If you have a member of your Federation Board of Trustees who does not hold one of the above posts or any other member who would like to access the area, please contact Elaine Smith who will allocate them to the course.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS committee
ANN JONES, CHAIR; EMMA HOLLAND-LINDSAY, HEAD OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS; SOPHIE PAGE, RESEARCH & CAMPAIGNS OFFICER;ALEXANDRA BARKER, RESEARCH & CAMPAIGNS OFFICER;ZAK BOND, RESEARCH & CAMPAIGNS OFFICER
Contact details for the NFWI contacts mentioned can be found at the end of the newsletter.
Celebrate our democracy
The NFWI has produced a campaign toolkit with lots of ideas about how members can mark the 2018 anniversaries. 2018 marks 100 years since women won the right to vote, and 90 years since all women were given the vote at age 21. October 2018 also marks 100 years since the first WI resolution was passed. To receive a copy of the toolkit, please contact the Public Affairs Department or download it here.
Show The Love this February
We’re turning red hearts green this Valentine’s Day to #ShowTheLove for everything we want to protect from climate change. A range of resources are available to assist you with Show The Love this February. This includes the community pack which highlights three ways to get involved,notice the early signs of spring to help scientists monitor changes, make and share a green heart using #ShowTheLove with our new baking and craft guides, and bring people together for a green heart gathering.
Enclosed with your February WI Life is a postcard you can use to Show The Love even further. Make the eco-friendly paper heart filled with seeds, attach it to the front of the postcard and personalise the back with your own message. Leave the postcard somewhere in your community, like abus stop or café, for someone to find, or send directly to your MP.
To receive a pack of resources, contact or you can download the resources, including the paper heart guide, from thewi.org.uk/showthelove
Please send in your photos of your green hearts and let us know about your events.
Great Food Debates II: Food Poverty
In the next stage of the Food Matters Campaign, March will see the launch of a programme of work seeking to build greater public understanding of the issue of food poverty, and considering some of the key challenges in addressing this issue. We are asking WI members to organise debates in your local communities to learn more about the issue and to discuss the causes and possible solutions. We are producing a toolkit which will give you everything you need to organise these debates, and then to take action to help tackle the issue.
To sign up to be sent the toolkit when it is published in early March, please fill out the form at thewi.org.uk/povertytoolkit
Help improve perinatal mental health support
The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) Everyone's Business campaign has published amapshowing the levels of specialist perinatal mental health provision across England and Wales and has highlighted the need for services across the whole of the UK. The MMHA’s campaign, Everyone's Business, is calling on commissioners and providers across the whole of the United Kingdom to address this regional postcode lottery and ensure that all women who experience perinatal mental health problems receive the care they and their families need, wherever and whenever they need it. Help to #turnthemapgreen by tweeting this resource and highlighting which areas still need urgent investment.
SCIENCE & LEISURE committee
CATRIONA ADAMS, CHAIR; HELEN NEAL, ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY
Contact details for the NFWI-Unit contacts mentioned can be found at the end of the newsletter.
Walking Netball, helping the WI get a WIggle on!
As you may have seen on social media and featured on BBC Breakfast, the NFWI and England Netball are delighted to announce a partnership that will see Walking Netball sessions provided to WIs across the country.
Walking Netball is a slower version of the game; it is netball, but at a walking pace. The game has been designed so that anyone can play, regardless of age or fitness level. Funded by Sport England, the partnership will see England Netball-trained hosts deliver Walking Netball programmes, which will conclude with the training of WI members as hosts to allow them to continue delivering the programme in order to leave a lasting legacy.
Thank you to everyone who has completed the expression of interest to get involved with Walking Netball.We’re delighted withthe response, which has been phenomenal, with over 200 applications being received from WIs and federations wanting to get involved! England Netball are now working through all the information you provided and will be trying to work out a schedule, taking into account the availability of Walking Netball Hosts as well as your own programmes and already planned activities. Due to the overwhelming level of interest, this may take a little bit longer than originally thought; please be patient and England Netball will be back in touch with all those who expressed an interest with more information in due course.
Don’t be disappointed if you missed the original application deadline; as the level of interest has been so high, a decision was made to reopen the survey link to allow members to continue registering their interest. Please visit contact the NFWI Unit for a hard copy of the application.
WIs will then be contacted by a representative from England Netball over the coming weeks to discuss how best to take forward the registration and if ready, arrangements will be put into place to begin a 20-week programme of Walking Netball sessions. The cost of training hosts and purchasing equipment, such as throw-down lines, pop-up posts, balls, etc., have all been included within the funding. Members will be required to make a small payment of £3 per session, but this money will be kept within the WI and can be used to fund hall hire. Full support and guidance on all aspects during the set up and throughout the training sessions will be given, so that members are clear how the programme should be delivered, funded and evaluated.