CURRENT CAMPAIGNS
End Plastic Soup
Microplastic fibres are shed from synthetic clothing with every wash and are the main contributors to microplastic contamination of the oceans. The NFWI calls on Government and industry to research and develop innovative solutions to this problem in order to stop the accumulation of microplastic fibres in our oceans”
Food Waste
“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”
Snailbeach WI, Shropshire Federation, 2016 Annual Meeting Resolution
SOS for Honey Bees
“Honey Bees play a vital role in the pollination of food crops and in our environment. In view of concerns
about the accelerating decline in the UK honey bee population, this meeting urges HM Government to increase funding for research into Bee Health.”
Thinking Differently
Women and girls presenting with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and att ention defi cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are going undiagnosed. Th e NFWI calls on the government and funding bodies to fund research into the female presentation of ASD and ADHD, and for action to be taken to improve the diagnosis process for women and girls, to ensure that they are equipped to better manage these conditions and do not suff er in silence. Th e NFWI further calls on WI members to raise awareness within their WIs of the issues facing women and girls with ASD and ADHD.
CERVICAL SCREENING SURVEY
CERVICAL SCREENING ONLY TAKES 5 MINUTES AND IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST CERVICAL CANCER.
‘Cervical screening saves around 5,000 lives a year, yet attendance is currently at its lowest for a decade. The NFWI urges WI members to attend routine screening, to take action to raise awareness of the
importance of cervical screening and address barriers to attendance to help eradicate cervical cancer’.
GET ON BOARD FOR A BETTER BUS SERVICE
‘Over the last decade there has been a massive decline in the number of bus
services, particularly of those in rural and semi-rural areas. In order to alleviate loneliness, improve health and wellbeing, as well as promoting sustainable development, the NFWI calls on the Government and local authorities to increase subsidies and work in partnership with bus companies and community transport operators to enable an adequate provision of services’.
NO MORE violence against women
Tackling domestic violence has been a longstanding concern for the WI. The WI campaigned for the funding of refuges for survivors of domestic violence and their children in every county, to adequately define domestic violence under the law so that women and children in the home were protected, and to make sure that domestic violence survivors were able to access justice through the courts. Whilst progress has been made, much more action is needed to achieve a society where women are free from the fear of violence and abuse, and survivors are able to access specialist support services, wherever they live.
LINK TOGETHER
LINK TOGETHER TO ALLEVIATE LONELINESS
Throughout the WI’s 106-year history, members have sought to reach out to others in their communities and further afield, offering a chance for women to come
together to make friends, learn new skills, and work for change on the issues that matter to them. While tackling loneliness has always been part of the WI’s ethos, members brought it to the forefront of WI’s
national campaigning agenda with the launch of our Link Together campaign in 2017.
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS
65% of people say they have experienced a
mental health problem
‘Mental health matters as much as physical health. The NFWI urges all WI members to recognise the importance of parity between mental health and physical health, and take action to make it as acceptable to talk about mental health issues as much as physical health issues, and to lobby government for better support for mental illness.’
Callow End WI, Worcestershire Federation
Make A Match
In August 2020, the NFWI passed a resolution calling on WI members to promote registration to the aligned UK stem cell registry: Every twenty minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with blood cancer. Often, replacing their cancerous
blood cells through a blood stem cell donation from a matching donor is their best chance of survival. Ideally, stem cells are taken from a family member of the person who needs them (siblings are the most likely to match your tissue type). However, according to NHS Blood and Transplant, 65-75% of people who require
this treatment are unable to find a sibling match.
See The Signs OVARIAN CANCER
A call to increase awareness of the subtle signs of ovarian cancer
“Every two hours in the UK someone dies of ovarian cancer. Making sure GPs and
the public know what to look for will not only ensure the early detection and
treatment of this disease but transform lives today and for generations to come.
NFWI calls on WI members everywhere to help increase awareness of the subtle
signs of ovarian cancer”.
Kitchen Dancers WI, Hampshire Federation
END MODERN SLAVERY
“There are tens of thousands of victims of modern slavery hiding in plain sight in the UK. Modern slavery has severe consequences for the health and mental wellbeing of survivors. The NFWI calls on
Government to protect victims of modern slavery in the first instance and deliver longer term support to help them rebuild their lives. We call on our members to raise awareness of the prevalence of modern slavery throughout society and to campaign to defeat it”
Gloucester Road WI, Avon Federation
Gloucestershire Women's Institutes