Two Campaigns from previous year’s Resolutions still being acted on:
Notices from the NFWI 2015:
SOS for High Streets and Town Centres
About the mandate – SOS for High Streets
Delegates at the 2013 AGM on 1 June passed an NFWI Board resolution on the ‘decline of our high streets and town centres’ with an 87% majority:
‘The NFWI notes with concern the continuing decline of our high streets and the damaging effect this has on local communities. We call on every member of the WI to support their local shops and make the high street their destination of choice for goods and services. We call on decision-makers to work collectively, at all levels, to help bring an end to the decline of our high streets and to ensure that high streets flourish and provide a focal point for local communities.The face of the high street is in flux. High streets dominated by butchers, bookshops and bakers are no longer the norm, but the WI’s campaign is not about nostalgia. We want to see high streets and town centres that are fit for purpose in the 21st Century and meeting the needs of communities as well as consumers.
– See more at: http://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/current-campaigns-and-initiatives/sos-for-high-streets#sthash.DJa7lZ3N.dpuf
“Our campaign for a high street of the future. The challenges facing our high streets ad town centres reach to the heart of all of our communities. Share your views in our survey.”
Did you take part in the “nation-wide day of action to celebrate the 98th anniversary of the first WI meeting on 16 September 2013?” Did you know you there’s a downloadable “action pack” and a SOS for high street poster for downloading; there’s also the opportunity to “make a high street pledge to send to Headquarters.”
Then what about the Campaign – SOS our 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.
The decline of honey bees represents a major loss in biodiversity as honey bees are not only responsible for producing honey, but play a vital role in pollinating plants. Approximately a third of our human diet is directly dependent on bees, making them central to our existence.
Despite some recent improvements, winter 2012/13 was the worst on record for colony loss of honeybees. Wild and solitary bees are in trouble too; two bumblebee species are already extinct in the UK, and solitary bees have declined in over half of areas studied.
Bee decline is multi-faceted, with decreases in availability of habitat for forage, changes in the climate, pests and diseases, and pesticide use all playing a role in accelerating that decline. Such declines amount to a major threat to biodiversity, not just for bees but for the many species of plants they help to pollinate.
Resources to help you take action for bees:
Contact Public Affairs for hard copies
New resources available to help call for a strong Bee Action Plan.
The government has recently published a Bee Action Plan; the draft National Pollinator Strategy. CONSULATION NOW CLOSED.
During the last year, the NFWI has worked hard to help persuade the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that a joined-up, comprehensive Bee Action Plan is needed if we are to tackle bee decline effectively. The Plan is currently out for public consultation, providing a key opportunity to tell government what should be improved, as well as remind them that the WI and wider public are behind an ambitious pollinator strategy that will make a real difference to bees in the long term.
We have produced a range of materials to help you get behind the campaign and call for a strong Bee Action Plan:
- Campaign Postcard (please contact [email protected] for copies)
