Sisters on the Planet

If you are a Facebook fan you will have seen photographs from the recent event organised by Stop Climate Chaos- Green Is Working- which called on George Osborne to recognise the potential of the green economy.  We all wore green hard-hats in a bid to show the Treasury that the low-carbon sector has generated growth and jobs. And we won’t stop there, because Green IS Working. A letter stating just this was also delivered to No 10 Downing Street, so as ever we are watching this space.

A while back I spoke at an event known as The New Home Front, set up by the new economics foundation. My talk focused on what the WI did during the Second World War - food production and jam making, as well as producing gallons of rose hip syrup and much more.  Much of what I said can be found in a report, also called The New Home Front, which sets out policy proposals designed to illustrate what could be implemented if there was the will to act.  It is a recommended read for anyone concerned about the changing climate, and what this means for food security, reuse and general well being.

Likewise, it is the well being of people who suffer with dementia and their carers that is on the minds of the Dementia Friendly Communities Champions, and a report is currently being compiled to present to the Prime Minister just next week. There are many forms of dementia and not all sufferers live in nursing homes, so much can be done to make life easier for them and their carers while still living at home.

One such woman who has made a great contribution in this field is Kate Woolveridge, who won an award at the Women of the Year lunch last week for her work promoting awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in Cardiff. Last year she formed a choir called ‘Forget me Not’s’ for people suffering with the disease, and she organises concerts and fundraising events for the choir that also focus on support for the sufferer’s loved ones.

Attending the Women of the Year lunch is an enormous honour, but even in the glamorous surroundings of The Intercontinental Hotel in London’s Park Lane it is no different from when WI members get together at annual council meetings. There is no doubt women truly are "Sisters on the Planet".