Climate change, local communities and real ale...

I was intrigued to read Chris Huhne's comment that "...even the Women's Institutes has better rules" than the UN when it comes to their negotiating procedures when he discussed the Climate Change Conference in Cancun last week. When it comes to the UN's organisational skills, I sincerely hope that they were better in Cancun this year than they were in Copenhagen last year. I was refused entry to the Climate Change talks last year with the entrance in sight, which was not something that endears one to the UN's power of organisation. At the time it was obvious to me that the WI could have and would have arranged that event much more efficiently so it’s interesting to hear Chris Huhne echoing me earlier thoughts! I also attended the previous talks in Poznan in 2008 so know a little of how things work, although the WI was not at this year’s talks despite that fact that women's roles in finding solutions to the changed climate remain important to the organisation. We must all continually strive to make a difference every day through environmentally friendly actions at home, in our local communities and in our wider actions at every level.

Another area of interest in December is The Sustainable Communities Act, originally put forward by Nick Hurd MP, which is now on the statute book. The Act was celebrated last week with a reception for its many adherents and those who worked so tirelessly on the Bill focusing on communities and how they can have more of a say in how they are run. Ron Bailey and Steve Shaw of Local Works deserve a special mention here; I met them both when speaking on behalf of the WI in the big push to put people at the heart of governance through the aforementioned Bill. David Cameron, while he was still an MP, made special reference to the uniqueness of the the WI and the Campaign for Real Ale speaking on the same platform and thus, surely, making the Sustainable Communities Bill one that should be accepted by all.

It might have been unique but since then a WI Real Ale has been produced – you can read all about it in the current edition of WI Life!

And now I raise a glass of the Harmston Heavenly to all you blog watchers; thank you for reading the musings and goings-on of the WI in the last few months. Happy Christmas to you all!

COOL, Jerusalem and climate change

Still with food in mind, and in particular the WI's COOL (County of Origin Labelling) campaign, I had an early start today at a prestigious venue in the City. Barbecoa Butchery at 20 New Change Passage provided the setting for a short film to illustrate what the NFWI mandate is calling for – a label on meat to tell the customer where it was reared and not only where it was slaughtered and packaged after it was imported. Voluntary labelling in this manner does happen sometimes already, but it needs to be across the board so that we can be assured that our British sausages are actually made from pigs living and fed in the UK.

In just two days, the WI finds itself in so many parts of what makes our society!

And I hope you managed to download the Harmonies' version of Jerusalem yesterday!

It's worth noting that this time last year, at the very time I am writing this, I was standing outside the Bella Centre in Copenhagen, just a few paces from the door waiting in the freezing cold to get inside the building. No joke. This year I enjoyed a warmer clime in the UK to stand and wait, however, all of the messages coming back from the negotiations say that they are going well. The WI hasn't spoken so widely on the changed climate in the last twelve months but its message is still there urging, nay, demanding that the voices of those women in the countries already affected by the changed climate should be heard. "Sisters on the Planet" and "A world without Jam" are still as relevant as at this time last year, and the message is still there to be listened to and acted upon.

Sunday 12 December - all about the food

This morning I presented certificates to three ladies, who, in the space of two and a half days, have studied for and passed stage 1 of their Food Hygiene Certificate. Over the weekend they learned how to cook nutritious and moreish dishes and how to make the perfect cupcake. A short course, very much akin to our Get Cooking and Let's Cook projects, took place in the Cookery School at Denman College, with participants from the Oxfordshire Family Intervention Scheme. I very quickly learned that a great time was had by all when I joined them at the end of all the hard work, but I know that the ladies had a wonderful time as well as learning so much to take back to their family meal times.