Chairman's Message Board - June 2016
Follow up from Spring Council Meeting –Role of Holding Trustees
If you were at the Spring Council Meeting you may remember that we introduced members of the Board of Trustees, Subcommittee Chairmen and Holding Trustees, so that you can more easily put a face to a name. Several members said that they were unclear about the role of the Holding Trustees and so I would like to clarify this for you:
The Devon Federation of Women’s Institutes is unincorporated ie it is not a corporate body and consequently the following apply:
- Members of the Board of Trustees are personally liable for what the Federation does.
- The Federation is not able to enter into contracts or control some investments in its own name.
- The 'Holding Trustees' have to 'hold' any land on our Federation's behalf, ie. they are owners of the legal title to the land, in this case, 'The Firs'.
New Federation Secretary
I am pleased to announce that Katharine Bailey, our new Federation Secretary, started work in the Office on 24th May. I am hoping that she will put a photo and brief profile in next month’s newsletter, so that you can get to know her. Please make her welcome and do be patient as she settles in.
Twinning with Powys Brecknock Federation
Rita Nebbett, Carmen Luscombe, Catherine Williams (all members of the Board of Trustees) and myself attended Powys Brecknock Federation Annual meeting on 17th May as part of our twinning project. They made us feel incredibly welcome and it was lovely to meet up with a number of the members from Powys Brecknock Federation and to start thinking about how we can work and arrange events together. Walking trips in the Brecon Beacons immediately come to mind for our Federation and several ladies from Powys asked about trips to the seaside, something they don’t have there. Of course we suggested they couldn’t go wrong with either the north or the south coast! A couple of ladies also asked if anyone was going to the Tea and Tent Festival later this year as they would like to meet up. Let me know if you are going and I will pass on your names.
Resolution amendments announcement
We have been informed by NFWI that the 6 proposed amendments to the 2016 resolutions, which you may have heard about from a number of sources, HAVE NOT been accepted by the NFWI Board of Trustees so this year WIs do not need to discuss any amendments. The wordings of the resolutions under debate at this year’s Annual meeting in Brighton remain unchanged.
Mapping Exeter’s ‘Tree Tales’
I have been contacted by a local charity that champions local distinctiveness, Common Ground, and they are gathering stories and memories about the trees of Exeter so that they can produce a book and create a map. If you think you might like to take part please let me know and I will forward you some additional information. The group will also give small presentations at WIs on request.
National Glaucoma Awareness week - June 6th – 12th
Glaucoma is the most common cause of preventable blindness in the UK and in its early stages there are often few symptoms. Women not only outlive men but also outnumber men in glaucoma cases worldwide and glaucoma is much more common among older people. The International Glaucoma Association want to raise awareness of this condition and have sent me some information with details of a National Glaucoma Awareness week Pack which they will forward to you if you would like it.
If you are interested in any of the above and would like to put your name forward or would like more information please contact me in the first instance, unless specified otherwise.
Julie Ayre, Federation Chairman
julie.ayre@devonwi.org.uk
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