Issue 55: October 2020
Dear Member, Welcome to the NFWI Public Affairs Digest, an e-update on all the latest WI campaigning news, delivered directly to your inbox. After a period of fortnightly Digests, we are going back to delivering all the latest campaigns content once a month. If you know anyone in your WI who is interested in our campaigns, please direct them to the campaigns area of MyWI to sign up to receive this Public Affairs Digest.
Contents:
Environment Bill comes back to Parliament
Ask your MP to support the School Breakfast Bill
16 Days of Action to end violence against women
An evening of Combating Climate Change
Check out the updated Campaigns Calendar
Campaigns Corner
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Return date: Environment Bill comes back to Parliament
It was announced in the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Conservative Party Conference speech that the Environment Bill is due to return to the House of Commons from the end of October. It was later confirmed that it is likely the Bill will return to the House of Commons from the first week of November.The Bill has been given a parliamentary ‘out date’- meaning the Bill has to have moved from the House of Commons- of the 1stof December. The Bill is currently sitting at Committee Stage in the House of Commons, and has 7 further stages to go through.
The Public Affairs team is continuing to work with Friends of the Earth, Surfers Against Sewage, Tearfund and Keep Britain Tidy on generating support for amendments to the Environment Bill that would see the elimination of non-essential plastics by 2025, and an ambitious overall reduction of all plastics by 2050. We are also continuing to work on re-tabling the Plastic Pollution Bill.
Ask your MP to Support the School Breakfast Bill
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1.8 million school age children were at risk of starting the day hungry. On October 13th, supported by Magic Breakfast and Feeding Britain, Emma Lewell-Buck MP will introduce The School Breakfast Bill.The School Breakfast Bill will give state funded primary and secondary schools in England the support they require to provide a free breakfast to pupils, where there is evidence of need, or where a specific request is made.
As part of our Food Matters campaign to tackle food poverty we are inviting WI members to encourage their MPs to support this Bill, which would guarantee schools with high levels of disadvantage the support they need to provide a free school breakfast to children at risk of hunger. This legislation would ensure that children start the day ready to learn, boosting educational attainment and unlocking productivity.
It only takes one minute to take action: use this link to write to your MP and ask them to support the School Breakfast Bill.
Check out their video below and use this link to share this with friends and family on social media:
During the first 3 months of lockdown, 26 women and girls were killed in suspected domestic homicides in the UK. Calls to domestic-abuse hotlines have soared and specialist service providers continue to struggle with overwhelming demand for emergency housing.
This autumn, we are again encouraging members to take action to end the scourge of violence against women by taking part in 16 Days of Action against Violence. Spearheaded by the UN, it runs from 25 November (White Ribbon Day) to 10 December 2020 (International Human Rights Day).
Here are some ideas about how you can get involved:
Set up a donation drive & produce care packages for your local women’s refuge.
Take part in a fundraising event for your local women’s refuge.
Take part in a candlelight vigil at home.
Take part in White Ribbon Day.
Attend our Supporting Survivors webinar on 1st December. You can register your interest here.
We’ll be publishing some new resources in the coming weeks with guidance on how you can set up these campaign activities and events safely in line with Government advice around Covid-19.
If you’re starting to plan an event, already have plans or not sure where to start, get in touch with us at pa@nfwi.org.uk we’d love to hear from you!
An evening of Combating Climate Change
This week, Climate Ambassador Jill Bruce, from Essex Federation, is organizing an evening of climate talks, Q&As and panel events.
The 'Combating Climate Change' evening will be on the 16th of October between 6:30pm and 8:30pm, and will feature talks from Gareth Redmond-King, the Head of Climate Change at WWF; Phillip Dunne MP, the Chair of the Environment Audit Committee; and Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, a senior Conservative backbench MP and member of the Conservative Environment Network.
The subjects of the presentations and panels include a discussion of the concept of a 'net-zero' test for all new Government policies; a focus on green homes; and what local communities can do to help achieve net-zero emissions.
The event is free and will be taking place on Zoom.
Further information about the event and to register to attend, click here.
PA Digest on My WI
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Campaigns Calendar
Don’t forget to check out our campaigns calendar on My WI where you will find relevant dates for each of our key campaigns to help you plan ahead.
You can view the calendar here.
If you have any questions about any of these dates -Get in touch!
To highlight the increasing issue of modern slavery, Chair of the Public Affairs Committee in Norfolk Federation, Elizabeth Barker, has written an opinion piece for the Eastern Daily Press.
Although the Stop Modern Slavery campaign is still in early stages, you can get involved by learning more about the issue and finding out how to spot the signs of modern slavery.
You can read the opinion piece here.
Read more about the campaign and how to get involved here.
Support and help during pandemic This can be a particularly difficult and worrying time for adults and children living with domestic abuse. This link will take you take a page of support sources, please share as widely as possible. It is important that survivors know that they are not alone. This can also be a difficult and worrying time if you require additional assistance. If you need emergency food or support you can find the contact details of your local food bank using your postcode here. If you are able to support your local food bank with donations or by volunteering, click here to visit the FareShare website. You can also visit this section of our website for information from the NFWI on ways you can help your community, sources of support and other helpful information such as setting up a virtual meeting.
We have a PDF versions of the digest available, that you can share with the people around you. Please get in touch with the Public Affairs department if you would like a copy. Please also encourage other members of your WI to sign up to receive this monthly digest. Kind regards, The NFWI Public Affairs team. pa@nfwi.org.uk 020 7371 9300 ext.238
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