This is the Editorial Page.      You will also find news from the National Federation here.

A lot of you hold garden meetings, parties, Bar-B-Cues, outdoor events etc., at this time of year (I won't say "in the Summer" in case we don't get any!).  Hopefully someone will have remembered to take their camera and taken some photographs of WI members enjoying themselves.

These are just the sort of pictures that advertise what a friendly crowd you are, and what fun one can have, when you join a Wi.

So why not send me some photo,s for your webpage?   By email, or on a CD, is best for quality.  I can scan printed photographs but there is usually some loss of quality.

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                                                                                                                                               Olivia (Editor)

This might be of interest to anyone who wants to get on the telly :

"Lorraine Kelly’s DNA Stories"

Lorraine Kelly’s DNA Stories lifts the science of DNA testing out of the realms of the detective series and places it into real life scenarios.  Within each hour-long programme Lorraine explores two individual stories, each involving people who desperately need a DNA test to answer the big questions that have long dominated their lives. 

Traveling around Britain we will hear from those involved as they are interviewed in their own homes. We delve deep into the background of the dilemma they face, intercuting their interviews with stylish drama reconstructions; bringing the stories to life and giving the viewers a truly insightful perspective into what has gone before.

With each story Lorraine then brings all the people involved together in a relaxed apartment setting.  It is here that she will talk to everyone face-to-face.  She will discover why our contributors so desperately need to find out the truth; asking them what the results will really mean to them and discovering how they believe it could change their lives.  Throughout these discussions we will also hear from relationship experts who will give their own perspective on what is being said and how to help. 

After the big discussion it is time for the results.  Lorraine will reveal the truth to the contributors for the very first time.   

We witness the emotional reaction and Lorraine will ask them how they will progress with their lives now that they know the truth behind the mystery which has dominated their lives for so long. 

In April I went to the Isles of Scilly for a few days holiday.    When I returned I found a lot of emails waiting for me.   Having dealt with them all, I started work on our website.     Straightaway I noticed that the laptop was running very slowly, extremely slowly!   I tried reloading XP and all the other programmes I use......still no good.     I knew I would have to take it to my computer man in the computer shop at Seaford.

After a few minutes he told me it had caught a "Browser Hi-jacking Bug" !!      This "bug"  must have got in via one of the emails somehow, before the security system had fully updated.

The only cure was to wipe the memory totally clean and re-load all the software........£45    !!!

It took a whole morning to back-up all the files but when I got the laptop back again it was running at it's normal speed, thank goodness.

Moral of story = make sure your computer security system (AVG, Norton, McCaffey, etc is running and fully updated at least once per week, or better still every day if possible.

This is an email received from the National Federation which may be of interest to our members.........

Dear Federation Secretaries

I wrote to you at the beginning of the year to notify you of the new Public
AffairsR17; blog which details events and thoughts from the Public Affairs
Committee and staff. It was mentioned at our Committee meeting earlier this week
that if your federation has a place for Public Affairs on your website then you may
be interested in putting a link to the blog to help inform members as to what the
Public Affairs Department is working on.

If you feel this would be helpful the link is http://theWIpa.blogspot.com

Kind regards,

Noelle

Here is a document about good hygiene when handling food.     Perhaps a copy of this should be in everyone's kitchen.  Certainly, you need to be aware of these guidelines if you are involved with preparing  or serving food to other people.   Editor.

The National Federation of Women’s Institutes

Guidelines for Handling Food

The following should be considered if arranging an event which includes food:

 ·        At least one member of the team must hold a current and up-to-date Foundation or Basic Food Hygiene Certificate.  This person must ensure that all team members have been briefed about food hygiene and the basic guidelines.

·        Freshly laundered clothing must be worn to protect the food from any risks from the food handlers’ clothes and must be removed when leaving a food preparation area.

 ·        Jewellery should be kept to a minimum to avoid contamination, only a wedding ring should be worn.

 ·        Nail varnish or false nails must not be worn and long hair should be tied back and covered.

 ·        A cut or wound must be covered with a highly visible coloured waterproof plaster, a blue plaster is recommended.

 ·        Do not handle food if you or anyone else in your household has been suffering from any gastric upset or heavy cold.

 ·        All food must be purchased, transported, stored, prepared, stored after cooking and transported to the venue in accordance with the guidelines of the Food Safety Act.

 ·        Recipes containing raw or lightly cooked eggs should be avoided.

 ·        Label food that contains or may have been contaminated by nuts.

 ·        Always use separate tongs or utensils for each food item and avoid touching other foods with them.

 ·        All food that is transported from home to a venue that requires refrigeration must be transported in a cool bag or cool box with frozen blocks inside them.  Remember to avoid opening them too often.

 ·        Remember that all high risk foods must be refrigerated at all times.

 ·        Keep raw and cooked foods separate especially raw meat poultry and cooked meat/poultry.

·        Separate hand wash facilities should be available with liquid hand wash soap.  Wash your hands before starting to touch food and between handling high risk foods and after cleaning tasks.

 ·        If protective gloves are worn remember hands must be washed before and after wearing them.

 ·        Have a separate person responsible for money.

 ·        All food must be labelled correctly with the name of the person who prepared and cooked it and their postcode.

         Cook food thoroughly so that the centre is heated to a temperature of at least 70°C for a sufficient length of time.

 ·        Following cooking, cool food quickly and refrigerate it unless it is needed for current use.

 ·        Never refreeze raw food.

 ·        Rotate food stocks and observe “use by” and “best before” dates.

 ·        Prepare Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points Documents (risk assessment) of all food activities.

 Each Federation should have a Health and Safety Policy and a Public Liability Insurance Policy and this usually covers catering.  WIs are advised to contact their own Federation Secretary to check the details.