DOVERIDGE WI
AS LADIES began to arrive for the meeting, the Village Hall began to resemble a supermarket with bags and boxes of food and toiletries starting to pile up – but more about that later.
President Chris Fenwick took the chair to welcome members and visitors back for the New Year, and reminded everyone that their subscriptions for the year were now due.
Following a few groans she commented that when evened out over 12 months it represented good value for money. especially as they received 10 magazines as well.
Following the singing of Jerusalem and the distribution of birthday cards, Chris swiftly took everyone through all outstanding business and correspondence.
The New Year is an opportunity to start planning events and outings for the coming year, and everyone was asked to give consideration to this and advise committee of any interesting suggestions they may have.
Then it was time for speaker John Anderson, the chairman of “Burton Hope”, an organisation which looks after the homeless in Burton on Trent.
The name HOPE was derived initially from ”Helping Our People Eat”, although he now feels, following the expansion of the assistance they offer, that it stands for “giving people hope”. He was accompanied by a young Hungarian man who was appalled, following his own Government’s decision to change its constitution to classify being homeless an illegal act.
This prompted him to look to help with the homeless in the UK, and he came across Burton Hope, which has now become his second family.
John clarified that people sleeping on friends’ sofas and moving from place to place (rough sleepers) are also technically homeless, not just those sleeping on the streets.
They are always doing their best to try to get them off the streets wherever possible because they are also experiencing regular attacks from local gangs, rat bites and, women particularly, sexual assaults.
He is in regular contact with the local authority, hospital and the police for assistance in overcoming problems, although alcohol and drug abuse are the two main killers, which prove most difficult to overcome.
When accommodation is obtained they then require furnishings which HOPE endeavour to assist with, and always maintain contact afterwards to ensure they are coping.
Food parcels are made up and distributed from their Sorting Bank in Anglesey Road, on a regular basis, giving an opportunity for everyone to meet up and socialise at a predetermined time.
Hairdressers and chiropodists also volunteer to help The National Citizenship Service which encourages young people to become involved in specific projects to help, but they must be over 16.
A less well known area of support they provide is the provision of sanitary products to schools for those pupils who are unable to afford them, and also to the Dofe scheme for emergencies – this is more a case of dignity rather than poverty.
John had refused to take a fee for his talk. Therefore, the WI spent the amount usually paid on groceries, and members added to the pile waiting for them to take away with them.
Deep in thought about what they had just heard the ladies then enjoyed their tasty refreshments, before they were asked to concentrate on voting for their choice from six different resolutions to ascertain which will be taken to the National WI AGM in June.
We would like to thank John Barnett, the chair of the Village Hall for taking the trouble to remove the projector from the ceiling of the kitchen to enable us to utilise it in the hall for our speaker – very much appreciated and will prove useful in the future.
As I drove home following the meeting, and entered my warm home, I couldn’t help but think about all those poor individuals who were out in the cold – many through no fault of their own.