Kingston

After members chose their drinks the business part of the evening started with the treasurer reporting that our funds were over £1000. A walk along Lancing seafront is planned for January 21, meeting at the Juggs at 9.30am. The book club meets on January 21 at Janice Barber’s house. Pilates continues each Tuesday at the parish hall from 2pm to 3pm and craft club meets on Fridays at the Pavilion from 2pm to 4pm. Valerie Simmons normally delivers flowers to sick members, but because she fractured her wrist her flowers were delivered by the president Beverley Wakeford-Brown. A collection of warm clothing for Syrian refugees will be taken to Barcombe Church on January 16.

Committee members presented the eight resolutions. They are Ban the Microbead: Plastic microbeads, found in cosmetics and personal care products, are too small to be filtered out of water waste thereby polluting the oceans. Annually, over 80 tonnes pollute the ocean from the UK alone. British Fruit: reviving our heritage. The UK is only 12 percent self-sufficient in fruit production and we are losing old variety fruit that are part of our heritage and in danger of extinction. Domestic fruit production needs promoting. Free sanitary protection for homeless women: Homeless men receive free razors and condoms, but homeless women don’t get free sanitary products which are classified as luxury or non-essential and taxed at 5 percent VAT rate. Where is equality? Prevention of sudden cardiac death in young adults in the UK: In the UK every week at least 12 young people die from undetected cardiac abnormalities. Heart screening for young people aged 14 to 35 years should be a national strategy. First aid to save lives: First aid training should be promoted in schools, colleges, universities and the workplace. In countries where this happens twice as many people survive cardiac arrest. Mind or body – equal funding for care: The 2015 budget committed an extra 1.25bn for mental health, but needs an extra 10 percent in real terms by 2020 to achieve parity. Only 25 percent of people with depression get any help at all. Avoid food waste, address food poverty: Supermarkets should pass edible, surplus food to charities to decrease food poverty in the UK. Currently only 2 percent goes to charities and food banks; merely doubling it would save £160m.

Result. Free sanitary protection for homeless women, won by one vote and will go forward to the 2016 Annual Meeting in June.

Post script: In my Christmas party report I unfortunately failed to mention one of the ladies who entertained us. Valerie Simmons composed and read her own poem that was much enjoyed by the audience. Apologies, Valerie.

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