There was a lot of business to get through at our October meeting and our president Jean Lewis started with an impassioned plea for someone willing to stand as president next year when she retires. As no committee member is willing to take on the job, members were asked to give the matter some thought with the view to co-opting a willing candidate onto the committee. We will hope for the best because otherwise our thriving group is in danger of folding up.
Some excellent news. Ruth Daniel has won the WI Golden Jubilee Cup for her design for a pennant with an Olympic theme. She came 1st out of 80candidates, a 'stunning design ' according to the judges. Congratulations Ruth.
All the money we made from activities at our Garden meeting will be donated to the Alexander Devine Childrens Hospice. There was more about the successful resolution of Saving our Libraries. Our inveterate campaigner Kath has more details and advertising material. Planning for our 20th birthday celebrations are gathering speed and a lunch with entertainment is to be held at Moor Hall in February.
Our treasurer reported a healthy bank balance but announced that subscriptions for next year will go up again and that we will be allowed to keep considerably less than half for the needs of our branch.
The subject of the talk was 'Working with sex offenders' and two representatives of a local charity called HTV Circles that takes a holistic approach to tackling sexual crime came to explain their methods. The offenders helped by the Circle have all been convicted of serious sexual crimes and have served full sentences without parole. These people are often sociopaths, inadequate, hugely isolated and lonely. They were much vilified in prison, often attacked and even killed by other prisoners. The idea is that when released they have a strong circle of support so that even hardened offenders can be helped by the highly trained volunteers with the object of bridging the gap between the said offenders and the communities. Thus they can be safely managed if not cured. The late lamented News of the World and similar papers were seen as unhelpful as their lurid headlines only drove sex offenders underground and it is important that The Circle should know where they lived in the area in order to 'manage' them. In the view of one of the speakers libido reduction by chemical methods or castration was not used enough.
Opportunites were given to ask questions but clearly with such an emotive subject more time could have been given.
The meeting was closed and the subject of the talk at the next meeting on Nov 2nd will be
'Working at Heathrow Airport'.
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