In the 80's when I was a member of Bacton WI we always used to sing Jerusalem at the beginning of meetings and God Save the Queen at the end. When I went back 4 years ago they'd stopped and neither did we sing at the small WI I joined. So it was lovely to go to my own village WI this month and find they still sing both and it was 'allowed' again.
This months meeting was back to normal with a speaker - or actually two, they were Community Engagement Officers and I'd never heard of them! They are actually Police Officers whose job is to 'Engage with the Public'. Each area has one.
They go to events in their local area, speak to groups and our own PC regularly turns up at the Rural Coffee Caravan - for the cake and coffee he said! They advise about fraud and house protection and anything else people are worried about regarding their safety.
He said the difference between calling 101 and 999 was if you were worried about something that had happened or was actually happening at that moment. So if you hear someone in the neighbours garden when you know they are away then ring 999- just in case.
We lamented the lack of money that means we rarely see a Police Officer nowadays except rushing by with blue lights flashing. He said that was actually a good thing because the way they worked now was more targeted so if you didn't see a policeman it meant there were very few problems in your area.
They had some leaflets with information and gave out pens for marking possessions that show up with a UV light.
They often find stolen goods when they have to search a suspects home but usually can't return them to they're rightful owners because they don't know where they've come from.
They also said it wasn't just Line Of Duty where all the talk is in acronyms - they really do use them in real policing too.
It's really good to be able to walk there and back so I hope that WI carries on here after the AGM in November.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
I had considered joining the WI upon retirement. But there isn't one in this village. According to locals "the woman had a disagreement and it closed" ! How very sad
ReplyDeleteOh dear, so many WI's are struggling because no one wants the committee main jos
DeleteI joined a WI several years ago...but shift working found me struggling to go so I let it slide. x
ReplyDeleteIt's quite expensive if you can't get there very often.
DeleteThere must have been some interesting discussion behind the stopping and starting of the singing.
ReplyDeleteI guess so
DeleteSo pleased you enjoyed your meeting and they sang Jerusalem, at my old WI we only had about 16 members but we always sang J. If you ever get a chance at The Albert Hall to sing with WI it is a wonderful experience especially the Welsh ladies.
ReplyDeleteHazel 🌈🌈
Yes I've heard other people say that too
DeleteWI just is not the same without Jerusalem. I was President here for four years many years ago. W e always sang it.
ReplyDeleteExactly right - I was pleased thatthe tradition has carried on here
DeleteYour WI meeting sounds excellent. Singing J and GBQ is a very nice beginning and end to the meeting. The Police Officer gave some excellent recommendations that are useful for everyone. Unlike many meetings, your WI meeting is worth attending.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy going to WI - hope it carries on
DeleteI love the old songs/hymns too. Jerusalem is wonderful.
ReplyDeletexx
It was one of the favourites back in the Grammar school days when we still had whole school assembly
DeleteHow nice that you were able to go to your village WI. It is good to have police officers that "Engage with the Public". Promoting friendship and awareness between the public and the police is helpful to everyone. In our small town we have "Coffee with a Cop" and outdoor activities with them in nice weather. They have demonstrations with the police dogs and let the children see inside their cars.
ReplyDeleteMy sons’ local police have given out bells with clip hooks to attach to your wallet/ change purses. They ring loudly should anyone try to take it. Great idea. Everyone who sees/ hears mine, loves it!
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to have speakers again. I bet it was interesting listening to the officers. Here they are called Community Liaison Officers. We have some that go to the schools and talk to the students as well.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
My son, who's a Police call handler, says people can get very confused about the two numbers. But he finds it's mostly older folk who use the 111 as they 'don't want to bother you by dialling 999' although as both calls are handled at the same desks in the same control room they are quickly passed over to the right people.
ReplyDelete