One of the nasty bits about my job is having to make tough decisions about what we should stop doing to give us room to develop new initiatives. Jenny from Sussex is absolutely right - it is sad that we decided to stop running the Farm Women's Club at the end of 2007. We agonised over this for some time. FWC organiser Jean Howells, who for 14 years has been the inspiration behind the Club at a national level, is retiring this March so we felt it was the best time to take this difficult decision. FW and its parent Reed Business Information have enjoyed a long connection with the Club and its members but our business is changing fast. It became apparent, that if we are to give farmers the best service possible we really must put all our efforts into our core areas - business information through our website and magazines. These are challenging times and it's vital we concentrate on farmer needs first and foremost.
For many years, the majority of FWC groups have been operating on their own organising lively meetings and growing their membership up and down the country. So I'm hopeful that many groups will continue to have strong membership support regardless of FW's involvement. Indeed, Jenny from Sussex is a prime example as she is optimistic that her group will go on.
While not all FWC members are comfortable with using websites, I would encourage all those that are to take a look at the discussion area fwispace on www.fwi.co.uk and use this to publicise your meetings, trips and regional events. You can add your own photographs and share comments on the forums. It's a great way to stay in touch with friends and let others know what's going on. Promoting your club in this way may also help recruit new members.
So, it's been a difficult but necessary decision to withdraw from the FWC. Best wishes for the future to all members.