Issue 468 – Happy 80th birthday for Bratton WI

BRATTON WI has been celebrating the 80th birthday of the group.

Current and past members enjoyed a special celebratory event on Wednesday 4th August with a buffet supper and live music from local band Fat Boy Swing.
There was also a display of photographs from throughout the group’s history, and scrap books that have been kept throughout the years. Representatives from other local WI groups were also invited to share the celebrations, and a representative from the Wiltshire Federation also attended.
“I think we had a fantastic evening” said president Linda Collis. “Since 1930 when the branch was started here, life has changed beyond anything our founder members could have envisioned. But the enduring friendship, caring, and sense of community both locally and throughout the country, and our ability to join together for the benefit of others, have remained our main aim.”
Bratton WI was founded in 1930, and now has a healthy number of around 30 members who meet once a month at the Church Institute in the village. Secretary Susanne Pickup, has been a member for nine years and president for two, and she explained what the group does. “We have a monthly meeting, which could be speakers or an outing to a local exhibition or walk or garden,” she said. “We have an interesting variety of educational and historical speakers – next month we have a talk on the golden age of musical theatre on the 1st September.”
“I joined so that I could get to know the people in the village, it’s great for that. But we don’t just work with our own members, we support things in the village as well.”
For example, members go into the village school to help children with their reading, and the group also takes part in the village fete.
The National Federation of WIs (NFWI) has its centenary in 2015 and hopes to increase membership to 250,000 by then. Bratton WI is offering three months’ free membership for any woman who joins in October. Membership is £30 per annum from January to December.
The next meeting of Bratton WI will be at the Church Institute on Wednesday 1st September at 7.30pm, which is an illustrated talk on ‘The Golden Age of the Musical Theatre’. Potential new members are welcome, or anyone who wishes to join the group can contact Linda Collis, president, on 01380 831 381.
On November 20th the group will be holding another Christmas Craft Fair in the Jubilee Hall in Bratton. This is an opportunity for local craftspeople to promote their work and applications for a pitch are now invited. Contact Susanne Pickup 01380 830037.