Almost 30 local women came together for the first official meeting of a new Women’s Institute (WI) group in Westbury.
The launch marked the start of the Westbury Fillies WI, a new group aimed at bringing women together for social, educational and community activities.
Heather, who is now the group’s treasurer, said, “It’s amazing how many people turned up, it’s absolutely wonderful, particularly for Westbury.”
Joan, another new member, said, “It’s quite exciting to be starting a new group and meeting new people. I’m excited about building a community and understanding more about what’s going on and to be able to contribute something with skills you didn’t realise you had.”
At the meeting, trustee and chair of the membership team at the Wiltshire Federation, Elma Lawer, gave a presentation on how WIs work and what members can expect. She also spoke about WI campaigns such as Bystanders Can be Lifesavers, which aims to increase public confidence and training in CPR, as well as work with charities such as Society Without Abuse.
Neighbours Deb and Cynthia attended the first meeting together after seeing the group advertised in a previous edition of the White Horse News.
“I’m relatively new to Westbury, so this was a way of getting involved and knowing people,” said Deb.
Cynthia, who moved to Westbury from London a few years ago, said, “I read it in the paper and Debs told me about it, so I thought I’d like to come along. I like to discover new crafts and things and this is my new home now.”
While a number of local villages have their own WI group, Westbury itself did not have one. A preliminary meeting was held in March to gauge interest in the new Westbury group.
The group will now meet on the third Tuesday of each month at Leigh Park Community Centre.
To find out more about joining the WI, contact lesleyholdway@wiltshirewi.org.uk
