PRESIDENT Judith Leriche opened the meeting with secretary Vicky Young.

GFWI county meeting was deemed to have been a huge success with speakers Lucy Wormsley and Countess Bathurst, High Sheriff of Gloucestershire who was instrumental in setting up a WI in Eastwood Park Women’s prison.

Following the meeting GFWI has a new president Jan Turner who we wish every success in her new role.

The group evening at Coaley with Henry VIII in attendance had been much enjoyed by the attendees.

Prior to debating this years resolutions there had been some discussion as to why the National WI public affairs committee had not taken forward any of several potential resolutions being submitted addressing the women’s state pension age being accelerated and what this could mean for the WI membership in the future.

GFWI advised Berkeley to contact National WI Public Affairs personnel and were advised that as the pension ages had changed in 2011 (but were not actioned until 2016) it was deemed untimely.

Any WI members who are interested in further information can contact the National WI Public Affairs Department and also view the NFWI website.

There are two resolutions being put forward: Alleviating loneliness which calls on every WI to work with local organisations and communities to raise awareness of the causes and impacts of loneliness and plastic soup - keeping microfibres out of ocean.

We are fortunate to have a village agent (Penny French) and there is a countywide befriending organisation ‘Friends for you’.

In the May Berkeley Flyer Penny’s column highlighted loneliness and isolation and gave her contact details and various avenues for isolated individuals to gain social contacts.

Plastic Soup is about microfibres shed from synthetic materials.

Microfibres are too small to see with the naked eye and are also too small to be filtered out of the waste water using current filtration technology at the sewage plants, apparently 250,000 microfibres per wash are released via the drains into the oceans.

Research at Plymouth University has photographic evidence of plankton absorbing microfibres so microfibres are in the foodchain.

Date of the next meeting: Thursday June 8th 7:30pm at Berkeley Town Hall. All women welcome.