About Broad Town Women's Institute

The Broad Town WI are a friendly group of women. We meet in the village hall on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, apart from December when we meet on the 2nd Wednesday. We start with our speaker so please arrive promptly at 7.30pm for a talk or activity which may be educational, inspiring, amusing and energetic.  After the talk we have time for socialising and refreshments.  This is followed by a short business meeting.  We also arrange visits to gardens, pubs, local attractions, and go on summer walks.  With a membership of 27 and growing we are keen to welcome new members. We have had a stall at the Broad Town summer Big Gig for the past few years supplying the festival goers with hot drinks and delicious homemade cakes.

We are affiliated to the Wiltshire federation of WI which in turn is part of the national WI allowing us to make a difference to campaigns such as reducing supermarket packaging, influencing the price of milk at the farm gate and accurate labeling food with the country of origin.  Current campaigns are helping to alleviate loneliness, improving hospital arrangements for carers of people with dementia, helping to reduce plastic waste and trying to end food poverty. 
 
There is also a dedicated college of further education; Denman college in Oxfordshire, offering the widest range of courses allowing WI members to learn new skills or further existing ones.
 
If you would like to meet some new friends in the village, have an opportunity to learn something new and maybe influence a national campaign why not come along one evening soon?  Visitors are always welcome and you can try us out without any obligation.
Broad Town Women's Institute - Events and Plans
15

Our speaker this month was Warrant Officer Al Sylvester, a former team leader in RAF mountain rescue service where he was involved with stretcher rescues and rescues from crashed aircraft.

Al talked to us about his amazing trek to the South Pole. He explained how the four team members were chosen from 31 applicants, following expeditions in Iceland and Norway.

We also heard how nearly £200,000 was raised and how the team’s fitness was improved.  Al developed his leg and back muscles for pulling his 18 stone sled by dragging two tyres and a large lump of concrete for three hours a day in all weathers.

The team were finally flown in the starting point near the Patriot Hills and left unsupported in the icy wilderness. Al described the mental challenges of the isolation, the physical challenges of living at -38 degrees with wind speeds sometimes over 100 mph and gave us a very entertaining and colourful account of the everyday routine of eating, drinking and life’s other necessary functions.

Unfortunately the cold took its toll and with two team members suffering from severe frost bite the trek had to be aborted. The team did reach the South Pole by plane and were then returned home.

Al does not regret his journey to the South Pole despite losing the ends of his thumbs due to frostbite. He encouraged us all to step out of our comfort zone and do something amazing.

Next month, on Wednesday 20th March at 7.30pm at Broad Town Village Hall we are having a video and question & answer session by the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

We would like some more members so why not come along.

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