On March 6, Altarnun WI announced that after nearly seven decades, it would be closing its doors.
The WI describes itself as a ‘warm, friendly, inclusive organisation, open to all women’. The institute aims to bring women of all ages and backgrounds together to help build friendship and experiences. The organisation has over 3,000 members in Cornwall alone.
Members of Altarnun’s branch met at Altarnun Village Hall to take the steps necessary to put the group into suspension. This is done so that the group’s funds can be given over to Cornwall Federation of Women’s Institutes (CFWI) who will hold them for three years. In that time, should someone start up another WI in the area, the funds would be reallocated.
The group’s WI advisor, Helen Kestle, along with her colleague Gill Trew, attended the meeting so the necessary procedure could be carried out to finalise the group’s suspension.
A spokesperson from the group said: “It didn’t seem to take very long, and then it was done. Our president, Kate Sibborn, thanked the members for supporting the WI for so long, and the officers and committee members for all their work over the years.”
However, there was one final session to enjoy, with a talk on ‘Peter’s Puppets’ from Peter Allen.
Treasurer Tricia Allen added: “As you can imagine, this resulted in lots of laughter and fun as everyone soon took to being puppeteers, and let their imaginations run wild. It was such a lovely way to close our final meeting of Altarnun WI on such a happy note and having had a real fun evening.”
Following its closure, the organisation’s next closest groups are in Stoke Climsland, Coads Green, and Lezant.