An afternoon with the WI

I spent a very pleasant afternoon yesterday with Great Waldingfield WI.  I am pleased to see that the branch is still going strong, having welcomed in some additional members from places such as Lavenham and Acton where the WI no longer meets.

The ladies asked me to speak about what it is like being a District Councillor.  It was quite difficult to cover this subject properly in the time allotted and I do hope that I made some sense!

 I talked a little about what makes people stand as local government representatives in the first place.  It is an irony that although it is often difficult to find volunteers to take on the role, it is also quite difficult to persuade them to give up when the appropriate time comes.  This means that it must be quite an enjoyable occupation, and I certainly find it so

Part of the talk was about the hazards of political campaigning.   Dogs, slippery doorsteps, savage letterboxes and garden gnomes all make doorstepping a dangerous activity.

I explained that the role really falls into two parts:  what you do for the whole area, and the work that is done to help people with their problems in the Ward.  Often it feels as though the two jobs have little connection with one another.

There was time for questions and comments at the end.  I heard from members about what worries them in the village and I will be feeding these concerns back to the relevant people.

I was made extremely welcome and the tea and accompanying refreshments were as good as anticipated!  A kind donation was made which I will be passing on to Gainsborough's House.

Thank you so much ladies.