The Boat of Garten Scottish Women’s Rural Institute
Generally known as The Rural', Boat of Garten Scottish Womens' Rural
Institute is a member of Inverness-shire and Islands Federation, and of
the National Federation based in Edinburgh. It was founded in 1938 at
the instigation of Mrs Agnes Macintosh and records show early activities
included providing handmade items for soldiers and sailors. Suspended
during the wartime, it was later re-formed and continues to hold
friendly and informative meetings, the constitution stating that we are
a non-political and non-sectarian organisation, aiming to provide
social, educational and recreational opportunities, foster
craftsmanship, preserve the ecology and traditions of rural Scotland,
and consider matters affecting the home and community.
We currently have a membership of
about 20, meeting in the lounge of the new Community Hall on the third Monday evening of each
month from September to April. A committee is elected annually to
arrange the programme for the year. We aim to have a wide variety of
speakers covering domestic crafts, social and international affairs, and try to support
various charitable initiatives. In addition, there are occasional outings
and craft classes, communal or individual entries to Grantown Show, visits
to meetings of sister Institutes in neighbouring villages, and an annual
joint meeting with the six other Institutes of Badenoch and Strathspey
area. Funding comes from an annual membership fee, supplemented by a small
raffle at most meetings.
To mark the year 2000 a wall-hanging was produced for the Village Hall depicting the scenes and activities of our community.
| Committee 2007 - 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| President | Mary Clark | 831480 |
| Vice-President | Mary Cowe | 831471 |
| Secretary | Caroline Wilson | 831570 |
| Treasurer | Brit Taylor | 831060 |
| Competitions | Barrie Davison | 831603 |
| Raffles | Ann Miller | 831679 |
| Magazines | Jane Fletcher | 831443 |
| Press | Audrey Martin | 831235 |
| Gisella Simpson | 831382 | |
| Programme 2007 - 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| September 17th | Healing Plants in Inverness-shire | Sarah de Rees |
| October 15th | Scotland in Miniature | Alan Keegan |
| November 19th | Work with Poppy Scotland | Jan Miskelly |
| December 10th | The Church Guild join us for a Chrismas Party in the Community Hall | |
| January 14th | Consulting with Communities in the National Park | Anna Barton |
| February 18th | A Taster Evening at Anderson’s Restaurant | |
| March 17th | Travelling with my teacher in Uganda | Ben Sparham |
| April 14th - AGM | A Blether | Ray Donaldson |
| May or June | Pot Luck Lunch | |
