A FORMER postmistress has been given the stamp of approval to lead about 2,000 members of the Women's Institute (WI) in County Durham for the next year.

As the new chairman of the County Federation, Audrey Dinning is anxious to build on the "positive role" which she has seen emerge over the 34 years she has been a WI member.

Mrs Dinning, a member of Tudhoe WI, near Spennymoor, said: "Some people still have the wrong impression of what we are really about, and we are still going through a learning curve.

"But the variety of causes and activities we are involved in continues to grow steadily, and they cover a wide age range.

"We have members with lots of skills and knowledge which they are anxious to pass on."

Courses run from WI county headquarters in Spennymoor range from embroidery, art and poetry to cookery and keep fit.

But there are also visits on this year's programme to a North-East lighthouse, a countryside festival in Cumbria, and a Hindu temple in Newcastle. Some WIs take part in a darts championship.

The traditional image of the typical village WI has also changed, said Mrs Dinning.

"We now have a WI in a tea factory in Yorkshire and another one in a fire station in Cheshire. The important thing is that we are appealing to a wider range of women, of varying ages."

Mrs Dinning, who was postmistress at Frosterley, in Weardale, then Tudhoe, was treasurer of the County Federation for 17 years before being appointed chairwoman.

She succeeds Dorothy Proud, from, Evenwood WI.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the work of the WI is asked to email durhamwi@btconnect.

com or call 01388-819100.