A SHOCK announcement that an 80-year-old branch of the Women's Institute might be threatened with closure has been played down by a member of the county office.

President Mrs Barbara Burt caused a stir at the annual meeting of Gainford WI when she stated, on a sad note, that unless a new committee could be found, the institute would have to fold after running for nearly 80 years.

But WI adviser Mrs Audrey Flannagan, who attended the meeting, told the D&S Times that she was looking to be positive and was hopeful the branch, which had about 20 members, would remain open.

"There is a thriving membership, but many of the committee are long-serving members who wish to stand down at the same time," she said. "Over the next six to eight months I will be working behind the scenes to try to work out a solution for them.

"We need to get the message across that the WI is not merely jam and Jerusalem. We are a vibrant, modern organisation that has often been at the forefront of cutting edge issues.

"Only recently our members signed a petition about the closure of elderly people's homes in County Durham, following our resolution about the treatment of elderly people in care homes."

l WI reports: page 6.