Brora SWI comes to an end after 95 years
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A SUTHERLAND Scottish Women’s Institute has closed after 95 years.
Brora SWI had its last meeting on June 14 at Brora Golf Club with more than 20 members in attendance.
It is the latest SWI in Sutherland to fall by the wayside as a result of declining membership and an unwillingness amongst existing members to serve as office bearers.
The only institute left to be based in Sutherland is understood to be Golspie.
As a result the Sutherland Federation of the SWI has fallen into abeyance with the Golspie Institute now coming under the wing of the Ross-shire Federation.
The Sutherland Federation held its last exhibition in May 2019, showcasing exquisite embroidery, knitting, crochet, lace, cross-stitch and quilting work as well as flower arranging, photography and other creative arts.
At that point there were six institutes linked to it.
Ardgay and Culrain SWI folded after 102 years in September 2020. Institutes at Dornoch and Rogart have also closed.
Brora Institute member Ann Brown has been a SWI member for half-a-century and said she had enjoyed every minute of it.
“After 95 years the institute at Brora has closed,” she said. “Young people are not interested and no one wants to take on the running of it. It is a sign of the times.”
When she joined the Brora group in the 1970s, it had around 100 members but numbers steadily declined over the years.
“We had 22 members in Brora latterly which was quite good,” she said. “We tried our best to carry it on. But you cannot continue if no one wants to take on the office bearer posts. We had no secretary for seven to eight years and had to share the job.
“We would have closed a year past if it had not been for the pandemic.”
She said members had enjoyed a lunch as part of their last meeting.
