AROUND 50 women from Women’s Institutes in Gwent turned up to celebrate the 75th birthday of Caldicot’s Women's Institute (WI) last week.

Women from WIs across Monmouthshire, including Portskewett, Rogiet and other areas turned up to St Mary’s Church Hall in Caldicot for a tea party.

Lord Mayor of Caldicot, councillor David Evans, also attended the celebration and gave his praises to the local WI branch for running for many years.

Gill Davies, who became president of Caldicot’s WI in June and has only chaired three meetings, said she is excited to get stuck into her new role and host many more events.

She said: “It’s a little bit of a shell shock really as the 75 years is a big thing.

“I’m very proud to be a member of the WI, I moved to Caldicot three and a half years ago and I made it one of my objectives to join straight away.

“Caldicot’s WI has been going for 75 years and it’s amazing. I have the first minute book from when it first began and we have federation certificates to congratulate us on the 75 years.”

The WI movement started in Britain in 1915 during the First World War to encourage women to get involved in preserving and growing food to increase supply and help feed the nation.

WI’s across the UK also helped during and after the Second World War and have set up a Keep Britain Tidy group.

Lilian Bull, who is 92 and from Portskewett, comes to Caldicot's WI for the meeting every month.

She was first introduced to the WI by her mother, who used to go and bring her along.

After going to Portskewett's WI for many years, before the meetings were moved to the evenings and she decided to go to Caldicot.

Mrs Bull said: "I thoroughly enjoyed going to Portskewett's WI in the afternoons, but when they did them [the meetings] in the evenings I couldn't go.

"A friend of mine was here in Caldicot so I used to bring her and we would come down here together. I can't even remember when it was because it was that long ago. "

Mrs Bull said the best bit of the WI is the fact that everyone can feel as though they belong.

"You meet so many lovely people. It's lovely belonging to something like this," she added.