EIGHTEEN members of Dinton WI attended the March meeting held at Dinton Village Hall.

Birthday wishes were expressed to Daphne Allington, Jane Baden- Fuller, Mavis Lockyer and Jan Moore.

The secretary, Margaret Collins, informed members about a cookery and craft day at Bushton in April and members discussed a proposed visit to Longford Castle and a fashion show at Wilton Shopping Village.

The speaker was Philip Tomes, community librarian in charge of Salisbury, Wilton and Downton libraries.

Philip began his talk by emphasising the changes in the library system in recent times, to take into account advances in technology which have now become part of everyday life. He informed members that Britain is still a world leader in the publication of books and especially of children’s literature.

In 2012, 152,000 books were published in Britain, and Philip emphasised that the printed word remains a great influence despite the rise of e-books and other technological advances. He also outlined the main library services provided from a combination of central government and local council funding.

The competition this month was to bring an old book, and there were many interesting entries. The winner was Sue Taylor, second was Bernadette Walters, and third was Yve Kirby.

The next meeting will be on Wednesday, April 10, when the speaker will be Joyce Bowden of Salisbury Operatic Society.