WHILE the schools are on holiday, our regular Your School feature is taking a break too.

And the first to step into the spotlight for our summer Your Club feature is Chawleigh Women's Institute.

The WI ladies have had a busy few months and the Gazette caught up with them as they took a trip to neighbouring Chulmleigh for a leisurely afternoon in the grounds of Sydney House.

They were the guests of Rosemary Wedlake, who laid on cream teas in a marquee and allowed them to try their hands at croquet and bowls, despite the dismal weather.

The group members have proved they are capable of developing a range of skills, aside from those traditionally associated with the WI.

And they have secured an £8,175 grant from the Lottery's Access for All scheme to pay for members to go on a variety of different courses.

Several of the ladies have headed to the WI's own adult education college, near Oxford, where course subjects include the works of Shakespeare, watercolour painting and geology. Another eight of the women have been learning basket-making at the Yarner Trust in North Devon.

More locally, the ladies have been sharing their own skills in the kitchen by teaching from the village how to cook.

Over 70 years after the WI branch was set up, the group is still going strong, maintaining roughly the same average membership of 36 as when it was founded in 1934.

The group meets weekly in the village but also organises trips out, including their recent summer outing to the West Somerset Railway and Dunster Castle.

The members pride themselves on being a resource for the village, regularly providing refreshments for events and organising an annual spring clean.

The group also set up a stall promoting Devon produce at the Chulmleigh Old Fair at the end of July. The branch is always looking for new members and on September will be holding an open meeting, which anyone can attend. Guest speaker at the event will be Devon author and historian Dr Todd Gray.