WeyBay WI

At the National Federation of Women's Institutes (NFWI) Annual Meeting on June 4, 2026, members overwhelmingly passed a resolution to form the basis of upcoming national campaigns: Accessible public toilet facilities (95% in favour)

This resolution is a call for accessible, clean, free public toilets which are fundamental to inclusion and wellbeing, especially for women, older people, disabled individuals, parents and carers. It invites WI branches to take meaningful action—through advocacy, partnership, and community engagement—to support local authorities and civil society in reversing the closure trend and ensuring dignity for all.

Five WIs from Weymouth attended the July Weymouth Council Meeting regarding charging for public toilets. Amanda Paul from Weybay spoke on behalf of the Wis asking why the Council are planning with this proposal.

Sheila Vogwell President of Weybay WI reports: Praise goes to Amanda for speaking so well in front of a full Council meeting, well done Amanda.

I am pleased to say the Council have changed their decision slightly, to look at each toilet block on a case-by-case basis when refurbishing starts. This is not entirely what we would have liked as we would have wanted the decision to have free toilets for all. Amanda and I are in the working party with the other Wis and have a meeting planned on 17th August to take things further.

Amanda's question to the Council

Why are you planning with this proposal to discriminate against most of the population, for example, that do not have credit/payment card (nationally approx. 11 million do not have one), the homeless, (nationally 382,618 at the last count) the 64,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer whom have urinary incontinence, nationally the 5 million people that experience over active bladders, nationally the 6 million diabetics that have urinary issues, the people that purposely don't drink to avoid needing a toilet (causing confusion, falls for example). The list goes on regarding health, safety and hygiene issues. Just to manage the 1% vandalism you have quoted. These are the people that come to Weymouth to have a happy, relaxing holiday.

Radar keys are not the issue; there is only one or two disabled toilets distributed about the town. Can you imagine the queues. People already have been denied access to toilets in cafes, shops with notices refusing access to toilets and town pub's

It is a human right to be able to go to the toilet in a safe environment, and your planned action is denying everyone that right human right.

As the heatwave continues, Weybay members have continued to enjoy a variety of activities, including cycling, walking, lunches, and other social events, alongside our regular monthly meetings.

Each month, the Dorset WI magazine provides opportunities to learn about upcoming events and to catch up on news and activities from other WI groups across the county. The events team this month are advertising a canal trip, the opportunity to get involved with Camp Bestival and a 5 day tour in Kent.

The latest magazine also announced the result of this year's WI resolution vote. Members gave a clear majority in support of the resolution, "Accessible Public Toilet Facilities to Promote Dignity, Health and Social Inclusion," which will now be taken forward to the national WI

WeyBay lunch club enjoying a lunch on the terrace at The Bridge Inn, Preston, Weymouth. The members take in turns to organise a venue. The Bridge was a perfect place on a beautiful sunny day to spend a few hours with good food in good company.

ANNIVERSARY ALBUM

The celebrations for the ten-year anniversary of WeyBay WI in April 2020 were suddenly and very disappointingly put on hold (it is still hoped to have some celebrations in 2021) but it was decided to put together the memories of the first ten years into a photo book. What a lot of memories and a lot of work to put them together into a coherent format to reflect the diverse activities, and the fun that everyone had. The photo book is now published and will be available to see when the WI is able to have its next meeting. But reminiscing over the past years has reminded us again of how important WeyBay has become for so many members and the certainly that it will continue to provide this support to members again as we come out of the pandemic.

Photo shows the original poster in March 2010 inviting everyone to come to the first meeting and a memory of the first venue at The Clipper in St Thomas St.

PRIVACY NOTICE

Your privacy is important to WeyBay WI. This privacy notice provides information about the personal information that we collect and the ways in which we use it.

When do we collect personal information about you?

We will collect personal information from you when you join or communicate with us by any means.

What happens to your personal information?

a. Contact details will be input into the NFWI Members Communication System (MCS) which is password protected.

b. We will also hold details of current members for administration and communication purposes.

c. For non members we will only capture the minimum amount of information that we need in relation to your visit or enquiry.

Who will hold the information?

Information will be held securely by designated person/s, usually an Officer, who requires it for administration purposes. Electronic files will be password protected and paper copies will be held securely.

How do we use your personal information?

There are legitimate reasons to hold personal information for running the WI, to comply with legal obligations or to carry out a contract to which you are a party. For any other purposes we will request your consent.

Do we share your personal information?

We will not sell, rent or lease your personal details to a third party but reserve the right to disclose personal information for legal or regulatory obligations or proceedings and for auditing purposes.

How long do we keep your personal information?

We will erase your personal information immediately when you cease to be a member, hold office, your enquiry is complete or you wish to withdraw your consent, other than for that held for administrative and financial purposes.

What are your personal rights?

You are entitled to ask us to see your personal information, correct it or have it deleted. You have the right to be forgotten. You can also ask us to restrict how we use it.

What about personal details on websites?

We will not use your personal information on our website or within any form of social media, without your consent, but we will not be responsible for the privacy practices of the the web or content of linked websites.

Who do I contact about personal information that has been collected?

Firstly contact our WI Secretary and/or DFWI Federation Secretary about your concern. If they cannot resolve it you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commission’s Office at www.ico.org.uk/concerns

Our contact email: reception-dfwi@uwclub.net

We couldnt resist putting this lovely autumn photo onto our website. WeyBay hosts a Country Fayre every October meeting with members submitting entries for several different classes including craft, baking, photography, chutneys and jams and even poetry. It's always a fun evening starting with a quiz while the judging takes place and ending with tasting the produce. Check out photos of theother entries in the Gallery.