Gladestry

WOMEN'S INSTITUTE - Gladestry Women's Institute members enjoyed one of their most absorbing events of the year when their guest speaker in October was Brian Williams, dairy farmer and practitioner of complementary medicine. After explaining how his interest in homeopathy and other complementary therapies grew, Mr Williams told of his own early infection by brucellosis and his eventual discovery, through a friend's suggestion, that the recurring symptoms were amazingly helped by a homeopathic treatment - in spite of his extreme scepticism at the time. He began to use homeopathic remedies for his cattle and other livestock - an aspect of his practice that was of great interest to the farmers' wives and livestock keepers in his audience - as well as studying and training to use complementary therapies, including the Bach flower remedies, for people. "Just because we don't know how it works, doesn't mean it doesn't work - it does!" said Mr Williams, relating many examples from his own experience. He finished by performing a sample diagnosis, using a dowsing pendulum, on a willing volunteer, who pronounced it 'spot on', and there were many thoughtful faces round the circle at the conclusion. Business included reports of the Radnorshire Federation annual meeting and a visit to the Welsh Assembly, and a best gent's tie competition was won by Phyllis Jones. The raffle prize went to Mary Williams, a guest for the evening, and hostesses were Ellen Baynham, Marian Ingram and Margaret Lloyd.