The Scottish Women’s Rural Institutes has appointed former police officer Raymond Pratt to the post of General Secretary – the first man to be employed in the role in the 95-year history of the organisation.
Pratt, 51, will work with the national office bearers in an administrative capacity, ensuring the continued smooth running of the SWRI for its 20,000 members nationwide.
SWRI is one of the largest women’s organisations in Scotland, with 33 Federations across the country from Shetland to Wigtownshire.
Raymond Pratt was a frontline police officer until he took up a post in 2004 with the Strathclyde Police Federation.
In 2009 he moved to the Scottish Police Federation where he served as Deputy General Secretary and looked after the interests of 17,000 police officers. He retired from that post in January this year.
In addition to the role with the Scottish Police Federation, Mr Pratt, from Stirlingshire, was chairman of two national charities linked to the welfare of police officers and their families – the Police Treatment Centres and the St George’s Police Trust.
Mr Pratt says, “The post of General Secretary with SWRI immediately appealed to me because it involved working for a membership organisation which was also a charity, and that fitted very neatly with my previous experience.
“My in-laws lived in Longniddry in East Lothian where the SWRI was founded. The local gift shop was once the hall where the SWRI met, and there is a plaque on the wall to commemorate that fact. I’ve been aware of the SWRI and the importance it has played in rural – and not so rural – communities since seeing that plaque in my early 20s.
“The SWRI has been around since 1917 and what I hope to do is to help make it evolve into an even better and stronger organisation for the current members and future generations. SWRI has made a huge mark on the very fabric of rural Scotland and it continues to be a vibrant and exciting organisation with much to offer women in the 21st century.”
The first Women’s Institute – an organisation for women comparable to farming societies for men – was formed in Canada in 1897. The movement soon spread worldwide and in the early days of the SWRI it was run by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland. By 1922 – just five years after its launch – the SWRI had grown to have 224 institutes all over Scotland.
Each of the SWRI’s 815 Institutes is part of a geographical Federation.
Institutes usually meet once a month and continue to put the values of education, fun and friendship at the core of their activities, which can range from crafts, cookery and sport, to walking, dancing and photography.
Isobel Robertson, national chairman of the SWRI, adds, “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Raymond to the post, and I am sure that our members will join me. Some people may find it surprising that a man is taking on this role in an organisation focused on women, but the job should always go to the best candidate regardless of whether they are a man or woman and in Raymond we have the very best candidate.
“We feel that Raymond has a lot to offer the SWRI because of his proven track record in a similar post with the Scottish Police Federation. Many of the key roles and responsibilities are the same, and his experience of working with a membership-focused organisation will be invaluable.
“Raymond takes over from the previous General Secretary, Anne Peacock, who has retired after 20 years with the SWRI. We would like to thank Anne most sincerely for her hard work and dedication to the SWRI over the years.”
