AS the dust settled on the Women’s Institute whirlwind baton tour of Oxfordshire, its members looked back on a week to remember.

Since Tuesday, the baton has crossed the county by boat, horse and cart, vintage MG and fire engine, and been passed from hand to hand by members young and old to mark this year’s centenary of the WI.

Today, the last groups will convene at Dorchester Abbey for the bells and one last rendition of Jerusalem before the baton is passed to Buckinghamshire.

Organiser Tracy Strain, assistant treasurer for the Oxfordshire Federation, said: “Since we took hold of the baton the whole thing has been brilliant, and worth the hard work.

“I can’t believe it’s Friday already. We have been looking at this for a year.”

A beautiful summer’s evening at Aston Tirrold Village Hall welcomed the baton to Oxfordshire on Tuesday, where writer and historian Julie Summers gave a talk. The following day it passed through the Diamond Light Source in Didcot and on to the Vale Group at Uffington Village Hall.

The group enjoyed a bring-and-share lunch and then took the baton to White Horse Hill.

It was then taken to the WI’s adult education centre, Denman College in Marcham.

The oldest member of the Fritillary group, Lulu Belcher, took the baton in a 1926 Bullnose Morris from Denman to her group’s venue in Horspath, where it was met by a fanfare of buglers.

Trine Lucy, of Abingdon Fitzharrys WI, said Lulu had “enjoyed her celebrity status”.

After coffee and cake hosted by Peachcroft WI in Abingdon a fleet of 18 MG cars took the baton through town on Thursday.

After a triumphant arrival to Oxford by steamer river cruise and an open-top bus tour, it moved to Wolvercote and then Witney on Friday, where a play was held to commemorate 100 years of the WI.

Saturday marked perhaps the most dramatic arrival of the baton, by fire engine.

After arriving in Hook Norton, it was taken by dray horses to a pub lunch before a picnic in Broughton Castle.

It was then passed from Banbury to Bicester Garden Centre by vintage Morris yesterday.