Since the late 1880’s, it has been recognised that women wanted a place to go where they could socialise, learn new things and support their local communities. In 1915 the UK’s first Women’s Institute was born. Originally its aim was to revitalise rural communities and aid in the production of food during the First World War. Over the years the institute has flourished and developed into the WI as we know it today – providing women with educational opportunities and the chance to build new skills, to take part in a wide variety of activities and to campaign on issues that matter to them and their communities.
Until recently, my personal view of the WI has been limited to the usual stereotypes – old ladies sternly judging each others’ Victoria sponges and home-made jams; over-zealous middle-aged busybodies staunchly singing “Jerusalem” and looking down their noses at anyone that doesn’t join in; and village fetes crammed with home-made knick-knacks in aid of some obscure charity. TV programmes such as Housewife, 49 and Jam & Jerusalem fortified that view. Then came Calendar Girls which showed a different, more fun side (although still not for the young!)
At a Vintage fair last year, I met a couple of ladies from the local WI in Guildford. These ladies, whilst still serving the obligatory Victoria Sponge, were young – under 30 – and their descriptions of craft nights, Puds & Fizz evenings, and film/theatre outings sounded like fun! I love craft, sewing, knitting and baking and I love learning new things – so I decided then and there to give it a go.
Of course, fast forward a year and I hadn’t done a thing about it. I had mentally filed it under “I’ll get round to that someday”, which sits somewhere between “Sounds like a great idea” and “I’ve always wanted to try that” – all of which are mottos I am trying to eliminate in my 40th year! So onto the list it went, and I began my research.
What a wide variety of options! You can get involved in all sorts of “Modern” WI groups – especially in London – including a Gothic group making corsets and going on bat hunts; a group of 25-50 years olds who meet up in the pub; hard-hitting campaigners and all sorts of other specialist groups. In the end I plumped for the WI that I had originally met – the Guildford Spike WI.
It meets once a month on a Thursday evening from 7:30 until around 9 ish. The first time I attended was as a guest – I just wanted to see how it all worked. After being warmly welcomed at the door, I was then invited to join the ladies in a room set up for a presentation. I learned that each month a guest comes along and gives a talk on something interesting – this particular month was a lady who had left a successful corporate career in the City to follow her dreams of becoming a photographer.
It was really interesting and sparked a lot of thought amongst the group about the work/life balance or money & success vs happiness conundrum. The second time I attended (and joined up!) the talk was by a lady who was born in Germany and just escaped the Holocaust. She talked of her experiences growing up in Munich, the escape across Europe, the difficulty in finding education in war-torn London when she spoke no English, and her experiences in later life when revisiting Germany. It was fascinating and I felt privileged to hear this personal account of such an inconceivable experience.
The talk is followed by a break, which I found to be a bit like a networking event. People milled around with cups of tea/coffee and chatted in small groups. This could be daunting for some, but I was pleased that a few people came over to chat, and I met all sorts – solicitors, bankers, housewives, small business owners, retirees, accountants, and all sorts of other professions. People told their story of how they came to be members – some that had founded the group when they recognised a mutual desire to have a regular space to meet and socialise, others who moved to the area and wanted to make friends, others who wanted to find something new to learn. The group I joined is a varied age group with women from their late 20’s/early 30’s, up to ladies in their 60’s and 70’s.
I also learned about the various clubs and break-away groups within the club. There is a supper club, book club, craft & chatter group, coffee afternoons, puds & fizz group, walking group, gardening group, cinema club, and theatre trips. Days out are organised to spas, stately homes, theatres, restaurants, craft fairs and various other events. I was mightily disappointed to find out that the Craft group meet on a Tuesday which is my dancing night, but it’s only once a month so maybe I can skive off dancing occasionally to go. I signed up to a trip to visit a knitting and stitching exhibition in October and I’m really looking forward to it!
Signing up to the WI doesn’t cost that much – £40 for a year, which works out to about 3 quid a meeting – not including the extra curricular stuff – and it’s a great place to meet like-minded people and learn something new.
I particularly like the monthly talks, which inspire, give me a different perspective, or challenge my world view. All of which are a good thing! The other groups are great, not all are in the evenings though so some I’ll not be able to take part in, but if you don’t have a 9-5 job you have a wealth of options!
I would say it is worth you taking a look around at the social groups in your area. If you’re a woman, why not give your local WI a try? Or another group? It’s amazing how enriching it can be to try something new and open up to new opportunities to learn something new. You might find inspiration for a new hobby, a new career or maybe just gain a slightly different insight into the people around you.
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40 things... 
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