Week 29 - Hatton Park

Introduce yourself
My Name is Helen Greenly, I am a member of Hatton Park WI in Warwickshire.  My role in the group is unofficial social media person, posting to the Facebook and Twitter pages for the group.  I am self employed providing social media services to charities, small businesses and 3rd sector organisations.  I have teenagers at home keeping me on my toes.
Why did you become a member of the WI?
I joined WI to meet new people and to be part of an organisation where there were lots of opportunities to try new things and get involved in community issues
How would you sum up your WI?
We’re a friendly group, that enjoys listening to speakers, going on outings and getting involved in our community.
Why would you encourage other women to get involved in the WI?
Its a great way to broaden horizons, try new things  and find out more about everything while having fun and making good friends.
What are you most looking forward to as part of the WI centenary in 2015?
Being part of a movement that 100 years on is as needed and as relevant (probably more so) than when it was founded.

Week 28 - Tea and Tents

Introduce yourself
Tea and Tents 2015 is a camping get-together exclusively for WI members. The awesome inaugural Tea and Tents event was in June 2014 in the Peak District, and is back by popular demand - Tea and Tents 2015 will be from 17th to 20th July at Walesby Forest campsite in Nottinghamshire and tickets have completely sold out! A key philosophy of Tea & Tents is that the whole programme is organised and delivered by the campers themselves (we are a talented bunch after all!), with the smooth running of the whole weekend supported by more lovely volunteers. The organising team is made up of 5 WI members: India Rabey from Gloucester Road WI in Bristol; Sue Carter from Renaissance WI in Worthing; Clare Barrett from Birchgrove WI in Cardiff ; Meryl Shirtcliffe from Old Dalby WI in Leicestershire; Rebecca Cobb from Tea and Tarts WI in Huddersfield

Why did you become a member of the WI?
We all became members of the WI at different times, but for similar reasons – friendship, fun, shared values, and cake!
How would you sum up your WI?
Tea and Tents is a celebration for what it means to be in the WI, full of sharing skills, love, laughter, and meeting new people.
Why would you encourage other women to get involved in the WI?
The WI is awesome, a great way to meet like minded women from all backgrounds and all ages, brought together through shared values and wanting to make friends and learn something new.
What are you most looking forward to as part of the WI centenary in 2015?
Some of the T&T Organising team were lucky enough to go to the Buckingham Palace Garden Party or Annual Meeting at Royal Albert hall (or both!) so Tea and Tents is the next event to look forward to!

Week 27 - Buckshaw Village

Introduce yourself
My name is Sue and I am a member of Buckshaw Village WI (we're Young and Dynamic!).  I look after the social media with regular blog entries using photos to illustrate what we do at our meetings and the friendly nature of our WI.  By day, I work as a Careers Officer at a local university.  
Why did you become a member of the WI?
I joined the WI after seeing an announcement in a local paper saying the group had started and texted the secretary with a few questions - which were answered promptly and with great charm.  I have always been crafty (that's in a nice way) and enjoy meeting new people and (being a bit nosy) finding out about different things - so the WI was a natural fit for me with regular meetings about different topics and with different activities mixed in.
How would you sum up your WI?
Young and Dynamic of course!  We meet in the evenings as many of our members are working women.  We're a friendly and supportive group of women aged from 30s to 70s.
Why would you encourage other women to get involved in the WI?
Why would you not want to be involved?  Each WI is different but what we all share is that we are all women and welcoming to new friends.  And to learning a bit more about a topic at a meeting, chatting and eating cake.  What's not to like?
What are you most looking forward to as part of the WI centenary in 2015?
Welcoming more women into the WI as they learn more about what  a great tour de force we are.

Week 26 - Bath

Introduce yourself 

I am Sue Deere and I am ‘techie lady’ for the Bath WI. I joined the committee to organise craft events but rather fell in to running the website and social media for our WI instead. I am a textile artist, running my own business selling my work and teaching craft workshops. I had to teach myself to set up a website, Facebook and Twitter accounts for my business, which is why  - by default really - I took on the techie role in our committee.
Why did you become a member of the WI?
I joined the WI when I moved to Bath to move in with my partner, Mark, after quite a few years of not even living in the same city. I wanted to make friends locally and was attracted to the evident vitality of the Bath WI. The first meeting I attended was an evening of singing with the head of music at Bath Abbey. There was a really nice atmosphere, with everyone chatting to whoever happened to be near them - no cliques! I was hooked and signed up on the spot for membership (and several craft workshops and the book club too!).
How would you sum up your WI?
On our website we say "We hope to provide an open, friendly and supportive environment that inspires women to learn new skills, discover new interests and share experiences” and I think we do just that, but for me personally what I see at our WI is incredible variety (of people and activities and interests), energy, friendship and support.
Why would you encourage other women to get involved in the WI?
I would encourage any woman to join the WI - it is a chance not only to make some wonderful friends, but it is also really empowering. It is an opportunity to learn so much and to be involved in shaping and directing the WI. The WI is made by its members and it is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of that.
What are you most looking forward to as part of the WI centenary in 2015?
We have a number of centenary celebrations planned. We already have our fantastic edible garden within the Bath Botanical Gardens which allows us to work with both the environment and the Bath community (including our many tourists who love to enjoy our garden too). It has been wonderful to have this opportunity to create something that adds to our local environment, provides an edible harvest and is educational too - we see parents and grandparents bringing children to see how vegetables grow and come time after time to see if the tomatoes have started to turn red or how big the beans are. We are fortunate to have a wonderful gardener on our committee who has designed the 2015 garden to reflect the history of the WI (including plenty of leeks to celebrate the WI’s Welsh roots) and the aims of the WI, with more exotic vegetables, colour and growth. We want to take further our aims and ambitions for the garden, increasing the sensory nature of the garden to make it safe and attractive to visually impaired members of the community and we are working with our local council to find a further piece of land to develop as a Bath WI copse! By the time it is our week to manage the Women of the WI Twitter account, I hope we will have more news…and may even be preparing to plant our trees. The centenary is a chance to both look back at where we have come from and to look forward to where we are going - and of course will be the focus of our 1 July garden party.

Week 25 - Broadclyst

Introduce yourself
I'm Shelley Tobin, I am President of Broadclyst WI. I'm a working Mum and specialise in fashion and dress history, currently working as Costume Curator for the National Trust and a local authority museum in Devon.
Why did you become a member of the WI?
I wanted to be more active in our local village, especially as my son became a teenager. I was interested in finding out about workshops and courses run by the WI, including Denman courses. I was aware of the history and already interested in that aspect, but also keen to get involved with current campaigns.
How would you sum up your WI?
We are a small friendly group, reborn nearly five years ago after the original group had folded. I decided to make enquiries about starting the group again when I discovered from a neighbour that the old WI had closed. We revived with about 20 people, but now have 12 on the books. It means that we share a lot together and are quite close knit as a group. Everyone is lovely, we all have different interests and backgrounds and get on so well, we look forward to our monthly meetings and socials.

We are represented at WI events and meetings, and our ambition is to get more involved in county and national events and campaigns. We encourage new members to join but find that there is a lot of competition in the village and it is difficult to recruit people who will commit to becoming members.


Why would you encourage other women to get involved in the WI?
On one level, it is a wonderful way to make new friends and to share support for each other.
It's a great way to learn new skills or find out about something new, or pursue an interest. The WI has the potential to offer so much to women. On a more serious note, the WI has proved that it can deliver in terms of campaigns based on very important issues and has made a really positive contribution to the lives of people in this country.

I am also interested in the work of the ACWW and the work done overseas to help improve women's lives.
What are you most looking forward to as part of the WI centenary in 2015?
We elected to send members to events this year so I have not participated in the he main meetings myself but I have enjoyed observing and reading about them. I look forward to reports from members who have attended the NFWI AGM and the garden party at Buckingham Palace, and our own garden party later on in June.

I am admin for our social media accounts, having set them up a little while ago, and enjoy posting and tweeting on a variety of subjects, including centenary news.

Week 24 - The Heatons

Introduce yourself
My name is Tiff Jordan and I'm Vice President of The Heatons WI in Stockport, Cheshire. I'm an ex- teacher and now I work with school children in local museums. I love it!
Why did you become a member of the WI?
I joined the WI when I saw a brand new one advertised locally. Before then I had never even considered it but loved it from the start!
How would you sum up your WI?
Our WI has 53 members and meets in a local private club. We have very popular book groups, a craft club, restaurant club and a newly started walking group. We are a light hearted bunch - we sing Jerusalem once a year and love bake offs where we all judge by tasting every entry!
Why would you encourage other women to get involved in the WI?
I have made so many new friends at the WI and it is definitely something i would encourage other women to do. This is my third year on the committee (my first two years were as President) which has been a great learning curve with lots to keep me busy and lots of fun!
What are you most looking forward to as part of the WI centenary in 2015?
The highlight of the WI's centenary year was my visit to the garden party at Buckingham palace two weeks ago. Plus myself and 5 other members of our WI were in the live link up from the Imperial War Museum, Manchester.  Watch my tweets to find out all about that amazing week!

Week 23 - Little Bowden

Introduce yourself
Grainne Purkiss. President of Little Bowden WI. Teacher
Why did you become a member of the WI?
To have more than just “lunch with the girls”. To be part of something bigger and to try and make a difference in our various communities
How would you sum up your WI?
Gin-swilling game girls.

Why would you encourage other women to get involved in the WI?
Because it allows you to celebrate all the roles you have in life but really strengthens the real you. Together we are strong. And happy!
What are you most looking forward to as part of the WI centenary in 2015?
Inter-acting with other WI. Getting our face on the telly (again!!)

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