what's your WI like?

interesting mix of replies on this but am glad most have had positive feelings.Yes, WI's vary wildy, both in demographic and in friendliness, and I have experienced that myself, having been a member for around 35 years in different places.
tell me more about Acme Whistles.....we need to get that act booked asap.
my present WI [Oxfordshire Federation] doesn't sing Jerusalem and we keep the business side as brief as we can.
we do plenty of baking though nobody is forced to it.
there is a book group attached, a craft group, and we do the usual things of a stall at the Summer Fete, and special events mornings for all the village to attend.It would be great if anyone under 40 would join, but we did have a few visitors younger than most of us, who came along to the last meeting.
speakers, as you will all know, can be a mixed bunch.Even when the subject sounds really interesting, a poor speaker can leave most people screaming silently for them to come to an end, and vice versa.

if new to a town\village and on joining WI I have found that becoming a committee member is the way to become known to most women in the group, and most committees always need new blood, so have a go.

My WI has 30 members between 20s-60s. At 50 I’m in the old bracket. It’s all about making friends and friendship really.

Our group is not the WI, but Merched y Wawr (a Welsh movement for the furthering of women's issues and the preservation of the Welsh language) has members 50 - 80 years of age. Some of them look down on others who are not university educated. Others who are regulars are passive members who will never take part or take an officer's post. I of course am the perfect member!!!!

It makes me so cross when I hear of cliquey WI’s. It should never be like that, they need a WI Advisor in there to sort. We are a very small group so need to be proactive in the village in order to attract members or let people know we exist, we hold our own flower and veg show each year, have open meetings, have provided and care for a large planter outside the village hall, we are not invisible, I think some WI’s keep to low a profile, we really are all inclusive and if a new member feels uncomfortable then they should let the County Federation know. What do others think?

Very boring, about 20+ regular members but they are very much a clique, we have had a good speakers, but these seem to be a rarity these days.

There are two WIs in my village - each holds their meeting in the village hall. One has been going a very long time and seems full of older ladies and I think their numbers are dwindling. The other was started a few years ago and is much more lively. The age group seems to be from middle-age to, I would guess, around eighty.

I decided to join this newer one and thought it would be a good way to extend the number of people I know in the village. I made enquiries and the very friendly president invited me to attend as a guest to see if I liked it. I was made very welcome, but I was astonished to find that, out of a membership of around sixty-five, only one other lives in our village. Members come from several miles away in all directions, because this WI is so popular. Then I found that they already have the maximum number of members they are allowed to have in the hall, because of insurance or something, and there were already people waiting to join, so I'd have to go on a waiting list and would be contacted when there was room. After waiting a year the president got in touch and said she was sorry I was having to wait so long, so I could go to all the monthly meetings as a guest if I'd like to, and on special outings, although I probably couldn't join in any of the separate groups as yet. So, I've been attending as a guest and am looking forward to being able to join some of the groups. In December I will have been waiting two years! But I think I might be at the top of the waiting list now.

Here's what it says about my WI on its website:
'As well as attending the main meeting each month, members have the opportunity to take part in a range of activities including crafts, walking, reading and going to see films. We do very little jam-making, and only sing ‘Jerusalem’ occasionally. Our members enjoy visits out, often with lunch, coffee or tea and a lot of chatter! We are keen to educate ourselves in the most enjoyable way possible so talks and demonstrations form part of our year.'

Does anyone know where the local north east wi is? Washington/ gateshead area?

One of our best speakers was the head of security at an international airport . He was very interesting, informative and very, very funny telling us stories of various “security issues” over the years .

When we moved to a new area I thought I woukd join the WI to get to know people, they were very welcoming, asked whet interests I had etc etc, then asked me to judge the craft competition, so I selected the one I thought was the best and all I could hear was, huh she always wins, why didn’t she choose someone else. I was so embarrassed I didnt go back.

Ours is small, only about 18 members. We have regular speakers along with quiz nights, fish and chip suppers and craft evenings. Speakers often comment on what a lovely friendly group we are.

Granfran I loved the Acme whistles guy. Such a brilliant speaker and intersting history too!

When my husband retired we moved to the boon docks which seemed a good idea at the time, a fresh start for both of us ?
The local WI branch holds a weekly plant and produce market which a well meaning elderly neighbour told me about and, realising I was lonely suggested I became a member. It was like a entering a scene from a Western film, the chatter of voices fell silent as walked in and fifty or so very elderly faces looked up from their coffee and biscuits. Feeling rather unnerved I made a beeline to the plant sale and tried a little chat with the lady who had made a show of leaving her elevenses to see to the stranger. It was quite clear they did not welcome newcomers and I was later told each branch tended to be cliquy and everyone sat with their friends (often from schooldays) and had no desire to include outsiders. I scuttled away never to return.

I only joined WI after I retired mistakenly thinking it all happened during the day. But I am pleased to be part of a group of great ladies with a large range of life experiences and to be able to go and do things my OH wouldnt be interested in. I think it is good advice to visit 2 or 3 before choosing one to join. I see the need to update the image of the WI and progress with times is hugely important for the future sucess of the WI~ its not all Jam and Jerusalem ~ it’s about making women’s voices heard and it is heartening that new and younger groups are starting up. There is room for all. What have been all your best speakers? Ours has been Acme Whistles ~ priceless, who would have guessed?

Before I relocated to my current home I was a member of a lively 150 member WI in London. When I moved the local WI was just closing due to aging & low membership.A while later I set up a new WI & we attracted a good cross section of women. 2 of the committee were in their 20s and our ages ranged from 20s to 80s. We were quite innovative and varied in our programme & outgrew our first venue & moved into the centre of town. I had said from the start that I would only stay on the committee for the first few years as I wanted it to reflect the whole membership. After a while things slowly became more tradtional WI. Numbers fell. I was asked to stand for committee again so I did but resigned quickly as there were too many post- meeting directives from the President that contradicted the decisions of the committee. I eventually left altogether. It is now a small traditional WI relocated to a 3rd venue, with mostly elderly members..whose numbers are dwindling to 20 ish & with events cancelled due to lack of support. Sad situation.

Our WI is only just 2 years old and is mainly younger members in their 30’s and 40’s with a few older members in the 50’s and 60’s. It is a very modern branch and we try to do things a little bit different . This last year we have had Charleston (the dance) lessons, nude drawing ( the model not the members ) , Burlesque dancing etc. We also have several “clubs” within our branch including cinema, wine, arts and crafts, book club, games club and several others .

We support our local foodbank and women’s refuge.

We have two WI groups in our village, one morning and one evening, both are very active. I was made very welcome when I joined the morning one. We have very good speakers, lunches at the local, craft group and lovely outings as well as supporting local charities. We do not have a monthly competition, the evening group do.

I agree that it is a good idea to try different WIs to find the one that suits you best. I joined one which did a lot of performing on stage at events, which wasn’t my thing However they did have some very interesting and varied speakers. I joined another one when I moved to a new area, but the Chair was very disorganised, it was very cliquey and there were no young members
However in defence of the WI, the one my Auntie goes to is brilliant and the day I visited it they were playing indoor curling, raffled one of the cakes a member had made and donated the money to a local charity.

We don’t sing a Jerusalem either!

We have 43 members in our small village, mostly from 60 to over 80. We have interesting speakers, two meals out each year, bring and share suppers and a book club.
I didn’t join until just before I retired, mainly because I just didn’t have time with a demanding job and children at home. One of the extra benefits is access to the WI Travel Insurance which is reasonably priced, and you don’t have to declare any medical conditions. It saved me a couple of hundred pounds a year.
I have also been to Denman College with friends to take their interesting residential courses.
I have met several new friends from it, and husbands now join together for eating and drinking too.
We do wish more of the younger women would join too.

None have mentioned doing a calendar...hahaha

If you like the WI so much, Jane10, why don't you join? My WI is lively and active - so much so that we always have a waiting list of people wanting to join. We have excellent speakers and several 'off-shoot' groups.

I left my WI last year. I'd been a member for a long time - possibly 20 years, took my mum for some years and an older member too until they both passed away but it became very cliquey and I started to feel an outsider even though I'd known some of the members for many years previously. The club had 50 members with ages ranging from 40's - 80's and we'd had some great speakers and outings. The fact that no one has made contact with me since the day I left has made me feel I did the right thing.

I am currently President of my WI and we have have 92 members, up from 64 in January so we must be doing something right! We tend to have about sixty ladies at each meeting. We formed almost five years ago and are in a large village/small town which has another well established afternoon WI. We meet in the evenings at a venue with a bar and our membership is aged from mid thirties to mid seventies - the bar is very popular!

We tend to have interactive speakers rather than slide show talks, our last meeting was with a local artist who painted a picture while talking us through the techniques, totally fascinating. Thus year we have had a go at Bollywood dancing, Pilates, self defence and also learnt about our local wildlife and healthy nutrition. We have several sub groups which meet in between the monthly meetings and also extra trips and events- a trip to a gin distillery was very popular! We are lucky to be part of Cheshire Federation which arranges trips and speakers and also have a local group of 12 WIs to organise even more activities. In fact next week I am out on four nights with WI groups!

We do not sing Jerusalem but do make cakes!

As you can tell, I love my WI!

I too used to be a WI Speaker so when I retired I chose the WI near my home who had treated me well as a guest.

I have made some wonderful friends over the 10 years I have been a member. There are about 50 of us with a waiting list. Our ages range from early 60s to 94.

As well as having a speaker once a month we have a book club, craft and chat, Rummykub, ramblers. We have trips out to places such as a Gin Factory, Silk Mill, London museums, Westonbirt Arboretum, theatre trips and many more.

One or two of our members are unwell so they are supported, visited and generally cared for.

All in all I think we are a pretty fab group.

Forgot to say Dorset Federation.