News | 100 years ofWI


downsmail.co.uk TheWI at 100 - handing baton to WI ‘savedmy life’


DIANE Parr has recently become branch secretary at the Bearsted & ThurnhamWI, and she admits it would have been tough in re- tirement without having the group to join. Despite having lived in


Bearsted for many years, her working patternsmeant that she didn’t really know many of the people who live in the village – but theWI has changed all that. “Forme, it’s about friendship,”


she said. “I used to work in East Sussex, Iwould leave at 7amand not get home until 7pm, sowhen I retired, I didn’t knowanyone in the village. “I’d been involved in the WI


whenmy children were younger, so I joined up and after a couple ofmeetings I had alreadymade friends. It’s savedmy life! “I feel young inmind and I do


a lot of exercise classes, too, but I think there are more younger people in the WI these days. Things like Calendar Girls have made it a bit more cool, but it does all depend on lifestyle –my daughter is 47 and I don’t think for a second she would say that she’s ready to join theWI – but in a village it’s a big part of life.” The Bearsted & Thurnham


branch pre-dates the federation it is a member of. “We had our celebrations in January,” Diane added. “We’ve got around 95 mem-


bers sowe’re still going strong. A few are in their 40s, and one in her 20s, butwe do get quite a lot of new people.” “It’s not just about the WI


meetings either, we have lots of classes – art, book club, craft, drama, gardening, leisure, walk- ing and so on – there’s plenty for people to do.”


THINGS are obviously different now for the Women’s Institute, but as the West Kent Federation prepares to celebrate its centenary, it is still going strong.


The first WI was formed in An-


glesey – Llanfairpwllgwyngyll to be exact – in 1915, and the move- ment quickly spread. The first one to open in the West Kent Federa- tion area was Hextable & Swanley in 1917, with Bearsted & Thurn- hamfollowing in January 1918. That in turn led to the foundation


of theWestKentWI inApril of that year, and it is still going strong – in fact, it is getting stronger,with five new groups having started in the past few months. There are now a total of around 7,750 women signed up to the 180 WIs that fall under theWest Kent umbrella. Of course, the war effort is not a


major aimof the groups anymore, but theWI these days looks to pro- vide women with educational op- portunities and new skills, as well as offering talks, trips andmore be- sides. It also campaigns on issues important towomen. Annette Smith, chairman of the


West Kent WI Federation, said: “When I first went to a National Council meeting seven or eight years ago, the big debate was aroundmega-farms. Iwas stunned that the heads of the National Farmers’ Union and the Soil Asso- ciationwere both there to speak on the issue. It showed the importance of getting the WI movement on side on such big issues.” TheWI does have a reputation of


“jam, jumble and Jerusalem”, but Mrs Smith insists that is in the past now.Overwhelmingly, there is one thing that is driving people to join theWI in 2018 – friendship. Mrs Smith is a case in point. “I joined to meet people and it


was the best thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “We did a survey last year and the number one thing our


A far cry fromjam, jumble and Jerusalem. Today’s WImembers are look- ing for fun, friendship and a voice on issues that affect women’s lives


members get out of being in theWI is friendship. “Theworld can be a lonely place,


and people don’t tend to stay in the same place for their whole lives as theymay have done in the past. “But theWI can bring people to-


gether. The WI varies hugely, and as I said in my keynote speech at our annual meeting last year, it is for everyone, and can bewhat peo- plewant it to be.” And as for that reputation? Long


gone, she insists. “I’ve never made jam, nor been


to a jumble sale, but I have sung Jerusalema fewtimes,” she said. “No twoWIs are the same. There


is no longer a typicalWI member. Yes, some prefer tea and cake at their meetings but others prefer wine and nibbles, and talks can be on anything from the history of quilting to gin tasting. “Our age range goes from women in their 20s to their 90s and


there has been a noticeable surge in new WIs with women in their 20s and 30s opening in urban areas. Our most northerly group, for ex- ample, is a group of ladies called the Borough Belles, who meet in central London. “They don’t live there, theywork


there, but they take the opportu- nity tomeet up. “Some of our groups have all of


the age ranges, there are somewith an oldermembership and there are others where they are all young- sters.” Members are older in Staplehurst


and ElaineMartin (76)was amem- ber of theWI in her earlier life and took a few years’ break before re- joining in 2016. She said: “Iwent back a couple of


years ago as some of my friends were members and, because I am on my own most of the time, it is nice to go to the social events.” Reports by Jon Phipps


Movement which preceded the Suffrage�es still has a voice KingsHill is itself a unique place.


AS WELL as making friends, the WI is well known for giving women a voice. Its foundations, back before


women even had the vote, is proof of that. It is one part of the attraction for


Tina Patterson, right, the president of the Kings Hill group. “There is definitely still a place


for theWI, hand on heart, because it gives people somewhere to go and it helps with issues, too,” she said. TheWI has a voice, a strong voice. It goes back to the times of


26 Malling March 2018


the suffragettes, of course, but we now have a voice on other issues – both local and na- tional. “For example, in


KingsHillwe have two defibrillators,


but they are both on private land so when they are locked up, they can’t be used.We’ve spoken to the coun- cil and now something is going to be done to make sure they can be accessed at all times.”


Having only been around for just over 20 years, it is not a place where many people have spent their entire lives. TheWIwas founded in 2002, and


has provided a haven for the fe- male residents. “Iwould say 99.9%of the people


that have come along and joined have done it for the interactions with people,” Tina said. “I guess Kings Hill can be a little bit like Stepford Wives, it can be hard to get to knowpeople if you’re newto


the area. Because it’s a newvillage, there’s not lots of peoplewho have known each other for years and years.We have amixture of ages in the group, fromtheir late 30s up to twomemberswho celebrated their 90th birthdays last year.” LikemanymembersDownsMail


has spoken to, Tina’s reason for joining was a desire to keep active once herworking dayswere done. “I’ve been amember for just over


four years,” the 73-year-old said. “I had worked allmy life and looked after my father until he passed


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