WI investigation

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helloto the
When a new WI opens near an established one and invites local women to join, how can both groups work in harmony?

Saying

neighbours

Words EMILY CARLISLE | Illustration ANNA SIMMONS

hen Margaret Earles moved to Whitstable in Kent in December 2010 she continued to attend the monthly meetings held by her old WI, several miles away in Chartham, where so many good friends had supported her through difficult times. But something was missing. I loved my new life in Whitstable, she says, but I needed to make friends here. I decided to join a local WI to meet some more people. Margaret was lucky enough to have a thriving WI on her doorstep but with more than 100 members South Street WI wasnt quite what she was looking for. I was afraid it would be hard to settle into such a large group, she says, so I decided to see if there was demand for a second WI. Having identified a room at Whitstable Castle to hold meetings, she put up some notices and kept her fingers crossed. I didnt want to step on the toes of existing WIs in the area, so I kept everything very low key. I was worried that they might feel I was trying to poach members but the reality is that there are plenty to go round. Sixteen women came to that first meeting and 18 to the second, when Tankerton Bay WI was officially formed. Now it has reached capacity, with 45 members and a growing waiting list. It was the best thing I ever did, says Margaret, who took on the role of President. Everyone is so enthusiastic, and were looking forward to working with the other WIs in our group. Its clear from the interest weve had that theres more than enough demand to support several WIs in the area, and it would be a shame if anyone felt any rivalry as a result. After all, its hardly in the spirit of the WI to be competitive, is it? Angela Bending, a WI Adviser for 24 years, has formed dozens of WIs in towns and villages where theres already a long-established WI. There are lots of reasons why it might be a good idea to set up a new WI, she says. Often WIs become too large, or sometimes a young WI needs to be established in an area where a WI has a much older membership. Angela offers the following advice to members worried about putting noses out of joint. Always try to involve local WIs in the formation of your new one. This will support the new officers and avoid any feeling of competition. She suggests running swap shops where members from each WI are invited to attend the others meetings to see how things are done. Although they can learn from each other, there are no hard and fast rules about how theyre run. Its important that WIs are able to settle into their own routines and ways, Angela says. Its only natural that members of long-standing WIs might be concerned when a new one forms on their doorstep but the key to

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WI investigation

WI Life March 2011

The promise of a new WI was exciting and seven of our members are now dual members
rosemary lea, barnby Dun evening Wi

There wont be any rivalry between us

susan sargent, reigate evening Wi

Id advise anyone thinking of forming a new WI just to go for it

Julie Arnold, Thorpe Marsh Wi

good relations is to keep talking. If youre forming a new WI, invite members from the existing WI to your meeting and encourage them to invite you to theirs in return, Angela advises. Listen, learn and heed all the ideas you can. Make them welcome and theyll work with you. Personally, she adds, I think competition is healthy it keeps WIs on their toes!

CASE STUDIES: South Yorkshire Federation

Barnby Dun Evening WI
Rosemary Lea has been a member of the WI for 34 years and is now in her third year of office as President of Barnby Dun Evening WI, which was formed in 1947 and now has 66 members. We run a fairly traditional WI, starting each meeting with Jerusalem before running through some business and then introducing a speaker. We heard about the new Thorpe Marsh WI from two of our members who are WI Advisers, and it was publicised in the Parish news. Some of our members were confused at first but their concerns were dispelled when I explained that our WI would remain the same. The promise of a new WI was exciting and indeed seven of our members are now dual members with Thorpe Marsh WI. We have very different styles and offer alternative meeting nights and venues, so it provides excellent opportunities for more women to discover the WI.

Thorpe Marsh WI

Julie Arnold formed Thorpe Marsh WI in 2009, taking on the role of President. The 56 members meet on the opposite side of the road from Barnby Dun. My mums a member of Barnby Dun its a lovely group but I felt there was room for a new and fresh WI. She told me about a new WI in Sheffield which had more than 100 members and a waiting list, and straight away I decided thats what I wanted. Initially there were some concerns from some of the Barnby Dun WI members, who were worried women might join our WI instead of theirs but I made it clear from the outset I didnt want to be a threat. Im young, I have a young family and different ideas about activities and speakers. I might not ring a bell or sing Jerusalem but I cherish all the WI stands for and love being able to offer it to our members. Id advise anyone thinking of forming a new WI just to go for it, and not to be afraid to make it your own.

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Surrey Federation
Reigate Evening WI
Susan Sargent has been a WI member for three years. In September 2011 she became President of the newly formed Reigate Evening WI. They have 82 members with a waiting list of 20. There was no WI in Reigate itself, and my own WI was oversubscribed, so a few of us thought wed form a new one. More than 120 women came to our first meeting we had to find a bigger room. From that meeting the Reigate Evening WI was formed, and there was sufficient interest too to form a second WI for the afternoons. There wont be any rivalry between us each WI will serve the community of Reigate very well, and each will have members with different skills we may be able to borrow. We regard the afternoon WI as our sister WI and include their events in our news sheet. We hope to plan a fundraiser together later this year.

Reigate Afternoon WI

Christine Powell is President of Reigate Afternoon WI, formed in October 2011. They have 50 members. I went along to a meeting to see if the WI would be right for me. I offered to help with admin and somehow ended up as President. We have a great programme planned for this year, including a tai chi demonstration, personal training session, antiques roadshow and a salsa afternoon. Our aim is to be a young-at-heart WI. Although there would never be any serious rivalry between us and Reigate Evening WI, Im sure there will be a bit of light-hearted competition as we try to outdo each other in what we offer to our members. They have been very supportive already, sharing their newsletter template and inviting our members to join their theatre trip. Its great to be able to offer women the choice of two thriving WIs in one town.

Glamorgan Federation
Tonteg WI
Margaret Rogers is President of Tonteg WI, formed in 1967. They have more than 100 members. Were a traditional WI: we start each meeting by singing Jerusalem and have a formal section where we tell members about events and any news from the Federation. We have some fabulous speakers last year we had a milliner come to talk to us about the hats in the Royal Wedding. About 10 years ago the Federation informed us that they were thinking of starting another WI in the area. We welcomed the news because we were already very large which makes it difficult to find venues or organise trips away. Our members were very enthusiastic about the new WI and in fact a few moved to Efail-Isaf WI straight away. Having more than one WI in an area means you can cater for more needs its a very positive move.

Efail-Isaf WI

Mavis Tierney is a WI Adviser and joined Tonteg WI when she was 21. In 2003 she helped to form Efail-Isaf WI, which now has 75 members. Efail-Isaf has given an alternative option to women in Tonteg interested in joining the WI. Were a very flexible WI and have adapted how we do things to suit our members. We dont sing Jerusalem or have a top table, for example, but we still start meetings with a bit of business before introducing our speaker. Weve never looked on Tonteg WI as rivals but enjoy opportunities to do things together. We have a flourishing darts team and when we heard that Tonteg WI had formed a team we immediately challenged them to a friendly match. We won, of course! Emily Carlisle is a pen-name. The writer is Vice-president of West Oxfordshire WI, which meets in Chipping Norton.