Welcome to our web page. Redlynch & District WI has the distinction of being the longest standing WI in Wiltshire and, indeed, is the eleventh oldest in the country. We were founded in September 1916 and possess a fascinating archive of written and photographic material from the early years right up to the present day. Times have changed but our principles and aim have not – we believe it is as important as ever for women to have a voice both locally and nationally (see www.thewi.org.uk) and internationally. We have members from the villages of Redlynch, Lover, Hale, Woodfalls, Morgan’s Vale & Downton.
Our meetings are held at 2.00pm on the second Wednesday of each month at Morgan’s Vale & Woodfalls Village Hall and after announcements etc. we usually have an interesting speaker or entertainment followed by refreshments. If you would like to join us as a visitor at any of our monthly meetings before becoming a member, please contact our or email Nora Barker (itsthebarkers@aol.com) for further details. ALL VISITORS are welcome to attend our meetings – we ask for a small visitor donation – and have an earlier start with the option of soup and a roll in the winter months. Here are a few highlights from past meetings and our forthcoming programme is as follows:
PROGRAMME OF SPEAKERS
2026
JAN 4: Resolution Meeting (Members Only)
FEB 11: Jayne Glennie – How Do You Take Yours? The History of Tree
MAR 11; Sylvia Ledger – Needle Felting Demonstration
APR 8: Valerie Young – Social History of Bletchley Park
MAY13: ANNUAL MEETING with Kate Moody – Headway Brain Injury Association
JUN 10: Suzanne Kemp – The New Forest, Grazing and Communing – Suzanne Kemp
JUL 15: ANNUAL OUTING
AUG 12: Julia Baker – A History of Furzey Gardens
SEP 8: 110th Birthday Celebrations with Guest Speaker Baroness Minette Batters
COMMITTEE
Rosemary Pugh (President), Sandra Pearce (Treasurer),
Ann Kelly, June Dabell, Janet Stock (Press Secretary), Nora Barker
ACTIVITIES: Monthly Book Group, Discussion Group, Annual Outing.
NEWSLETTERS: We send a newsletter each month by email.
WI LIFE: this is the name of the WI national magazine produced eight times a year and sent by post to every member;
WILTSHIRE FEDERATION OF WIs (WFWI) looks after and runs events for all the 109 WIs in Wiltshire and is based at : – WI House, 17 Couch Lane, Devizes, SN10 1EB. Tel: 01380 739340 e-mail: fedsec@wiltshirewi.org.uk
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF WOMENS INSTITUTES: All WIs are affiliated to the NFWI, and there are 5,517 WIs in England and Wales. They arrange the NFWI AGM which is held every year. Resolutions on social and topical concerns submitted by WIs are selected and discussed at all levels and voted on at the AGM. If they are carried they empower the WI to influence local and national policy making.