Our History

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Moreton-in-Marsh Evening Women’s Institute (WI) was formed in November 1997 with just a handful of members and met in the room above the Library. Five years later, with a   membership of 50, it was necessary to move to a larger room (The Congregational Church Hall), and at the start of 2005 we started meeting at the refurbished WI Hall in New Road. In January 2017 we moved to St. David’s Centre in order to accommodate our ever increasing membership.

Meetings are now held on the second Monday of the month at 7.30pm with the  main part of the evening being a talk or demonstration followed by refreshments, and then a short, fairly informal business meeting. A record of the previous monthly meeting is displayed for members to read.

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What We Do

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Most weeks we have a variety of  daytime and evening events. These include two walking groups, also singing, quiz, craft, croquet and book groups.

 

We organise several outings each year and we also arrange a variety of classes and craft workshops. There are various social gatherings, including coffee mornings. Every year we have a Christmas lunch and in August we hold a special summer event.

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Every other year, we organise a popular Craft and Produce Show, which has recently expanded to include art, writing and photography.

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For our fundraising we enjoy catering for visiting groups and we serve refreshments to National Trust visitors at Chastleton House.

 

Once a year, at our January meeting, we cast our votes on proposed WI Resolutions, submitted by individual WIs. Over the last 100 years, WI members have campaigned on an incredible range of issues: social policy, health, food and agriculture, education, environmental and international causes.

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By exerting their individual and collective influence, WI members have increased public awareness of the issues and brought about important policy changes.

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Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) is an organisation to which the WI belongs. ACWW aims to improve the quality of life for rural women across the world, operating in about 82 countries.

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About Us

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We aim to have a varied and interesting programme with many additional outings, visits, classes and other activities, and by issuing a monthly newsletter members are kept informed. The newsletter can also be found on our website www.mimewi.org. Each month a digital copy of the Gloucestershire Federation County News is emailed to all members. WI Life, the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) publication, with eight issues a year, is posted to every member.

 

The annual subscriptions are divided between our WI, Gloucestershire Federation of Women’s Institutes (GFWI), and NFWI. We are a registered charity, which enables us to claim Gift Aid, and we encourage members to complete a Gift Aid Declaration Form.

 

Our WI is run by a committee whose members are listed on your annual membership programme. When you join the WI you complete a Members Communication Form (MCS), which enables us to enter your details on to the NFWI  database, so that you receive WI Life magazine.

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Cotswold North Group

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We belong to this Group along with Stow-on-the-Wold WI. A Group Rally is held every year in the spring and each WI takes turns to host it. This event gives us the opportunity to get to know members from the other WIs and enjoy hearing a special speaker.

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Gloucestershire Federation

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The Gloucestershire Federation acts as an umbrella WI for all the WIs in the County. and is based at WI House, 2 Brunswick Square, Gloucester. Tel. 01452 523966   

Email: secretary@gfwi.org.uk

Website: gloucestershire.thewi.org.uk

Follow GFWI on twitter@GlosFedWI

 

The GFWI arranges an Annual Council Meeting in March, with excellent speakers, at Cheltenham Town Hall. There are several committees which organise events, visits, workshops, holidays and activities and we try to support as many of these as possible.

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National Federation of Women's Institutes

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The Women's Institute (WI) was formed in 1915 to revitalise rural communities and to encourage women to produce food during the First World War.  Since then, the organisation's aims have broadened and the WI is now the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK.

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Membership of the WI is open to all women who have reached the age of 18.  The WI is not connected with any religion or political group.  We celebrate diversity and inclusion.

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The organisation has around 200,000 members. Moreton-in-Marsh Evening WI is one of approximately 6,000 local WIs. The WI gives women a chance to build friendships, learn new skills, take part in a wide variety of activities and campaign on issues that matter to them and their communities. For  more about WI campaigns, past and present, please visit www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns

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WI Life is a magazine for all WI members, delivered directly to their front door, 8 times a year.  The magazine showcases the diversity and wide-ranging interests of WI members from all walks of life.

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You can find out much more about the National Federation of Women's Institutes here www.thewi.org.uk

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