Sheepscombe Women’s Institute
Sheepscombe WI meets on the second Wednesday of each month (except
August), usually in the Village Hall at 7.30pm. Our Branch is part of the
Gloucestershire Federation of WI’s (GFWI) which organises a wide variety of
events for members. Information on the National Federation of Women’s
Institutes (NFWI) can be found on the internet (www.thewi.org.uk )
Our meetings combine socialising with a good mix of serious and less serious
speakers, some “hands-on” sessions, (pottery, cooking, and paper “Haute
Couture” creations are recent examples) and occasional “away” meetings – a
Treasure Hunt in Painswick recently tested our scanty knowledge of our
nearest town…
We also organise walks – usually with a pub lunch to follow – and trips to
places of interest, such as (in recent years) Chastleton House and the BBC
studios in Bristol. We have enjoyed guided walks round Bath and Cheltenham,
and (through GFWI) visits to Cheltenham Racecourse and Bletchley Park.
There is also a Sheepscombe Skittles team which competes (fairly successfully!)
in the GFWI annual tournament.
With around a million members in the UK, the WI has a significant voice to
promote causes important to our members. Recent resolutions voted on at
the NFWI Annual Meeting include subjects such as the urgent need to clean up
our waterways, and to increase awareness of ADHD and ASD in women and
girls. WI also supports the ACWW (Associated Countrywomen of the World)
with an annual “Line of Pennies” collection – nowadays a line of silver ….
New members (any age over 18) are always welcome – contact the Gloucestershire Federation of WIs on 01452 523966 or email secretary(at)gfwi.org.uk (replace (at) with the usual @ symbol) or just turn up on the night. Visitors – men included – are also
welcome for a small fee. Details of forthcoming meetings are published in the
Sheepscombe News, and on the Village Hall noticeboard.