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Thursday 19 April 2018

Inspiring Women

Question.  Who has been portrayed on film by Dame Helen Mirren, and on stage by Linda Bellingham and Anita Dobson?  Answer Tricia Stewart.
Tricia in her glory!
And just in case you don't know, Tricia Stewart is the leading light of the original Calendar Girls, pictured on The Alternative Women's Institute Calendar.  She was the speaker at the Centenary Celebrations of Caistor Women's Institute, Nettleton and Moortown WI and Holton le Moor WI, all of which were founded in 1918.

The waiters (and one waitress)

It was a really good night out.  Tricia is a really funny and down-to earth speaker and had us all laughing at her descriptions of how the calendar was produced and its totally unforeseen popularity.  I think one of my favourite bits was about the "girls" going to London on the train and the chef serving them breakfast wearing only socks and a pinny.  The gentlemen (husbands of various members) who served us supper wore rather more.  

I find it amazing how quickly the Women's Institute spread through our country.  It came from Canada and the first British branch started on Anglesey in September 2015.   Just over two years later it had spread all over England with branches being formed even in tiny Lincolnshire villages.  That is all the more amazing when one remembers that the Great War was raging at the time - but maybe women needed each other's support even more in wartime.

We had a great evening and we finished by doing something which I've never done at a WI meeting before.  We sang Jerusalem.  
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8 comments:

  1. Sue in Suffolk19 April 2018 at 18:26

    I regret that we no longer regularly sing Jerusalem at WI. We sang it at the big WI I go to for the AGM and it was a treat. And it would be even better at group meetings. Lots of celebrations planned for 100 birthday next year at our WI

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    1. Frugally challenged20 April 2018 at 16:08

      It was a big disappointment to me that it's no longer sung. (And not a lot of jam either.)

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  2. Elaine19 April 2018 at 20:29

    That sounds like an excellent evening, great fun. Even this tiny village had a branch of the WI back in the 1920's until some time in the late '90's. An old photograph show almost as many members of the WI as there are residents in the village, these days!

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    1. Frugally challenged20 April 2018 at 16:09

      They were certainly a power in the land back in the day!

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  3. Margie from Toronto19 April 2018 at 21:27

    I saw the film and the stage play - it was a wonderful story. I had read that the WI originated in Canada but it no longer seems to thrive - I've certainly not heard of any branches - perhaps in more rural areas. I wish we had it here - I'd love to learn some of those skills and make those sorts of friendships.

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    1. Frugally challenged20 April 2018 at 16:11

      It's definitely a more rural thing here athough recently there have been branches in towns. The Canadian one is http://fwic.ca/

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  4. mamasmercantile20 April 2018 at 09:05

    Sounds like a great evening out, sadly I have not come across a branch here.

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    1. Frugally challenged20 April 2018 at 16:07

      It's the Scottish Rural Women's Institute in your neck of the woods, Mama, https://www.theswi.org.uk/. Good luck! (I think it's usually just known as Scottish Rural.)

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