To celebrate 110 years of the Women’s Institute, members of the West Buckland branch held an anniversary afternoon tea party.
Tea, tablecloths and plenty of sandwiches and cake were the order of the day on 12 August, when over 40 members from West Buckland WI and guests from the Tone Valley group of WIs came together at the village hall to celebrate more than a century of the WI inspiring women to be their best.
The afternoon opened with a welcome from West Buckland President Christine Wombwell who spoke of the achievement of the WI since being formed in 1915 in the U.K. and its important role in the life of women, educating, forging new and lasting friendships and creating strong communities. She said it is an organisation we are all proud to belong to.
A quick fire quiz on the history of the WI, a display of memorabilia and key milestones in WI history added to the milestone celebration.
As well known for campaigning as cake making, members reflected on the many achievements of the WI from its formation in 1915. Originally formed to encourage women to take an active role in food production during World War 1, the WI’s influence has addressed many social issues including the 1943 call for equal pay and the 1954 push to Keep Britain Tidy.
And its relevance remains strong in 2025 with 180,000 UK members forming 6,300 individual branches.
Continuing the tradition of campaigns that matter to local communities this year sees women of the WI taking action to increase vital CPR and defibrillator skills across the UK through its Bystanders can be Lifesavers campaign. The West Buckland branch has already taken the importance of this lifesaving initiative to heart, with members undertaking training and awareness of CPR at the July meeting.
The 110th anniversary celebration heralds the upcoming 90th birthday for West Buckland WI in 2026.
The afternoon closed with President Christine cutting an anniversary cake.
West Buckland WI meets at 7.30 pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the village hall, and new members are always welcome. The next meeting is on Tuesday, 9 September and the speaker will be graphologist Christina Strang.
If you would like to visit or join West Buckland WI, please contact Christine Wombwell on 01823 652863 or 07736712273.
ABOVE: President Christine cutting the cake (pictured right).
My gran was a founder member of the West Buckland WI.
So was mine!