Forge Press visited Sheffield’s new WI to find out why it’s belly dancing and Bellini, not Jam and Jerusalem which makes it tick.
Forget the staid stereotype of old ladies in church halls: there’s a W.I. revolution afoot.
Sheffield social scene’s newest addition, the Seven Hills Women’s Institute is bringing the long-established, perhaps antiquated, organisation into unchartered territory thanks to three hip twenty-somethings on a mission of rejuvenation.
The group of friends, Lindsay Garfitt, Kim Whelan and Jennifer Marsden, aim to transform the W.I.’s image by attracting women of all ages, and younger women in particular, through a packed calendar of exciting events.
October 15 saw a successful forming meeting for the new group, with 49 new budding members vying to begin the evening’s activities.
The meeting dived straight in to the vibe of the new W.I. with a special guest, broadcaster and milliner Mary Jane Baxter.
Mary Jane is currently involved in a project called ‘Make Do and Mend’ for the BBC and Newsnight.
The recession-busting programme involves Mary Jane travelling the country, making and mending everything from clothes to curtains in return for bed and board.
Her original reason for visiting Sheffield was a request to help making a pair of trousers for a stilt-walker.
She spoke to the women about her own millinery business and her involvement with the BBC.
Mary Jane Baxter is just one of a fantastic line-up of speakers and events planned for the ladies. The emphasis is on having something for everyone.
Sarah Waterhouse, a new member of the Seven Hills branch, said she looks forward to “learning fun, new skills”, “meeting lots of new people” and “doing something a bit different”- she certainly won’t be disappointed.
In November there will be a speaker talking about looking and feeling good as well as how to do mini massages.
For the more daring member, there will be a burlesque evening in February.
The group will also have the chance to welcome the author Millie Johnson in March.
The idea for the group came from Lindsay, President of the Seven Hills W.I., who as a journalist had travelled with the North-East Derbyshire W.I. to London.
“I had a brilliant time,” recalls Lindsay. “They were such lovely ladies. They were all in their sixties, seventies and eighties but I got on so well with them.
“What they were telling me about the Women’s Institute just sounded fantastic. But they also said that it was dying out and they were not getting any new members.”
“Soon after that, I saw an article in a magazine about Shoreditch Sisters W.I. in London”, she continued.
“They’ve set up a group for younger women and it had really taken off, so I thought if it could work down there then it could work up here too.”
After searching the local area for a similar project and yielding no results, Lindsay approached her future co-founders Jennifer and Kim. Their enthusiastic response prompted the three friends to go ahead with the idea.
Several of the women I spoke to mentioned that the modern approach of the group was what had attracted them to it in the first place.
However, despite the emphasis on drawing younger members, Lindsay reminds us that being the Women’s Institute, it is still a group for women, of all ages and all walks of life.
“It’s not about age, it’s about attitude and that’s what we’ve always said”, Linsday said.
For the Seven Hill’s first meeting, ages ranged from 22 to 58, and that bracket had certainly extended both directions on Thursday.
Yet it’s not purely attention to shifting the demographic that has credited Sheffield’s new W.I. with success.
A huge appeal of the group is found in its ability to engender community and friendship, something which Lindsay says has been lost in big cities such as Sheffield.
“The W.I. was originally a rural thing for villages; that sort of community spirit is what is lacking sometimes.
“That’s what we’re trying to get going here – just our own little community of women who get on, share interests.
“Big cities can make you feel a little bit like no-one knows you and you’re anonymous”.
It is this community aspect which is the clinch. Every woman at Thursday’s meeting had come with hopes of meeting new people, finding friends outside of work and those with similar interests.
Paula Derbyshire had been searching for a group for a while for “fun, entertainment and friends”.
She said: “I’ve always wanted a sense of community, and I don’t feel like I’ve got that. I just want to meet other people really – it’s a good opportunity”.
And this is what Lindsay, Jennifer and Kim aim for – sharing ideas and developing a sense of belonging in what is a very broad and diverse society.
Students might also feel the gravitational pull of the rejuvenated W.I.
When moving into a new society and new surroundings it’s very easy to start feeling lost.
As Lindsay says: “Sometimes when you’re a student, if you’ve moved away to a different city it can be a bit lonely. You might not feel like you’re connecting with the city”.
Although community and support is encouraged within the University, the W.I. aims to cast a net into Sheffield’s wider society to ensure you meet “not just with students but people of all ages, from all walks of life”.
When people talk of a new breed of W.I. emerging from Sheffield, perhaps they’ve got the wrong idea.
What Lindsay, Jennifer and Kim have done is taken the existing principles of the Women’s Institute and brought them to life.
The new group provides a fantastic opportunity for students to branch out from the secure realms of the Union.
By gaining valuable skills and lifelong friends in the very heart of the city, we can become part of the heart of Sheffield ourselves.