Womens Institute

Welcome to Woodcote WI

Please come along and join us at 2.30pm on the third Wednesday in every month in the Village Hall (except August).

We are an extremely friendly WI of 40 members. Visitors and new members are always welcome. Come and meet new friends and enjoy a delicious afternoon tea.

We have a variety of speakers.
Enjoy outings to nearby places of interest.
Join our lunch club which visits different venues once a month.
How about a game of table tennis? This group plays once a week in the winter months.
For the more serious minded we have a discussion group who meet regularly to put the world to rights.
Are you a Scrabble player? Perhaps you would like to resurrect our Scrabble group.

We are part of the Oxford Federation of Women's Institutes who arrange events such as talks, day schools, outings and holidays that individual WI's cannot arrange due to insufficient numbers. It gives members a chance to meet and enjoy the company of fellow WI members which is part and parcel of belonging to such a national organization as the Women's Institute.

There are many learning opportunities within the WI and we are lucky to have Denman College (WI's own residential college) in Oxfordshire. The range of courses is varied to appeal to as wide a cross section as possible.

History

Woodcote WI was formed on January 19th 1944 and the first meeting was held in “The Old Schoolroom” on February 16th when there were 36 members present. The annual membership fee was 2⁄6d. Mrs Lait was elected as the first President.

An unsuccessful application was made to the Food Office for a permit to buy tea so each member was asked to bring “a little tea for the communal pot” and cakes were bought from the Co-operative Store in Reading and sold to members at the meetings for 1½ each.

The meetings were held on a regular monthly basis in the Old Schoolroom until September 1950 since when they have always been held in the Village Hall.

Initially we were part of the Goring Gap Group along with Checkendon, Goring, Ipsden, Mapledurham and South Stoke. We have since been regrouped and are now part of the Thames Valley Group consisting of Aston Tirrold & Upthorpe, Goring, South Stoke and South & North Moreton. Group Meetings are held twice a year.

Membership

At present our membership stands at 40.

Subscription for the year 2007 is £26.00.

Our annual meeting is in March.

Contacts

Mrs Audrey Hawthorne (President) 01491 680484

Mrs Betty Thomas (Secretary) 01491 681062

Oxford Federation - 01869 331081

Email - ofwi@btconnect.com

Website - www.oxfordshirefwi.freeuk.com

National Federation of Women's Institutes - 0207 371 9300

Website - www.womens-institute.org.uk

Programme 2007/8

May 16th	Resolutions Meeting
June 20th	How to ice a cake in half an hour
July 18th	Low maintenance gardening
August 15th	Garden Meeting
Sept 19th	On foot in Oxfordshire
Oct 17th	Harvest Lunch
Nov 21st	Making a Christmas tree decoration
Dec 19th	Christmas Party
Jan 16th	16 days in New Zealand
Feb 20th	Brought to Book
March 19th	Annual Meeting and Competition
April 16th	Fabulous 40's to Swinging 60's

This website is funded by Woodcote Parish Council. If you would like to contribute or update any part of the site please contact the webmaster - web@woodcote-online.co.uk.