Did you know that the Womens Institute celebrates its centenary during 2015 ?

The first WI meeting in the UK was held in Llanfairpwll on Anglesey, Wales, on 16 September 1915. Since then, the organisation has grown to become the largest women’s voluntary organisations in the UK with over 212,000 members in 6,600 WIs.

The WI was first established to educate rural women, and to encourage countrywomen to get involved in growing and preserving food to help to increase the supply of food to the war-torn nation. Education and the sharing of skills have always been at the heart of the organisation, and this remains true today.

Whilst the meeting venues might have changed from the local village hall to local café, the ethos and reputation of the WI remains the same, and women join now to meet new friends, learn new skills and make a difference on matters that are important to them now as fellow members did in 1915.

To see the history of the WI at a glance, click here to see our centenary timeline