Inspiring Women

Today is World Rivers Day. The day recognises the importance of rivers and their role in ecosystems, agriculture, and industry. It also promotes public awareness and participation in efforts to protect waterways worldwide. It’s also the NFWI Week of River…

Well that’s a wrap. Our pop up art gallery has closed but what a success it’s been. Our Cheshire Federation of WIs members have done us proud. The feedback has been wonderful from our members and visitors. It was a…

A warm and sunny day in mid July welcomed nearly 200 CFWI members to the Wedding Marquee of Nunsmere Hall in Cheshire for the 2024 Literary Lunch. Surrounded by water on three sides, tree lined and with colourful formal gardens,…

Disability Awareness Day (DAD) is the world’s largest ‘not for profit’ voluntary led disability exhibition.  This annual event is held in Walton Gardens near Stockton Heath, Warrington on a Sunday in July. It was a great opportunity to CFWI to…

A wonderful few hours in Stockport for our ‘Monopoly’ event with over one hundred members from across the Cheshire Federation of WIs in 21 teams racing around the town. Members started and ended at The Plaza Theatre where we were…

Another fabulous year at the Royal Cheshire County Show. We would like to thank all our members for their contribution. A full write up will be in the Cheshire News Trophy Prize Giving ROYAL CHESHIRE COUNTY SHOW 2024 CHESHIRE FEDERATION…

    Our members certainly had a great time meeting other members from our Federation and from across the country. The AGM is was interesting and very moving and the Resolution for ‘Dental Health Matters’ was past with over 95%…

The Website and Social Media Team invited WIs to enter the 2023 Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt. The categories were: A WI Winter Celebration / Party  Bundled up in Winter Gear Resolutions A Wintery Landscape Christmas Jumpers By the Fireside A…

  We all know that the WI is a fabulous organisation but how can we get the word out? Members were asked to write a piece of approximately 300 words which would be suitable for a press release to encourage…

This years Annual Council Meeting was a little bit different this year. We welcomed our Presidents for an opportunity to mingle and learn some hints and tips as well as complete the Annual Council business at Hartford Golf Club, Burrows…

Join in the nationwide celebration of action on climate change, taking place across the UK from 10th to 18th June 2024, and get some recruitment done as well.  Your local library would welcome any WIs who want to take up…

On the 13th November it  was our second of two jigsaw races within a week.  Seven teams battled it out at White Friars, Cheshire. We really enjoy meeting members – some we have met before and others are for the…

On the 8th November it  was our first of two jigsaw races. Another one next week! Nine teams battled it out at White Friars, Cheshire. Such a lovely atmosphere with time for connecting with other members from across the Federation.…

SHOW THE LOVE! Remind your MP that we love the planet, and want them to protect it above all else. It can take several weeks for post sent to an MP to get through so this month  is a good…

   Three of our Cheshire Climate Ambassadors attended The WI’s Climate Conference in London yesterday, Fiona Barry, Sue Bentley and Hilary Robinson. They enjoyed a day packed with climate crisis expert speakers and prominent politicians, including a very impressive Lady Teresa…

This year’s CFWI’s Autumn meeting was at The Storyhouse, Chester. It took many months of planning, speaker changes and worries about footfall and venue availability but as a Federation we were delighted that the event went off so beautifully. This…

We were over the moon to receive over 30 entries for the Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt. The quality was very high, and it made our job very hard to choose a winner. In fact, we had to call in an…

Pat Sharp, Editor of Cheshire News, organised this years Literary Lunch. Hartford Golf Club was a new venue for us which was in stunning grounds and had a beautiful function room. We were so fortunate that the weather was superb…

REPORT FOR NFWI AGM MAY 2023 HELD AT ST DAVID’S HALL IN CARDIFF The meeting opened with St David’s Hall ringing with the sound of 100’s of WI members singing Jerusalem. After the appointment of officers and tellers, and the…

As someone who has become aware of my own difficulty in hearing since the age of 60 years, I thought I would look into the experiences of others. My first interviewee is a relative who is 97 years old. A…

Green Dot Day 2023 Every year Cheshire Climate Ambassadors ask all WIs to do something during Great Big Green Week (10th – 18th June) to reduce their collective carbon footprint. If they  let us know what they have done, their…

In response to enquiries about the status of ACWW in  WIs’ charity fund  raising activity  you will find  relevant information on “MY WI” and in the WI constitution. Charities must have objects which fit in with the WI’s charitable objects.…

People lined the streets of Chester to enjoy the city’s Pride parade this weekend. What a sweltering hot day.  The event was welcomed back  after Covid-19 just in time to celebrate its 10th Birthday and it didn’t disappoint. It was…

What a wonderful day we had at the Literary Lunch at Cheshire View, Christleton. It was long awaited due to Covid and so wonderful to see so many members (over 200) attend. The tables were decorated with local blooms from…

Here are some reflective notes about the event from one of our members in the Federation.  It was a fantastic experience sharing the day with so many women with one thing in common – The WI Our WI is part…

    CHESHIRE FEDERATION OF WOMEN’S INSTITUTES   MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETING   The Woodford Centre, Chester Road, Woodford SK7 1PS Saturday 19th March 2022   Before the meeting started, Members were advised of the usual safety notices…

CHESHIRE FEDERATION OF WOMEN’S INSTITUTES BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2022/24 Dear Presidents/Secretaries I am delighted to announce your next Federation Chairman is Selina Prescott and I know she will take Cheshire Federation forward successfully as she is hardworking and keen to…

On Monday 14th March we had the pleasure of welcoming over 110 Cheshire WI members to our free Zoom meeting. Michelle Beaver, a cardiac nurse and much more is mum of three with a career over three decades as a…

‘Here are the instructions for a knitted Easter chick / duck which can hide a small easter egg for a special treat. Cadbury’s creme eggs are perfect although other brands are also available. Feel free to create your own masterpieces:…

  On Thursday 24th February 7pm for 7:30pm start we had the pleasure in welcoming Hayley Scott. Over 200 members of the Federation attended the very successful event. She will help us delve into the world of forensics. A former…

What a fantastic first pre-formation meeting for Cheshire Federation Virtual WI last night. Forty Two  potential new members came along from our Federation and further afield including America and Canada. It’s early stages yet but Helen and Angela our resident WI…

Want to join a WI? Struggle to get out of the house? Already a member but fancy another one? Why not try a Virtual WI based in Cheshire. You have all the benefits of a Face to Face WI including…

This year’s NFWI Annual Meeting will be taking place at the Liverpool M&S Bank Arena on Saturday 11 June. WI members are invited to attend the event either virtually or in person. If you would like to attend in person…

This year the Huxley Cup Competition, supported by the RSPB invites WIs to design a small community space for wellbeing and wildlife.  The wildlife aspect of the entry should focus specifically on the theme of: Our Fabulous Flying Friends. They…

Lady Denman Cup Competition 2022 The Power of Community Celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee, supported by The Big Jubilee Lunch Schedule Using no more than 500 words, WI members are invited to submit a piece of writing, either comical, serious, fact…

To make a mug hug Here are some simple instructions to make some of your Christmas gifts. I have written 2 patterns just as you would find them in a pattern book and listed what the abbreviations mean below. So…

  On Wednesday the 9th June we had the pleasure in welcoming Dr Ailsa Holland co-creator of the feminist history Twitter account @OnThisDayShe and co-author of On This Day She: Putting Women Back into History, One Day at a Time…

We welcomed over 140 members to this meeting and had an incredible response with many saying they felt humbled. We heard from 2 of the 5 founding members of SAB, Samera Zeitoun, Samara Atassi and Bara’a al Dalati. All 3…

Dorothy Byrne was a great fit for our theme of hearing from inspiring women when she joined 172 members on the 10th May. She has just stood down as Editor at Large at Channel 4 Television having joined this profession…

On Wednesday the 28th April at 7.30pm start we were delighted to welcome Claire Birkenshaw. Claire taught in secondary schools during her 26-year teaching career culminating in the role of principal at an Alternative Provision Academy where she has gained…

On Wednesday the 21st April at  1.15pm  we were delighted to welcome Sue Kendall for our first lunch time session. Seventy six members  ate their lunch and chattered prior to the start whilst waiting to be entertained. Sue responded to…

On Wednesday the 14th April we had the pleasure in welcoming 348 members to listen to Kirsty Murphy the world’s first, and only, female Red Arrows pilot. Photos courtesy of Kirsty Murphy She is as much at home in the…

On Monday the 22nd March we had the pleasure in welcoming Chris Duffin. This meeting produced our highest attended Zoom meeting with 443 Cheshire Federation members attending. As the first female governor into HMP Strangeways and the notorious Dartmoor Prison,…

On Tuesday the 9th March at 7pm for a 7.30pm start we had the pleasure in welcoming Toto James. Toto was co-opted to the Board of Trustees in November 2019. She is also Vice Chairman and a Trustee of Surrey…

Christmas (or any other celebration) Shoe – Zoom Meeting showed us a  way to re-use greetings cards. Fifty eight members watched Tricia gave us hints and tips to work our magic to produce little shoes ideal for Christmas, Easter, Baby…

    On Thursday the 25th February at 7pm for a 7.30 start we had the pleasure in welcoming Katie Awdas talking about Living with Endometriosis. It is thought that around 176 million girls and women suffer from endometriosis worldwide.…

On Wednesday the 10th February at 7pm for a 7.30 start we had the pleasure in welcoming Dr Jackie Bell a Senior Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London and Honorary Fellow of the University of Liverpool Mathematics Department. Having always…

On Thursday the 28th January at 7pm for a 7.30pm start we had the pleasure in welcoming Jacqui Felix- Mitchell – Member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and RHS Garden Design Consultancy. Thank you to the 375 members who…

We were delighted to be able to welcome Julia Fawcett, CEO of The Lowry Theatre to speak to us in December. The Lowry, is the ‘go to’ theatre for many members of the Cheshire Federation. It is one of the…

Helen is a member of Cale Green WI, Stockport, Cheshire Federation On Tuesday the 22nd December Cheshire Federation Trustees we had the pleasure of inviting members to a Christmas Celebration for a musical evening of much needed Christmas merriment with…

On Wednesday the 16th September we had the pleasure in welcoming Elizabeth Gowing speaking to us direct from Kosovo. Elizabeth is a trained teacher and a travel writer. She has written 5 travel books, 4 about Kosovo and in 2016…

On Monday we had the pleasure to hear Stacey Copeland speak to us. What a breath of fresh air she was. As a child she has no interest in playing with “that thing with elastic bands” and loved to play…

Last night we had the privilege of inviting Emily from Milly J Shoes, Norwich to give her talk ‘Walk in Your Own Shoes’ to over 150  ladies for our final Federation virtual event of July. Emily was abandoned on a…

Jean Harding, Federation Chairman welcomed WI members to Winsford Academy and the members sang Jerusalem accompanied by Hilary Totten, Comberbach WI, who played the piano splendidly. Neighbouring Federation Guests from Clwyd-Denbigh, Shropshire and Staffordshire were welcomed alongside Chris Bailey, Margery…

The 9th September was  a very wet and chilly morning   but all the ladies turned up. The quarter finals were played in the rain but no one complained!! By the time we came to the semi finals and final the rain…

Cheshire Federation was well represented at the Climate Change Lobby ‘The Time is Now‘ held at Westminster on Wednesday 26th June from 1pm to 4.30pm to draw the attention of MPs to the problems of pollution and climate change and…

Cheshire Federation was very well represented at the 2019 NFWI Annual Meeting in Bournemouth on Wednesday 5th June at Bournemouth International Centre when they heard the Rt Hon Lord Bradley of Withington give an update on the Care Not Custody…

Huxley Cup 2019 Competitors had a wonderful time at the Huxley Cup competition this year.  The winner, Sue Macleod-Nice from Westham Evening WI, East Sussex Federation!  In second place was Hazel Bentley from Kent – East Kent Federation, and third…