After a month of unseasonable icy blasts and chills the day of the Centenary WI AGM was also the first day of summer weather we had seen this year. It seemed a slight shame we would all be inside the great dimly lit dome of the Albert Hall but this did not dampen the high spirits of 500 ladi es all in their finery and determined to have a day to remember – with cake too!!
After preliminary bag searches we all piled in and with a certain amount of controlled chaos we found our allotted seats. Staffordshire were most fortunate – we were on the 5th row of the stalls and within 40 feet of the stage and as we gazed round at the ladies in the circle seats we realised we were in for a good view of the Royals!
Proceedings commenced with an introduction from NFWI chairman Janice Langley who explained that we would be singing Jerusalem when the Royal party arrived and that the whole event was being screened live via the internet.
Next was the Treasurer’s report for 2014-15.She reflected on the first 100 years of the WI and that its principles are the same today as they were in 1915 when subs were 2 shillings. This is the same proportion of average income (2%) as it is today at £36. The WI starts the next 100 years in a healthy position and has a commitment to keeping it affordable. She also revealed that the Duchess of Cambridge is considering joining Sandringham WI.
We were then joined on-stage by HM The Queen, The Princess Royal and The Countess of Wessex. They received a tumultuous standing ovation which lasted for several minutes before they took their places in red velvet armchairs. The Queen wore a duck egg blue coat with matching large brimmed hat. Princess Anne was in a white two piece suit edged with coral trim with a matching blouse. Sophie wore a stunning white dress with gathers to one side and looked stunning. At this point we sang the National anthem followed by Jerusalem. The sound of 5000 ladies singing such stirring words brought many tears to many eyes – mine included – it was a very special moment for us all.
The Queen then received the centenary baton which had travelled 18,000 miles since 1st January 2014. We then had a live link up to Angelsey where the first WI meeting was held. After the presentation of prizes the Queen gave a short speech on the changes in women’s lives over the last 100 years but noted that the WI has remained unchanged in its principles of inspiring women.
Her Majesty then declared the meeting open and three granddaughters of WI members – in their very best party dresses and with quite a few nerves – presented posies. The Royal party then left the stage to cut the centenary cake and take a piece home!
The resolution was next on the agenda and there were some heartfelt appeals on both sides not least because there had been an amendment to the wording at the last minute which very few WI members had been made aware of. Although the amended wording was voted for there was then a request to move to the next business as it was felt the breadth of the resolution was too large and lacked clarity. This was voted for with around a two thirds majority (by my reckoning) and so the resolution was abandoned.
The first guest speaker was Lucy Worsley – Curator of the Royal Historic Palaces (which looks after unoccupied Royal palaces) and TV presenter. She wore a beefeater red sleeveless taffeta dress and gave a very animated and enthusiastic talk on the history of the WI.
Lucy is based at Hampton Court which has 1324 rooms! She is currently working on a documentary about the WI and explained how during the first World War the government asked the WI to help with food production.
The WI also introduced women to public life ie how to vote, take minutes etc and also began the democratizing of society – where else would the lady of the manor make tea and cake for her maid other than at a monthly WI meeting? She also told us that Jerusalem was originally a suffragette anthem but was adopted by the WI. The WI had had its largest membership in the 1950’s but began to decline in the 60’s. A rebirth began after the Calendar Girls film and the experiences of Tony Blair who met his nemesis at the AGM in 2000.
Lucy then revealed some inside information about the making of The Calendar Girls – the buns in one of the shots were not home-made but had been purchased at the Co op!! The cherries on the top had been added by one of the ladies from her own pantry which she removed after filming to reuse them in her Xmas cake!! The documentary will be shown in a few weeks on TV and will be called “Cake bakers and troublemakers!”
A sunny lunch was spent picnicking on the grass around the Prince Albert memorial. The park was covered in an army of ladies dressed in their best, out for a day to remember – a few grass stained dresses were not going to deter anyone from having a very special day out in London!
In the afternoon we listened to Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Director of UK Athletics and a non party member of the House of Lords.
She began by saying that speaking in front of 5000 WI ladies was infinitely more terrifying than competing in front of 10,000 people in an athletics stadium. Despite her trepidation Tanni was a very entertaining speaker who was very at home on stage and in my view could make a living as a stand up comedian – or should that be sit down comedian?! She told us that after being paralysed at age 7 she decided to take up sport and found she had a talent for wheelchair racing. Tanni is very independent and really dislikes having to be carried upstairs where there is no lift but she made an exception during the bid for the 2012 Olympics where she was faced with a set of stairs and the only two people who could carry her up them was Sir Steve Redgrave and David Beckham!! Nowadays in her political career she works for Legal Aid and disability rights and also campaigns for women to take up sport as 80% of women are unfit due to their caring roles within the family which means their own health is put second.
Our final speaker was Helena Morrisey CBE who launched the 30% club in 2010 which aims to get 30% female board members in the top 100 UK companies.. She says things are improving as there are no longer any all male board members but she was spurred on to set the organization up after being overlooked for promotion after the birth of the first of her 9 children, being told her commitment was questionable. Helena is not in favour of legislation but prefers to work with men to encourage the qualities of female and male ways of working and use men’s position of power to encourage women. Globalisation and technology have allowed us to change the way people work so that power is not top down but built on networks. Women are more empathetic then men and she wants to encourage business to use this skill so that instead of women having to fit in with the way men work they can use their different qualities to work together.
Janice Langley then summed up the day saying how much had changed since 1915. A hundred years ago women were admitted into the police. Their uniforms were provided by Harrods and they weren’t allowed to carry a truncheon. An umbrella was suggested as a suitable weapon!.
The WI has been both praised and ridiculed for its choice of resolutions but we have changed the world in many ways – e.g. the plight of the bees and care in custody. 700 new members join the WI each week and on this inspiring note we sang Jerusalem again before joining our coaches to return home to our towns and shires.
Report by Joy Pownall – delegate for Moreton Outwoods & Bromstead and Norbury WIs
On a gloriously sunny day in June three coaches of members and friends descended on Bletchley Park and stepped back to the 1940’s.
The Staffordshire Federation of WI's 