Up • Our History • 2010 Diary • The Millenium Tapestry
A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PILTON WOMEN'S INSTITUTE. Pilton WI was founded in 1947 and the first meeting was held at 7 p.m. on Thursday May 22nd in the Parish Hall. Twelve members were elected by ballot to the Committee and the first President was Lady Sheelah Greenway. Forty-three Pilton ladies joined the Institute initially. In January 1977 there was a slight ‘hiccup’ - no member wished to stand as President and the Institute very nearly closed. However, the Institute did continue and in 1997 we celebrated our 50th birthday and we were able to invite many former Presidents, Committee members and past members. Mrs. Ena Grant was a founder member and was a member until her death, at 97, in 2003. In 2007 we celebrated our 60th birthday by holding a party with our special guests, and previous Presidents. John Barkle, a previous owner of the village shop, gave us an entertaining talk on past village life. In May 2008, to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Somerset County Federation of WIs a “Walk of Friendship” was organised. This involved four Batons of Friendship being passed from one Institute to another across the county, until they all reached the end of their long journey at Wilton Lodge, Taunton. There was a lot of meeting up with other Institutes and having coffee and cake! Some even used their bus passes to make the journey! Wilma, a life sized willow lady was ready to receive the Batons (along with a local MP). Wilma was standing, majestically, at the front of Wilton Lodge. Our programme for 2010 is now in circulation. All our monthly meetings, Coffee and Chat mornings and Lunch Group meetings are open to all. We positively encourage non members to join us at any of these, wanting you to experience the friendship this group offers. Our programme is on the Village Hall notice board or you can phone Sylvia (President) on 01749 890513 Maureen (Secretary) on 01749 890332 if you would like to find out more. 
How did the WI begin? The Women's Institute began back in 1897 in a place called Stoney Creek in Canada. Since that time the Women's Institute (WI) has become a fundamental part of many women's lives throughout the world. The woman who co-founded the WI, Adelaide Hoodless, arrived in Britain in 1899 but her missionary campaigning fell on deaf ears. It was only with the onset of the First World War and the change in the country's economic and social landscape that the war brought that the women of the UK began to recognise the need for the WI. As most of the men were called to the trenches, women suddenly found that they were needed in virtually every social field. At the Agricultural and Horticultural Union meeting held six months into the war, the discussion turned to the most pressing issue: the need for industrial and agricultural co-operation to meet the national crisis. Madge Watt, a WI member who had come to England to educate her sons, enthralled the audience with an account of agricultural industry in Canada, particularly among women.
The reaction was immediately positive: the agricultural industry began to see the value of women particularly in producing and preserving food, and soon Mrs Watt succeeded in founding the first British WI under the auspices of the Agricultural Organisation Society.
Committed to developing women’s talents, the WI today has links with over 8 million women in some 60 countries.
More information can be found on the UK WI WEBSITE. Photograph: From the top of John Beale's Hill BACK 
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