Promotions Sub-Committee

Interested in joining a Berkshire WI?

You have come to the right place to find out more about what Berkshire WIs have been doing in the past year.

Let us help find the right WI for you! Read on and contact me at w.england@berkshirewi.co.uk for more information.

When Lockdown cancelled all indoor WI meetings from March 2020, Berkshire WIs rose to the challenge to support their members in many different ways:

· offering friendship and support by phone, emails, and socially-distanced visits. Many WIs distributed their own newsletters via email or by hand as needed;

· The Berkshire Federation Friday Newsletter is emailed to all WIs via the free Berkshire Office 365 system, with monthly challenges for Members and displaying their crafts made;

· The monthly Berkshire News showcases activities reported by lots of Berkshire WI. Written by members for members, it went digital as well as the printed version, handy to enjoy reading anywhere;

· When allowed, small groups of members met in gardens, public spaces and enjoyed chatting over coffee in garden centres. Small walking groups were also popular;

· Members discovered Zoom and took activities onto the screen – book groups, quizzes, craft workshops and coffee mornings - helping members to learn to use it;

· With Zoom, many WIs are successfully holding their member meetings, getting good speakers from around the UK and inviting other WIs to “visit;”

· The new membership year starts from 1 April, so contact us to find out more. A good number of new members have been recruited during the past year, so you can be the next!

· Denman at Home (our on-line WI Educational College) offers many great courses on Zoom every week, covering fascinating subjects and skills with knowledgeable tutors. These attract people from around the world, as well as in the UK. 400 people is the record - a wonderful experience for everyone.

We would love to help you find your best WI to join – please email me on w.england@berkshirewi.co.uk.

Best wishes,

Wendy England

Chair of Promotions Sub-Committee


Finding a Berkshire WI for you

Here is a link to a useful guide to help you finding a WI for you Finding a Berkshire WI for you