Raising a glass to 88 years of Washington Concord WI

Lively celebrations were held at St Andrews Church in Concord to mark the milestone of the group.

Deputy Mayor, Harry Trueman and his wife Dorothy were in attendance and, along with the WI President and members, they enjoyed entertainment by the Ukulele Ladies, who are members of the WI, followed by afternoon tea.

Margaret Carter said: “As Chairman of the Tyne and Wear South Federation of WIs I was delighted to be invited to the 88th birthday of Washington Concord WI. It was a delightful afternoon , in the presence of the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress, the group was entertained by a wide ranging selection of tunes played by the Ukulele Ladies and a demonstration of flower arranging by some of the members.

“A light afternoon tea topped off the celebrations and we finished by singing the National Anthem.”

The Women's Institute (WI) was formed in 1915 to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. Since then the organisation's aims have broadened and the WI is now the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK. The WI celebrated its centenary in 2015 and currently has almost 220,000 members in approximately 6,300 WIs.

*New members are always welcome at Washington Concord WI. They meet on the first Tuesday of the month at St Andrews Church, Vermont Road, Washington, 1.30pm.