London Womens Institute

The London Women’s Institute has several branches of varying popularity. The Islington branch apparently cannot accept anymore members presently and is rumoured to be running such events as pole dancing classes. We went to the newish Bloomsbury branch who hold their meetings on the first Tuesday of every month in the Upper Vestry Hall of St Georges Church on Little Russell Street. I met Juju outside at 6.30pm and we found our way up the stairs to the hall where 2 ladies were already, another first timer like ourselves and Kate, a veteran WI member, who was very welcoming. Tea and coffee are provided and some ladies bring wine or nibbles to share around. Tonight’s meeting included a talk from Persephone Publishing. The meetings run from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, with the first half hour being more a meet and greet to have a chat and a glass of wine, with a few announcements from Carrie, who is the West End head and then on with the nights programme proper at around 7pm. There is a varied agenda laid out for the coming months, although next weeks was more in the expected vein – making chutney in a microwave. The first meeting is free and then after that it’s a yearly membership of around £30 most of their information is given out via email, so access to a computer is needed. A recent West End WI project is to help Women at the Well, a women only service based in a Kings Cross house to help vulnerable women particularly those who have been trafficked or involved in prostitution.