About us

Welcome to Clayton le Woods WI

Clayton le Woods WI began in 1945 when two or three ladies living in the Lancaster Lane area got together and formed the Institute with a membership of 26.   In September 2015 we will be celebrating our 70th birthday and we now have a membership of almost 100 ladies, so from little acorns a great tree has grown.   We are, of course, part of the Lancashire Federation of Women's Institutes (generally referred to as the LFWI) which has its headquarters in Leyland.   The Lancashire Federation has 162 Member Institutes throughout the county which keep our Federation Secretary and the members of the Executive Committee very busy indeed.   We are all members of the National Federation of Women's Institutes (referred to as the NFWI) and the National Federation plays a very important part in the life and work of the LFWI.

The National Federation is responsible for laying down the aims of the Women's Institute and, in consultation with County Federations, is responsible for the Constitution Rules by which we all abide.   The aims and core values of the WI have not changed at all since the days when the first British WI was formed in Anglesey in 1915 by Mrs Madge Watt.   Mrs Watt came over to this country from Canada where Adelaide Hoodless and Miriam Lee first formed a Women's Organisation in Stoneycreek, Ontario, Canada which set out to offer friendship, help and advice to women in rural areas living isolated lives.   Today we have WIs in towns and cities as well as villages, but we all share common goals and interests as we have done from our earliest beginnings.

Now to our own Institute.   We meet at 7.15pm on the second Wednesday of each month at the Community Centre situated in the grounds of Manor Road Primary School, Manor Road, Clayton le Woods, where we enjoy a varied range of speakers and activities.

An excellent newsletter is produced each month by one of our committee members which lists both LFWI and Institute events and outings.   Please take time to read it as it is very informative and you may want to join in a day out or a theatre trip.   The newsletter also contains a summary and explanation of other WI-related organisations and interests. 

Throughout the year the Lancashire Federation organises many different activities and outings, and these are all announced at our monthly meetings with boards put out for members to add their name if they wish to take advantage of them.   They vary from serious matters such as discussing the Resolutions and items from the Current Affairs committee, to holidays and days out, and offer the chance to learn a new craft or to take part in an activity.

The Women's Institute has its own college in Oxfordshire - this is Denman College.   The college is residential and offers a wide range of courses, and the Lancashire Federation has a special 3-day visit every two years.   We have our own Denman representative who would be very pleased to give you details of all the courses on offer.   At Clayton le Woods we offer an annual bursary, and this money can be used to offset some of the cost of a course at Denman or, if you prefer to go somewhere nearer home, a course at Alston Hall.

We trust that you find this information useful, however if you require further information please get in touch with us through our LFWI office (telephone:  01772 459020)   Should you wish to join us we would encourage you to take full advantage of your membership and the WI Life magazine but, most of all, enjoy the friendship of our company.