Cheshire Fire WI
prioritises fun and
sharing new experiences
over bureaucracy
Every workplace
should have one
Workplace WIs offer the perfect solution to our busy lives. We meet the
women bringing the WI into the boardroom
C
Words LUCY COLLINS Photography PAUL GROOM, OWEN HOWELLS AND DAVE THOMPSON
heshire Fire WI prioritises
fun, laughter and learning
at their monthly meeting.
Working for a blue light
service gives them a sense
of urgency that means
they make the most of
their time together.
Member Sian Lofthouse, Corporate
Communications Manager, says: ‘In our
work we often deal with stressful and
upsetting situations. But once a month we
can have a laugh and try something new.
JULY/AUG WORKPLACE WI V2 indd.indd 1
We ask our speakers
lots of questions and
there’s a real buzz
We don’t spend a lot of
time on bureaucracy.’
Sue Watkins,
President of the
University of
Gloucestershire
WI, Gloucestershire Federation, echoes
Sian. ‘A university is such a bureaucratic
institution, so the last thing any of us
want when we go to the WI is to listen to
minutes. We’re a small, vocal group and
we ask our speakers a lot of of questions;
there’s a real buzz. Our members live over a
wide area but when
we meet, we’re a
community.’
Despite being
so few in number
– just five of the
6,500 WIs in England and Wales are
workplace WIs – they punch above their
weight in terms of the experience they
deliver. Workplace WIs are cherished by
members for the chance to cram an awful
lot into a jam-packed lunch hour. They
are light on admin but big on fun and on
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WI Life July & August 2014
37
The Shires WI meets at
lunchtime for talks and
also organises outings
and away-days
making the most of opportunities.
Cheshire Fire WI, Cheshire Federation,
was the first workplace WI in 2005. It was
the brainchild of Helen Carey, of Whitley
WI, Cheshire Federation. ‘So many more
women work now and I realised there were
opportunities for doing WI in a different
way. I felt that we needed to extend
These members deal
with stressful emergency
situations every day
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our reach,’ she says. Former Chief Fire
Officer Steve McGuirk was an enthusiastic
supporter and his backing was crucial to
setting it up.
‘The backing of your employer is key,’
says Liz James, Secretary for The Shires
WI, Gloucestershire Federation, based
at Gloucestershire County Council. Liz, a
retired secretary, says: ‘When we formed in
2006, the council was promoting healthenhancing lunchtime groups and our HR
department thought the WI was a good
opportunity for its female workforce.’
A County Council spokeswoman said:
‘We were keen to support the setting up of
a workplace WI because we believe it gives
staff opportunities to switch off from work,
re-charge their batteries, be stimulated
and have fun. Happy, relaxed staff are
more productive and the whole working
environment is better. A win-win situation
all round.’
Pembrokeshire College was similarly
supportive of its in-house
WI – members’ subs are even
deducted by payroll.
‘It makes life easier,’ founder
Janet Davies, a Community and
Welfare to Work Manager, says.
She started the WI, in
Pembrokeshire Federation,
after joining Clynderwen &
Llanyssilio WI. ‘I knew all the
benefits the WI could bring,’ she
says. ‘We all work in different
Members enjoy a range of activities
including craft workshops
departments and if it wasn’t for the WI,
we’d have no reason to get to know one
another.’
Hazel Thompson is a lecturer in English
as a Foreign Language and has worked at
the college for 19 years. She jumped at the
chance of joining Pembrokeshire College
WI. ‘You get to know people
on a different plane, because
here it’s a friendly and sociable
environment.’
What about the potential
awkwardness of mixing with
the boss? Principal Sharron
Lusher is a WI member.
‘I don’t get to as many
meetings as I’d like to but
everybody in this room is
a friend and that’s what
Happy,
relaxed staff
are more
productive.
A win-win
situation
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WI Life July & August 2014
39
Pembrokeshire
College WI: ‘You
get to know people on a different
plane, because
it's a friendly
environment’
makes it special. It doesn’t matter what you
do in college, every role is important. We’re
all contributing to students getting their
qualifications.
‘Given that we spend so much time at
work during our lives, it's important that
we enjoy our time here.
‘The WI underpins this, by providing
opportunities to come together in a
common purpose, to make a
difference through voluntary
activity, raise awareness via
campaigns and make friends.’
Down the road, the
council has also discovered
the benefits of networking
with a WI twist. Helen Ross,
European Officer for the
council and Secretary of WI@
County Hall, Pembrokeshire
Federation, says: ‘We
all come to the table as women, not as
our job titles.’
Ceri Davies, Head of HR, says: ‘We are
fully supportive of our workplace WI, which
acts as a valuable informal network across
the many council departments.
‘Any work-based association is extremely
beneficial in that employees can make new
contacts, exchange ideas, and develop
even better working relationships. We are
pleased that the council’s WI has been such
a success.’
Workplace WIs are highly prized for their
convenience. Emma James, who specialises
in workplace learning in engineering
and construction and is President of
Pembrokeshire College WI, says: ‘I know
if I went home I’d get embroiled in family
life – I’ve got two teenagers. At work, I can
allocate my time.’
The college WI’s business meetings
are held at lunchtime and meetings with
speakers are straight after work. WI@
County Hall alternates between evening
and lunchtime meetings.
Sarah Berry, Specialist European Officer
at the county council, says
they make the most of their
condensed time together:
‘We circulate minutes by
email, so we don’t need to
spend much time on it. For us,
having a speaker works best
at lunchtime. We try to keep
to the hour, although we’re on
flexi-time, which helps.
‘Our members are very
hands-on, so if we’re making or creating
we’ll meet after work at WI House, which is
just up the road.’
Marilyn Watson, President of WI@
County Hall and a secretary, adds:
‘Pembrokeshire College WI was the
catalyst for us starting up. They were very
supportive from the beginning and their
President kindly came along to meet us and
to give us the benefit of her experience.
‘We were able to ask her all about the setup and her enthusiasm helped us make the
decision. Since then, we’ve had several joint
meetings which have worked very well.’
When WI Life visits members of WI@
County Hall, they’re perfecting scones
as practice for the Haverfordwest
Bake-Off competition. They headed to
I catch up
with former
colleagues
and get the
gossip!
JULY/AUG WORKPLACE WI V2 indd.indd 4
Pembrokeshire Federation’s WI House to
start baking as soon as they clocked off.
The Shires WI meets at lunchtime.
Members eat a packed lunch while speaker
Malcolm Lewis talks about Birmingham’s
cultural heritage. But Liz James says, ‘we go
off on extra-curricular trips regularly too’.
When President Maddi Bali joined, she
was an emergency planner. She says: ‘The
WI was an escape from sitting at my desk,
not taking a lunch hour. I’d put my WI
meeting in the diary and nobody would
encroach on my time.’
Since retiring, the WI has given her the
perfect excuse ‘to catch up with former
colleagues and get the gossip!’
Denise Vizor, a road safety partnership
data analyst, likes belonging to The
Shires because ‘there’s a mix of employees
and people who want a traditional WI’.
Margaret Weeks, for instance, joined when
her village WI closed.
She likes attending a lunchtime meeting
and is unfazed by the two-hour bus journey.
‘It means I can come into Gloucester and do
my shopping, attend the meeting and catch
the bus home.’
Fellow member Pat Ward agrees. She
joined because it’s local – she’s never
worked for the council. ‘It’s convenient,
it’s in the lunch-hour and I like it because
it doesn’t last long! Business is cut
short and it’s all very jolly.’
Workplace WIs can be economical to
run; all have access to a free meeting room
and they can make the most of a range
of speakers from within their own
organisations.
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WI Life July & August 2014
40
Getting the
backing of your
employer is key
Janet Davies, of Pembrokeshire
College WI says: ‘We’ve got law
lecturers, hairdressers and plumbers,
so we make use of them.
‘We had cocktail-making in the
canteen and the catering students
made the buffet for tonight’s meeting.’
WI@County Hall member Amanda
Davies, Safeguarding Scrutiny
Manager, relishes the chance to
discover new interests. ‘It’s about
trying something even if you didn’t
initally think you'd like it,’ she says.
President Marilyn Watson says:
‘As we are quite different from the
traditional perception of a WI, we
thought we'd be breaking the mould
but we found that members have most
enjoyed the traditional hands-on
creative sessions such as jam-making
and flower-arranging.’
Cheshire Fire WI Treasurer Erin
Fulton, an equality and inclusion
officer, agrees: ‘I’d never pay to do
flower arranging but it was a proper
giggle, it’s all about having an
experience.’
Sian Lofthouse admits that the WI
wasn't on her radar. ‘I’m not sure I’d ever
have been a member had it not been here.
Once I joined, I started looking into the
WI’s campaigning history and it’s opened a
new door for me.
‘I’ve gone from thinking that the WI
wasn’t for me, to setting up another WI in
Witton, Cheshire Federation. I love it, and I
never thought I would.’
Erin adds: ‘Flexibility is key. About a
quarter of our 1,000-strong workforce
JULY/AUG WORKPLACE WI V2 indd.indd 5
We offer a lively,
even boisterous,
evening and we’re
a bit less formal
than some WIs
their expansion plans include mature
students. Current members are a mix
of professional and academic staff.
‘Student Union activities are
often for the younger age range, so
mature students may be looking for
alternative ways to involve themselves
in university life.
‘We offer a lively, even boisterous
evening and we're a bit less formal
than some other WIs,’ she says.
Employers take note, having a WI
at
your
workplace may attract new
Perfecting scones for
talent. Cheshire Fire WI’s President
the Haverfordwest
Bake-Off competition
Helen Crick said that knowing that
the service had a WI was an incentive
to apply for her job as Communications
are women and with shift work, it can be
Officer. ‘I saw on the website that they had
difficult to get to meetings. We don’t stress
a WI and my first thought was “I’m going
ourselves if not everyone can attend. You
to join that if I get the job”.’ She did get the
have to be flexible.’
job.... and she did indeed join the WI.
Sian adds: ‘As a workplace WI we don’t
need to worry too much about numbers,
as we’re not paying to hire a hall. We keep
If you’re interested in setting up a
it informal, share the ethos of the WI and
workplace WI, for further information
learn new skills.’
please contact:
Claire Salmon, Vice President of the
• email hq@nfwi.org.uk
University of Gloucestershire WI, said
• Tel. 020 7371 9300 ext. 247
20/06/2014 14:37