WFWI - Wiltshire Federation of WIs
The WFWI came into existence in 1919: the same year as six of our WIs, which are still flourishing. Our longest running WI dates back to 1916 and our newest WI, Across the Plain (Chitterne) was formed in April 2018. We now have over 3,000 members in 105 WIs, some in very rural areas whilst others are in towns.
WFWI is the governing body for the county. The four members of its Board of Trustees are elected every two years and have overall responsibility for the Federation, WI House and all the committee work. There are seven teams: Adviser Team, Campaign Team, Event Team, Leisure Team, Promo & Publicity Team,
Workshop Team, and a Digital Team. WI members are always welcome to volunteer to serve on one of the teams or to send in ideas for different events and activities so that new ideas can be explored.
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The Adviser Team currently comprises four Board of Trustee Officers, four WI Advisers and four Membership Assistants. WI Advisers are members appointed and trained by the National Federation to form new WIs, organise training and workshops for WIs locally and to generally encourage and offer assistance to members, so that they can make their WI the best that it can be! Membership Assistants undergo training so that they can help with some of the WI Adviser work.
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All individual WI Officers (WI Presidents, Secretaries, and Treasurers) have their own email within the federation and can be reached by emailing them directly. A List of WFWI Committee members including the Board of Trustees, and approved WI speakers are also available by emailing the Federation Secretary.
WFWI Speakers’ Day are held three or four times a year across Wiltshire, where members can attend and vote on each speaker’s suitability for inclusion on the list of approved speakers.
Each Autumn WFWI holds its Annual Council Meeting in Salisbury. Your WI can send delegate (who is eligible for a free ticket), who votes on your WI’s behalf regarding the WFWI Annual Report and the WFWI Financial Statement. The meeting is open to all members as future plans are outlined and awards presented. Guest speakers are invited to inform and entertain the members.
The Wiltshire Federation is based at WI House, which is located mid-county near the Kennet and Avon Canal in Devizes. The house was built more than 30 years ago and was paid for with money raised by WIs and individual members.
The Federation office is run by Rebecca Lye, our Federation Secretary ([email protected]) and two part-time members of staff, Jenny Kostyszyn ([email protected]) and Gillian Sheldrake ([email protected]).
The Federation Secretary maintains the Wiltshire section of the Members Communication System Database (the “MCS Database”). This confidential database is used by WFWI to communicate with members. The Federation Secretary is also your first point of contact at WI House and she will usually be able to answer your question or put you in touch with the appropriate person.