Stoke Gabriel Women’s Institute
We meet on the second Tuesday of every month in the Village Hall. This year we are trialling our meetings in the afternoons in the winter, beginning at 2pm. This will be from November to March inclusive. In the Summer our meetings will begin at 7.30pm. We offer a warm and welcoming environment to meet old friends, make new ones, learn new skills and hear about a wide range of topics, delivered by visiting speakers. Although in the past we have not offered a meeting in August, this is very often replaced by some form of garden party, usually in a member’s garden.
When you arrive at the meeting you will be greeted at the door before taking your seat to listen to the speaker or craft expert. Crafts have been many and varied over the years, with Iris folding being offered this November. Other crafts have included mosaic making, Christmas bauble painting, flower arranging, wreath making and many more. In the coming year topics for our speakers include Action Ukraine, Kent’s Cavern, Bees and the Barbary coast pirates as relating to Stoke Gabriel. Every year we have a Christmas party, sometimes with visiting entertainers, as this year, when Maggie Duffy will be entertaining us. The entertainment is usually followed by a sumptuous meal prepared by our members. We also have a meeting on wheels in June, instead of our meeting in the Village, when we travel to a venue, have some form of speaker and then tie it in with lunch or dinner. Past trips have included a tour of Exeter quay and boat trip and Dartmoor prison museum. We organise a dinner for members and husbands around Christmas each year and often other extra outings and events as the committee decides, throughout the year. This year we will be visiting Powderham Castle and the intrepid amongst us will be canoeing on the Dart. Our General meeting is held in May each year.
At our meeting the talk takes in the order of 45 minutes, before we break for tea. This is the social time of the evening when we can chat to friends, make new ones and read about events which are being organised locally and nationally by the WI. These include county quizzes, sporting activities and visits to places of interest, such as Bath for its Christmas market or guided walks round noteworthy towns in Devon.
Visitors are always welcome at our meetings, for the small charge of £5, to include tea and biscuits. Members join annually, the year beginning in April, or on a pro-rata basis, if later in the year. For our annual membership, we get 11 meetings each year, access to regional and national events and use of the online services, My WI and WI learning hub. There is also a national magazine, WI Life, delivered to our doors monthly and Devon News available on line or in print from Devon Federation.
As of our AGM in May 2024, the officers are Theresa Darnell, President; Pia Barrett, Secretary; and Denise Harvie, Treasurer. If you wish to contact us our WI email is stokegabriel@devonwi.org.uk