West Sussex villages celebrate 110 years of the first WI in England, as it continues to go from strength to strength

Singleton and East Dean WI celebrated the anniversary at the pub where it all started, now called The Fox Goes Free, in Charlton, on November 20.

Plaques in the very room note the first Women's Institute meeting in England was held there on November 9, 1915, and a dinner was held there on November 9, 2015, to celebrate the centenary of Singleton & East Dean WI, the oldest in England.

Members enjoyed sharing memories over supper for the 110th anniversary and chatting about the many achievements of the Women's Institute.

Zoe Mann, president of Singleton and East Dean Women's Institute, said: "In November 1915, the inaugural meeting of the Women's Institute in England was held at The Fox pub in Charlton, West Sussex - a call to arms to revitalise rural communities and support the drive to produce food during the First World War.

"As 'guardians of the household', the significance of women's roles had never been more in the spotlight. 'Jam and Jerusalem' began and I am delighted to say that 110 years later, the ladies of the Singleton and East Dean Women's Institute celebrated their birthday, back at The Fox Goes Free pub in Charlton, where it all started.

"The oldest WI in England, we had a wonderful evening, beautifully looked after by the team at The Fox, and the spirit of community, sisterhood and coming together to share friendship and a lot of laughter was evident in bundles.

"The Singleton and East Dean Women's Institute continues to go from strength to strength, meeting monthly, where we have some brilliant and entertaining speakers, fabulous parties, fellowship and, of course, tea and cake.

"How amazing that there are incredible groups of women up and down the country who continue with traditions passed down from the original WIs early last century – a group of women who not only provide support to each other but who over the past 110 years have been driving forces behind campaigns such as Equal Pay for Equal Work, preserving the countryside against the desecration of litter, leading to the formation of the Keep Britain Tidy movement, founding the Fairtrade Foundation for global food security and agricultural self-sufficiency in developing countries, and forcing change and availability of both cervical and breast screening within the NHS.

"We still vote and drive resolutions every year and lobby parliament for action and change. So, while we continue to meet in village halls, sing Jerusalem and absolutely eat cake, we take our place as a force to be reckoned with, campaigning with strength and tenacity. As I say, an incredible group of women."

The WI movement aimed to encourage women to grow and preserve food in the face of wartime shortages. When the WI came to Britain in 1915, it was under the guiding hand of Canadian Madge Watt. The first group was set up in Anglesey, North Wales, on September 16, 1915, and the Singleton and East Dean group opened two months later.

The West Sussex villages had see most of their men go off to war in the late summer of 1914 and the women left behind had struggled to provide food for their families over that cold winter. They were at their wits’ end when Madge turned up with a solution to the problem. With proper planning and guidance, they were able to plant, grow, harvest and preserve food for not just the local community but also to feed the troops.

The first meeting of the WI in England was held In the back room of The Fox pub and the innkeeper, Mrs Laishley, was a founder member. The village hall at Singleton, where the WI now meets, was at that time for the use of men only.

The pub was listed at Grade II in 1986 and in November 2015, it was one of four buildings to be re-listed, on the advice of Historic England, to mark the historic special interest. Along with Balcombe Place, The Mechanics Institute in Newbrough and Denman College, The Fox tells the story of the formation and development of the Women’s Institute in England from a small meeting in the back room of a pub to a thriving national institution.

Early WI meetings took place in schools, pubs and private houses. After the war, the WI was instrumental in setting up village halls where all members of the community could gather for activities.

In January 2015, Singleton and East Dean WI received the centenary baton, which was travelling the country to every WI. Members were able to take it on a lap of honour at Goodwood Motor Circuit and Lord March loaned his Rolls-Royce for the occasion. That evening, the group handed the baton over to Hampshire WI Federation at The Fox Goes Free pub.

During a year of celebrations, the Weald & Downland Living Museum marked the centenary in September 2015 with a 100 Not Out celebration, hosted by Singleton and East Dean Women’s Institute.

Over the years, the group has played an important role in the community. Just one example was in July 2016, when the 11th century All Saints Church in East Dean hosted a flower festival celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of author and illustrator Beatrix Potter.

Members of Singleton and East Dean Women’s Institute yarnbombed trees on East Dean Village Green and in Singleton to promote the festival. The women knitted brightly-coloured flowers, birds and a caterpillar to decorate the trees to create an eye-catching work of art, drawing attention to the two-day event featuring floral arrangements depicting characters from the much loved series of children’s books.

Three years later, West Sussex Federation of Women’s Institutes marked its own centenary. Sussex was first county federation in England, formed in 1917 and divided into West and East in 1919.