Ladies who are non-members can attend up to two meetings in a year before deciding whether to join the W.I. Visitors are charged £3 towards the cost of the evening. Should you decide to become a full member, the 2021 subscription is £25 (the full amount being adjusted as we were unable to meet last year).
We usually start our meeting by singing Jerusalem, followed by a welcome from our President. The minutes of the previous meeting are then read. The President will then go through any WI notices. These can include courses or events being organised by Northamptonshire Federation of WIs or may be about up and coming events within Barby that the WI may be involved with. The speaker for the evening will be welcomed and give an enjoyable talk, demonstration or slide show. The evening concludes with coffee and cake.
It has been a difficult time over the past year as due to Covid19 restrictions we have not been able to meet. We set up a “buddying” system whereby Committee members contacted members to ensure their well being. We were however able to hold zoom meetings and in addition to having speakers, we have also arranged several quizzes. Several members knitted/crotcheted forget-me-knots, being the symbol of the Alzheimer’s Society, which were displayed on the Webb Ellis Trophy in Rugby to promote Dementia Awareness Week. At the beginning of July we held an Afternoon Tea in the Village Hall to celebrate the NHS. We raised over £200 in donations which have been sent to Friends of Hospital of St Cross. We were able to hold our annual Petanque and BBQ in the Millennium Orchard and hope to have a canal trip in September.
Twice a year we meet with other WI’s in the surrounding villages and enjoy a joint meeting with speaker,; each Institute taking turns to act as host. We also have a Group Carol Service.
We have continued to support Daventry Food Bank and make Cakes for the Freezer for Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton once a year.
We hope that with the easing of lockdown we shall be able to resume our monthly meetings in the Village Hall.