About the WI
The Women’s Institute (WI) was formed in 1915 to revitalise rural communities and it encouraged women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. Since then the organisation’s aims have broadened and the NFWI (National Federation of Women's Institutes) is now the largest voluntary women’s organisation in the UK. The WI celebrated its centenary in 2015 and currently has over 210,000 members in around 6,600 WIs.
The WI plays a unique role in providing women with educational opportunities and the chance to build new skills, to take part in a wide variety of activities and to campaign on issues that matter to them and their communities. Our online Denman courses cover everything from history to hiking, from crafts to cookery. They are open to all at a modest cost. The WI also lobbies Government to influence decisions which our members feel are important to society as a whole, and women in particular.
Kelsall WI was founded in 1933. We come within the Cheshire Federation of Women's Institutes (CFWI) and are also part of the Forest Group, a collection of WIs surrounding Delamere Forest. 2023 was our 90th birthday year so see our Archive pages for some celebrations!