The first step to becoming a WI member is to join a WI

In Essex we have many WIs so you should not be too far away from one. To access your nearest WI go to the Membership link, then Find a WI and insert your postcode into Search for a WI and insert the distance you wish to travel, this will list the WIs in your chosen geographic area. You may wish to consider which day of the week and which time best suits you – this information will be show when you click on each WI.  If you have any problems please contact us using the details shown on the right.

It is always a good idea to visit a couple of WIs as each WI has its own unique culture and interests. You may be asked to make a small contribution as a visitor to attend a meeting.  Most WIs will let you attend several times as a visitor. Once you find a WI that you feel fits in with your views, aspirations and interests speak to a committee member about joining.

If you are joining as a new member i.e. you have not been a member in the last 12 months, there is a pro rata membership joining fee dependent upon the time of the year you join. Membership is annual and subscriptions are set by NFWI to commence in April of each year (further information the Membership page – Membership Information).

You can be a full member of one WI and a dual member of another; as a dual member your membership subscription at the second WI is reduced but cannot be pro-rated.

If you would like to be a WI member but do not wish to be a member of a specific WI why not consider becoming a WI Associate, further information under Membership – Associate Membership

Federation of Essex Women’s Institutes

Here at Federation, we are always looking for WI members to be more involved at Federation level.

We have a number of teams that you could be a part of including:-

Arts and Leisure; Cookery and Creative Crafts; Media Team, EWIN Editorial Team or the Archive Team

Any member is welcome to come and observe these teams at work, please contact the Fed Sec for more details.

WI Advisers play a very important role in helping and advising WIs, if you feel that you have the skills and time to devote to this role, please contact us for more details. Please note that to be a WI Adviser a period of training is compulsory.

If you are interested, then please email fedsec@essexwi.org.uk for more details.

National Federation of Women’s Institutes

NFWI also has a number of committees that WI members sit on, further information on these can be found on NFWI webpage.

The WI is What You Make It and your involvement will be dependent upon your individual circumstances, but do get involved and be a part of an amazing, diverse organisation.