Women’s Institute group starts up in Hackney Wick

Hackney Wicked Women members (left to right):  Lauren Mulhern, Anna Shotbolt, Lora Su, Cheeka Eyers, Grace Shotbolt. Photograph: Eleonore de Bonneval

The tradition of the Women’s Institute, which was founded in 1915, is still very much alive across the country, and over the last few years has made its presence known in East London.

The latest WI to sprout from Hackney’s streets is Hackney Wicked Women, founded by 24-year-old Grace Shotbolt.

Last November the group has its first meeting at Cr8 Lifestyle Centre in Hackney Wick. A modest 15 people turned up, including Shotbolt’s mother, Elaine, a keen supporter of the institute and the only member so far over the age of 50.

“I joined the WI to support my daughter but also because I’ve lived in london for three years now and have found it quite difficult to make new friends,” explains Elaine Shotbolt, 53.

Her daughter Grace insists that whilst the group so far consists mainly of women in their 20s, it is open to any woman who wants to join, from girls who want to learn about craft to those who want to get involved in charity work or just want to meet their neighbours. The whole idea is about bringing people together.

She says: “I’ve got a job in the city which is not very women-friendly and I wanted to do something for women and make a difference outside my job and the WI was a good place to start.”

In a creative area like Hackney Wick, Shotbolt has noticed a rise in traditional activities such as making clothes, knitting and crochet, which she is encouraging as well as bringing in women speakers with interesting careers and charity work. There are plans to work with Free Cakes for Kids, a Hackney-based charity that provides birthday cakes for children in low income families.

And despite there being other WIs in the area, including the Shoreditch Sisters and the East End WI, Shotbolt insists there is no competition between the groups and that she would love to collaborate with them on projects in the future.

The WI not only brings women from the area together, but also provides support to small businesses and connects them to their community.

Colleen Bowen, current president of East End WI, says its founding members, Niki Stevens and Sorella Le Var, who set up the branch in 2007, wanted to change the idea that you can still be lonely in a busy city like London.

“They realised you can be just as isolated in a heavily populated area like London as you can be in a rural area,” she says.

It’s been almost 100 years since the first Women’s Institute but its philosophy has hardly changed. President of the Shoreditch Sisters, Martha Wass adds that it is: “the generous spirit of our women that keeps us going” due to demanding jobs and lifestyles in the current climate.

Janice Langley, Chair of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes says she is pleased with the new ‘urban WI’ as it shows perceptions are changing.

“The East End WI and the Shoreditch Sisters WI in east London are all great examples of the organisation offering something to all women at every stage of their lives, and we look forward to hearing about the range of activities their members choose to get involved with long into the future.”

@WickedWomenWI