Coming for the first time or thinking about it?

When and where?

We meet at St James’ Hall on Packington Street, near Angel on the last Tuesday of the month – though we do have trips out as well. The hall is open from 6:45pm and the meeting officially starts with announcements around 7pm. Come along early to socialise and help with setting things up ready for the meeting.

We love this venue because it’s really big, we have a stage for our speakers, we have plenty of chairs and tables for different activities, and we have our own kitchen. We regularly have foody speakers, so the kitchen is a real bonus.

First impressions

As you come into the main room, to the right of the doors is the membership table. Here you can sign in and get a name badge. If you want to see what we’re like, you  can visit for up to three meetings before becoming a member. Members of the committee are generally around and do ask questions if there’s anything you’re not sure about.  Feel free to sit wherever you like in the hall, and introduce yourself to people if you don’t know anyone – we’re very friendly and lots of us started out on our own!

We generally have drinks and snacks available for a donation, and we frequently have raffles, book sales, and collections going on for general fundraising or for particular causes (have a look at the Causes and Campaigns page for more information), so it’s generally good to bring some cash – there is a cashpoint just opposite the hall at Budgens if needed!

Getting down to business

At about 7:00pm the meeting will begin with our president standing at the front welcoming everybody to the meeting, making announcements and introducing the evening’s speaker or activity. Have a look at our meetings to see what kind of thing we’ve been up to recently, and what we’ve got happening for the rest of the year.

Going home

At 9pm the meeting ends and we ask everyone to help put away the chairs and tables, and anything else like craft bits that have been used. Some people head off to the local pub on the Essex Road for a drink.

Groups

Once you are a fully paid up member you can join groups. The groups are each led by a WI member and they meet locally to N1. Currently we have a book group; if that doesn’t take your fancy, you can always start your own!