EXACTLY 100 years to the day, Farringdon WI celebrated its first meeting within the village with a lunch at their newly-refurbished pub, The Rose and Crown at Upper Farringdon.

The celebrations on January 22 began with singing of the traditional WI anthem Jerusalem by Hubert Parry, and a glass of bubbles signalled the beginning of lunch which ended with a thoughtful and amusing celebration of music and poetry entitled ‘Phenomenal Woman - An Ode to a Woman’s Life’ devised and delivered by villagers Laura Wills and Nadine Farris.

It was appropriate that the centenary meeting celebrated the achievements of women because that is what the WI represents and that was what it represented when the first meeting of Farringdon WI was held on January 22, 1918, at Upper Farringdon House, the home of its founder, Mrs Kennedy, grandmother of writer and journalist Ludovic Kennedy.

At a time when women didn’t have the vote and had little rights, the ladies of Farringdon wanted to do something to help the war effort and began producing food for the home.

It was something they continued to do during the Second World War and WIs across the land helped set up the welfare state by encouraging the eating of a good diet and exercise for a healthy lifestyle plus working the land to provide homegrown produce.

In between, Farringdon WI has supported village, women’s and individual causes, and been a strong force in the community, as well one of the most popular WIs in the county.

President, Dawn Perry said in the last couple of years that Farringdon WI had flourished.

“I gratefully acknowledge the support and enthusiasm of the committee and all our 44 members,” she said.

“We chose The Rose and Crown (for lunch) because we wanted to support it re-opening and being part of the community again,” said Mrs Perry, who added that it was only the beginning of a busy programme of events throughout the year.

Also marking the centenary, Farringdon WI has published a cookbook of members’ favourite recipes, all aimed at healthy eating. It has been produced to help the WI raise money to support local causes in the community, as it has done throughout the group’s 100-year history.

Fittingly, Farringdon WI’s next meeting, another celebratory event in February, focuses on health and well-being and is entitled ‘How to Live to 100’.

And Mrs Perry added: “We are always keen for new members, so no matter what age or other societies you belong to or what interest you may have, you will be welcome here.”