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Modern Women's Institute meets on Skype and doesn’t have to sing Jerusalem, reveals national chair

Lynne Stubbings first joined the WI in 1979
Lynne Stubbings first joined the WI in 1979

The modern day Women’s Institute meets on Skype and does not sing Jerusalem at every meeting - but is increasingly concerned that social media is making people more lonely, the new head of the organisation says.

Lynne Stubbings, 68, who first joined the WI in 1979 and held various positions before being elected chairman last year, has seen the 103 year-old WI come to terms with the 21st century.

Nowadays members meet on Skype – and contrary to popular belief – Hubert Parry’s patriotic anthem “Jerusalem” is not sung at every monthly meeting of the country’s 6,300 branches.

In her first interview since she was elected chair of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, Mrs Stubbings says: “Not every WI sings Jerusalem at the start of the meeting. Some WIs do, interestingly a lot of the younger WIs do and think it is great to sing Jerusalem at the start of the meeting.

“Probably back in 1920-something - when it was adopted as the WI song - probably everyone did it then. [But] at my WI I don’t think we have ever sung it at every meeting. We sing it on our birthday."

The WI is moving with the times times in other ways too as the age of a typical member has fallen to around 60 today.

Regional meetings are now held on Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons so they do not interfere with the working week while other meetings are held over the Skype video call service. Webinars are common.

She says: “We are encouraging all levels to adapt our working practices so that women who are working or have child care or caring responsibilities are  able to get involved in a greater of lesser degree.”

Members of the Women's Institute take advantage of state funding to pursue a residential course in handicrafts at Denman College (1953) - Credit:  Picture Post
Members of the Women's Institute take advantage of state funding to pursue a residential course in handicrafts at Denman College (1953) Credit: Picture Post

Campaigns are at the heart of the WI’s work and next week marks the centenary of the launch of the organisation’s first push for a ‘sufficient supply of convenient and sanitary houses”.

Members voted this year to campaign on mental health issues - after last year's effort to raise awareness of loneliness. Mrs Stubbings is worried about the way social media can make people better connected but more lonely.

She says: “What we found from our members is that the use of social media makes communications better but actually is isolating people because they rely on social media and there is no personal interaction.”

The trend for putting holiday snaps  on sharing websites like Facebook makes this worse. “People see other people putting their perfect lives on social media so immediately everyone thinks ‘I am not that perfect person’. 

“If you are living alone or are away from home, that can make the feeling of loneliness worse.”

The WI can fill this gap by offering fulfilling relationships with other women, she says. “Social media … is no replacement for personal relationships, for going out and meeting people – that is what the WI is all about.”

A Women's Institute of a WI stall in Saffron Walden market in the 1930 - Credit: PA
A Women's Institute of a WI stall in Saffron Walden market in the 1930 Credit: PA

Mrs Stubbings takes aim at another gripe of middle England: recyling. She says: “It is a nonsense [that] there is a different policy for single every local authority or borough."

The WI - which first ran an anti-plastics campaign in 1971- is taking its own small steps towards a greener future: it has started to cover its monthly magazine in “compostable potato starch wrap”.

She says: “You can recycle it, you can compost it. You can use it as a liner for your kitchen waste bin.”

A spat earlier this year when an older member criticised "radical energy" of younger branches like Shoreditch sisters was “completely over done”.

Mrs Stubbings says: “The WI is one of the few places that women can go and meet women of other generations. The older ladies with the experience who can teach the younger members crochet or cookery - life skills. 

"And the younger ones are coming in with all the enthusiasm for instagram and snapchat. So it’s a great mix. 

“You leave all the detritus of life at the door - because when you walk into a WI meeting you are not someone’s wife, mother, sister, daughter. You are you and we have got loads of members who are friends.”