About Us

Downend Women's Institute
Christ Church Parish Hall, 
57 North Street, Downend, Bristol, South Gloucestershire.  BS16 5SG
Meet last Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm.
Guests are welcome to join us for a small charge of £4.00, which includes tea or coffee.
Email: downendwi@yahoo.co.uk 

Upcoming Meeting  31st January 2023

This month we celebrate our 9th Birthday! Hoorah!
We welcome back our fabulous members to our January meeting with Andrew Stowell from East Bristol Auction House, who will be talking to us about any hidden treasures that we may have stashed away in our homes.

Our February meeting we have booked Amy Grimsby who will teach us to make needle felted greetings cards. 

At our 2022 AGM
President Julie Walkers stepped down to hand her position to voted in Shelley Hodges-Brown.
Treasurer Claire Edmunds also stepped down and handed over to Carey Down.
Secretary Ros Langley also handed over to Linda Russ.
And finally, Vice President Susan Jones handed over to Pippa Osborne who will occasionally cover the duties of Vice President when needed.
Our sincere thanks go to all these four ladies for their rather long terms of duty, now they will be happy to come along to meetings as a Member after all their hard work, lasting between 4 and 6 years.

Remembrance Day 2022
This year, the members of Downend Women’s Institute decided that they wanted to be more a part of the memorial tribute for Remembrance Sunday, so instead of buying a wreath, the ladies decided to make and embroider felt poppies and leaves.
The idea of making the topper for our local letterbox in Downend, was to bring the memorial tribute to our local community to share, they felt that as we all have relatives who have had to live through the horrors of wartime, both service and civilian, it was only right and proper that by bringing our memorial to share with everyone on their daily basis, it represents that we have compassion for all, and that it’s not a thing for show, but a tribute for our whole community, young and old.
We created packs of felt, and all the haberdasheries that were required, along with the instructions, to make up the poppies and leaves, suitable for all levels of ability. Members purchased the packs, priced to cover expenses plus a little extra, then by deducting the expenses, we had gleaned an amount of £65 which we wanted to donate to the Staple Hill Royal British Legion.
On Saturday the 5th of November, the wind and rain did not deter Linda Russ (Secretary) and Suzzie Belcher (Committee Member) who outed the topper onto the double letterbox outside of the Post Office in Downend. Ian Campbell from the Staple Hill Royal British Legion came to watch and was presented with the donation. The memorial will be removed on Saturday the 19th of November.

November 29th 2022
Yes, it's time again for Christmas Jumpers!  At our end of year festive meeting, we will have mince pies and mulled wine plus to end our year, Liz Baker from Elizabeth Baker Flowers in Bristol, is coming, so please come and join us as we learn to create a Christmas Wreath from scratch to help us enter the spirit of the Christmas season!

About Us
Downend WI started in January 2014 when ladies lined up in the cold to join. The queue was so long that some had to be turned away!

Now we are now in our eighth year, and still going strong.
We are based in the heart of Downend, which is a suburb of Bristol. Downend comes in the county of South Gloucestershire, and are part of the Avon Federation WI.

Downend used to be a village many years ago, and the community has a warm 'village' feel to it. The famous cricketer W.G. Grace was born here.

Downend WI has a vibrant energetic feel about it, with members from all age groups, and all walks of life, we mix really well.
We are always happy to welcome new members, and also members from other groups.

Downend WI also has various sub groups, so please check out this website for more information.
We are interested in many topics and enjoy our program of talks and activities, so do come and try us out.
(By the way, we WI groups aren't all Jam and Jerusalem these days.)

Many imagine us wearing pearls and twinsets, however, you are far more likely to find us getting involved with NFWI Campaigns.
This is why we say that we can make things change, by doing it the WI way.

"Culture, Charity, Craft & Cake", to find out more, please come to our meeting as a guest, we'll be happy to meet you.
We meet on the last Tuesday of each month, in the Christ Church Parish Hall on North Street, Downend, Bristol at 7:30pm.

The Mission Statement of the National Federation of Women's Institutes.
Our mission
Let us tell you what we stand for and what is at the heart of everything we do.
The WI plays a unique role in providing women with educational opportunities and the chance to build new skills, to take part in a wide variety of activities and to campaign on issues that matter to them and their communities.
The WI is here to inspire you
We inspire women through experiences, knowledge and skills. These are passed down through generations and continually updated to reflect the lives of women today.
The WI is everything you want it to be
Whatever your reason for joining, we offer all kinds of opportunities to all kinds of women.
For some, it’s a chance to meet people and catch up with friends. For others, it’s a way to learn valuable life skills and make a difference in their communities through WI campaigns.
The WI is what you make of it
WI's come in all shapes and sizes and our members can be involved in the way that suits them.
This can mean joining a local WI or setting up a new group with other like-minded women. Others may prefer to be Associate members with the opportunity for local WI involvement.

For Past Meetings during 2021/2022 go to Agenda