West Hampstead WI, a friendly, sociable and inclusive organisation was formed in 2011 and held its first official meeting in October of that year. We started meeting in the local bookshop but soon outgrew that and moved to a café over the road. That café recently closed and we are now settled in the newly refurbished community space in Emmanuel Church at West End Green where we meet at 7.30pm on the first Thursday of each month. Our membership hovers around 40 in number, comprising women from all walks of life including barristers, actors, psychologists, businesswomen and so on, all of whom bring their varying interests with them.

We reflect this with our wide-ranging choice of talks and organised activities. Recent speakers include a human rights lawyer who talked to us about restorative justice, a music psychologist, a successful author, a theatrical agent and Tulip Sadiq, our local MP who helped us to celebrate the 100th anniversary of partial women’s suffrage.

Our meetings occasionally take the form of workshops; we have learnt how to make our own cosmetics from natural ingredients, enjoyed a masterclass on massage techniques from the celebrated Clare Maxwell Hudson, made hats and macaroons and learnt how to arrange flowers. We have also enjoyed annual guided walking tours in London led by one of our members, Mary Tucker and each year we take a stall at our annual local community fair – Jester Festival. Add to this, regular monthly coffee mornings in a local café, occasional group outings and smaller groups such as Needle & Natter and our walking group, there is something for everyone.

Thus far, we have only sung Jerusalem once and we haven’t made any jam!