Smisby WI was founded in 1934 and we celebrated our 80th anniversary in  2015 and  celebrate our 90th Anniversary in 2025. A short history is available via the history page, covering events to 2015.  The national  WI organisation celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2015. Smisby is a member of the Derbyshire Federation, and the DFWI celebrated its centenary in 2018.

 Smisby WI are a very friendly institute and meet on the third Thursday in the month in Smisby village hall. We have a varied programme with a speaker at most meetings. A range of other acitivites take place every month.

Currently membership has risen to 65, so at the moment new membership is restricted to Smisby residents. However, a waiting list is in operation for people who would like to join.

Florence Nightingale 12th June 2025

Lesley Smith once again gave us  a superb history lesson about  the life of Florence Nightingale, to forty-six members in the village hall on Thursday 12th June. The afternoon started with sandwiches, and cake accompanied with copious glasses of Pimm's.

Florence was born in 1820 in Florence hence the name. Her family were rich and well connected. As a child she loved maths and statistics, which she used to great effect when working in the hospitals in the Crimea. . She took up her first role in 1853 at the Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in London where she was Superintendent. She came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople. She significantly reduced death rates by improving hygiene and living standards. She refused a marriage proposal because she wanted to focus on her career in nursing and helping people. As a reformer she believed that the dirty bandages, bedding and surrounding environment were not helping to make the wounded get better. So she set to work ordering the cleaning up of the sewerage systems where at one hospital it ran under the wards where the men were being treated. Consequently once the men were treated in a clean environment, the men's conditions and wounds started to improve.

Due to her dedication to patient care she was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" because of her habit of making rounds at night, previously not done. Her care would forever change the way hospitals treated patients.

Lesley gave such a powerful talk about her life and in that hour we learnt so much about a truly remarkable lady. Thank you Lesley what a wonderful way to learn about our true heroes. The photographs are of Lesley as Florence and five members who were once nurses.

 

 

 

Visit to Tissington Well Dressing and tea at Notty Hornblower's Costumn Museum at Hope House Alstonefield, 29 May 2025

Once again Roberts coachs transported Smisby WI to view Tissington Well Dressing and visit the clothing museum at Alstonefiled. We all appreciated our skilled driver as she negotiated the many narrow twisty lanes on our route.

We were fortunate with the weather and had an enjoyable morning and lunch in Tissington. We then visited the clothing museum, which was a very tight squeeze for our numbers and finished with a delicious  afternoon tea at Hope House. Many thanks to jean for organising this trip.

 

 Celebrating our 90th birthday

Welcome everyone to our 90 th birthday celebration lunch. A special welcome to all our guests, Rosie Fisher, the DFWI Chair, Judy Stanhope, the DFWI vice president, and representatives from Harpur Crewe WI group, Melbourne, Ticknall, Staunton Harold and Woodville Whirlwinds and our guest speakers, Elaine and Julia, otherwise known as the Potty Plotters.
It is amazing to think that Smisby WI has been around for 90 years, and I feel honoured to be the 18th president, in a line of great ladies, some of whom are here today, and still play an active role in the planning and running of our group,serving on our hard-working committee. I noted that the first president, Miss Madge Hewitt, was president for 49 years! May I say that I have no intension of trying to beat that record! What my working life has taught me though is the secret of being in a role like this is having a great secretary to keep me in check. We certainly have the best at Smisby who has been keeping the presidents in order for coming up to 15 years. So thank you Suzanne for all you do for Smisby WI and may you continue to keep us in order for lots more years.
But I believe the reason that Smisby WI is so successful over years is you, our wonderful members, who support the varied activities, each other, and meet together in a genuine spirit of friendship. There has been some darker moments in Smisby WI`s history. The terrible bus crash of 1949, when 2 of the members lost their lives, and 20 being seriously injured, was probably the worst. But the WI spirit carried them forward and 6 months later the group met again. On a lighter note the thought of the ladies making 11 tons of jam during the war years seems mind blowing as does paying 1 shilling to use the crockery at each meeting when the group was formed.

Over the years there have been many more joyful moments. Many informative and interesting speakers and fabulous outings. Membership has grown from 24
members to 65, many women have enjoyed, and are enjoying, being part of this inspiring friendly group. So, let us continue to meet together to celebrate
friendship and many more opportunities over the coming years and enjoy this celebratory meal. Happy 90 th Birthday Smisby WI.

I read the poem written for the 50th birthday and to end I offer a new verse for our 90 th birthday.

Another 40 years has passed,
We celebrate together 90
May our friendship always last
And Smisby WI stay mighty!