Welcome to the December/January double issue of our wonderful magazine. Yes it’s that most wonderful time of the year! Pictured on the front cover are two of our speakers for the Annual Meeting in March. Ciaran Martin, British professor and former CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and currently Professor of Practice in Management of Public Organisations. Michael Rosenblum a television producer and video journalist (VJ) who built the first major VJ-driven local

November is here, named from the Latin “novem” for nine. It marks the transition from autumn to winter, bringing shorter days and leads into the holiday season – the word that starts with C and ends with S! Celebrations include Guy Fawkes Night and “Stir Up” Sunday which is traditionally when the Christmas pudding was made. Talking of celebrations – the Federation has been successful in securing funding from the Denman Grant Scheme. This sum of money will allow us to run seve

I can’t believe that Autumn is now upon us. Soon it will be C…….s! But let’s skip over to March and let me tell you about the OFWI Annual Meeting. We are returning to Worton Hall on Wednesday 25th March 2026. Please don’t let me be there on my own! The day will follow much of the successful format as previous years and we are busy confirming speakers for the day – more on that next month. We have listened to your comments and hopefully we will again bring a day for you to enj

I hope you have had a really lovely summer – well it has certainly been warm enough! Possibly too warm but let’s not complain. I thought as we find ourselves nearly halfway through the WI year, that we should remind ourselves of what our WI membership includes – eleven monthly meetings which can include a speaker or an activity all with refreshments and possibly a raffle. Your WI might also have subgroups – walking, craft, book clubs all for you to enjoy. Plenty of fun, frien

Welcome to this double edition of Oxfordshire Inspires – July and August. I have been asked to remind you please to come and visit us at the Tackley office on Tuesday 16 September and celebrate the WI being 110 years old! I feel we are in relatively good order for that number of years! Do take the opportunity to visit the Federation office, wander round the history displays, artefacts, textiles, and memorabilia and view the displays and information about our subcommittees. Me

Dear fellow WI members By the time that you are reading this, the online NFWI Annual Meeting will have taken place and I hope that you enjoyed all aspects of the day and that you took something away that was special to you and will inspire you and be a reminder of how wonderful our organisation is. I don’t suppose our predecessors envisaged us being part of such an important meeting remotely or that the word remotely even existed! In other news from the federation, you will s

THANK YOU! I do know that shouty capitals are not the order of the day, but you really did exceed my expectations and rise to the challenge of not leaving me on my own at the OFWI Annual Meeting! The sun shone, Worton Hall looked magnificent and so did those in attendance from my vantage point on the stage. Thank you for all the feedback – mostly good and some very helpful thoughts and suggestions for next year. We will take on board a shorter lunch break and ensure our speak

Welcome to the April newsletter. Such a lovely time of the year. Thank you, Oxfordshire WIs who rose to the challenge and made an OFWI Chair (well-padded with reasonable legs) very happy! We had a record number of delegates and observers attend the OFWI Annual Meeting at Worton Hall on the 19 March. It is a wonderful experience to stand on the stage and see so many WI members gathered together. Certainly a force to be reckoned with! May I thank those Trustees who have taken o

Spring has sprung or should be very soon. A lovely time of year – the clocks change, the evenings draw out and the snowdrops and crocuses beckon – as does the Annual Meeting! I also know it is a busy time for you with most WI Annual Meetings taking place this month. That means there will be 117 Presidents elected, but each of us can help our Presidents – you might not be on the committee, but helping with a few chairs, washing up, delivering a magazine or two, can make such a

Happy New Year, if somewhat belated, and good wishes for 2025. Starting a new year is a wonderful feeling with everything to look forward to – it feels clean, bright, and shiny. It is a “big” year for the Board of Trustees with the lections in March. Inevitably it will probably mean change, but we are nothing if not resilient – whether that be at WI or federation level. A WI “friend” asked my opinion on a WI matter in my capacity as Chair – of course she said a nicely upholst