Rydal Women's Institute 

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The Women's Institute (WI) began in Britain in 1915, initially to support rural communities and the war effort. Today, it is a prominent women's organization in the UK, focused on education, community engagement, and various social and political campaigns. 

 

​Rydal Women's Institute was established in 1952 to support women living in rural Cumbria, meeting initially at Rydal Cottage (now Manor Cottage) which was the home of Miss Florence Anderton. As the group outgrew the cottage, the WI moved to the small reading room on the A591 in Rydal. When Rydal WI were no longer able to use the reading room, we moved to other venues in Rydal before moving to Ambleside where we now meet monthly.​

 

Rydal WI is part of the larger federation of Cumbria and Westmorland which was founded in 1965, and is committed to supporting the WI's mission of providing educational opportunities and empowering women in their communities. ​

 

We at Rydal also meet with other WIs in our area whether it's to share an interesting speaker, for our annual quiz or federation meetings.​In addition to our monthly meetings, we meet up for trips to the cinema, games afternoons, lunches at local restaurants and, in the summer, we play croquet at the nearby cricket club. ​