The Women's Institute (or WI) was formed in 1915 to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. Since then the organisation's aims have broadened and the WI is now the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK. The WI will celebrate its centenary in 2015 and currently has 212,000 members in around 6,600 WIs.
The WI plays a unique role in providing women with educational opportunities and the chance to learn new skills. Women take part in a wide variety of activities and campaign on issues that matter to them and their communities.