The Foundations

As farming became more mechanised the number of farm workers became less and consequently the number of children attending the school also dwindled and eventually the ‘new’ school was closed which provided the WI with a dilemma –where to meet ? Fortunately one long standing member with space in her house offered the WI the play room in which the meetings could be held. That happy situation lasted for 26 years until the member moved to another house. She then converted the garage into a meeting place for the WI, which is where the present members have been meeting since 1996. It is possible that High Levels WI is unique within the WI movement in that it has held the meetings in a members house for the last 44 years, as there was no other meeting place in the district. The 50 members are now drawn from 20 different villages in the area.

High Levels WI was formed in 1947. The first meetings were held in an old school room that served the families living in the area of South Yorkshire called ‘Thorne Levels’, halfway between Doncaster and Scunthorpe. There is no village or central point just a large number of farms spread across the area. The Thorne Levels has a rich historical background as they were drained by a Dutch man, Cornelius Vermuyden, in the 1700’s. The land became very fertile after the draining hence the large number of farms that were established in the following centuries. Thorne Levels is split into High Levels and Low Levels indicating the amount of water in the drains (dykes). The first WI drew its members from the farmers wives and wives of the farm workers and had a wide and varied programme of activities of the time – cooking, preserving, chicken husbandry, flower arranging etc. When the old school room was closed the members moved their meetings next door to the newly built school in the adjacent field.

– Catherine Watson – 08.01.2014

Vice President and Past Secretary

2019 and moving onwards…

Changes have been made to High Levels WI since Catherine wrote The Foundations. 2019 was a difficult year for High Levels WI, our Host for 44 years became ill and later sadly past away, therefore, we were unable to continue to meet at Charity Farm. Once again we faced the dilemma of where to meet. The committee worked tirelessly on behalf of the members to secure their future venue. After going to a members’ vote, October 2019 saw our first meeting at The Reindeer Inn at Sandtoft. Then in March 2020 we were faced with Covid! Our monthly meetings were transferred to Zoom until we were able to meet again face to face in July 2021, where with thanks to our members, we continue to meet and flourish.

Past Activities

Activities

Feb 7, 2024

Curry Leaf Meal

Feb 7, 2024

20 members enjoyed a delicious meal at the Curry Leaf in Epworth on 7th February 2024, superbly organised by our outings ladies Georgina, Lorraine and Max. Thank you.

Feb 7, 2024