Heath Charnock WI......Our History

Heath Charnock & District WI was established in June 1937.

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The early meetings were held in The Heath Charnock Parish Meeting Hall, sometimes called The Mission Room, on Long Lane, Heath Charnock, near The Bay Horse public house.It stood next to Oakdene House.

The photographs were kindly sent by Mr. W. Burgess. They were taken in 1940 during the very hard winter.

Mr. Burgess is the young boy in the photograph and he lived at Oakdene, nextdoor to the Meeting Hall.

This building was used for many thing in addition to WI meetings. Dances, auctions, meetings of various societies, and church services, and in the war it was the meeting place for the Home Guard.

The land for the hall was aquired in May 1903. £693 was borrowed from Heath Charnock Glory Lodge of Oddfellow, and the building, wall and yard were built by Leonard Fairclough for £659/10/-. The Hall was opened on 9th June 1904. The building was demolished in 1964.

Meetings were then held in the Chapel School room (built Nov 1872), which is now the Chapel Tea room. 1960s.

The 25th Birthday Party was held there in 1962.

In the 1970s the WI meetings moved to The Church Hall, Rivington. The building was in need of renovation so it was decided in the 1980s to move until work could be done to improve the standard to the hall.

This was when they moved to Rivington Hall. The meetings were held in a very comfortable upstairs lounge.

Meetings then moved back to Rivington Church Hall, were they are still held.

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Founder Members:

Mrs Mullineaux

Mrs Meddleton

Mrs Nellie Boswell

Mrs Brand

Mrs Royle

Mrs Birchall

Mrs Schofield

Mrs Fairclough

Mrs Hargreaves

Mrs Edge

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A Miss Langley and a Miss Woods came from LFWI to launch Heath Charnock WI in June 1937. They also visited 25 years later to help celebrate the institutes birthday.

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50th Birthday of HCWI 1987

With founder member Mrs. Nellie Boswell

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From the programme for the Festival of Adlington, 1951:

FOOD CANNED IN MEMBERS' OWN HOMES

Formed in June, 1937, the Heath Charnock Women's Institute now has over eighty members from Adlington, Anderton and Heath Charnock, who meet on the second Wednesday of each month in the Heath Charnock Parish Room.

The Institute possesses its own canning machine, which is available to all members, either individually in their own homes or collectively for canning days at the Institute, and peaches, pears and plums have been canned very successfully for some years.

There are weekly Sewing Classes, taught by Miss Cooper, of Wigan, and a Handicraft Class, whose teacher is Mrs Buckley, of Anderton, where anything from a pair of gloves to an eiderdown may be made; examples of the work of this class have been shown at various exhibitions and at the Royal Lancashire Show.

A choir has lately been formed, with Miss Marsden as conductor and Mrs Naylor accompanist. The choir hopes to make its first appearance at the Group Meeting at which Heath Charnock W.I. is hostess to four local institutes.

There is also a flourishing Drama Group, of which Mrs H. Taylor is producer and Mrs F. Arrowsmith stage manager; though small, this company has won first-class honours at W.I. Drama Festivals.

There was also a trade exhibition in the Christ Church School (now the Community Centre), in which the Heath Charnock WI had a stand.

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Letters to Heath Charnock WI from Her Majesty The Queen