Women Supporting Women
By Laura Giannini
The Scottish Women's Institute was first formed in East Lothian in 1917. From its inception the SWI has worked to improve women's lives.
They provide an important place where women of all ages can find solidarity, understanding, support for mental and physical well-being, and the chance to try out and learn something new: computer skills, photography, baking, knitting, gardening... all in a relaxed, easy atmosphere.
The newest group meets in Dumbarton’s Riverside church on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 7pm. All are welcome and there’s no fee to pay.
I arrived late and walked into a darkened hall where a yoga taster was in session.
Nonetheless, just minutes later, one of the women came over, welcomed me in, and offered me a seat in the circle facing the speaker.
It was an interesting session that covered breathing, tapping, circulation stimulation and the relaxation of a music bowl. It was a terrific introduction to the speakers that the group invites along to share information with them.
At tea-break another woman, Lorraine MacGillvray, greeted me and invited me to introduce myself.
This done, there was no shortage of people to talk.
It is certainly a very chatty, welcoming group. An excellent thing since combatting the social isolation of women is one of the core missions.
June told me: “Things are getting more difficult for women again. What with so many living alone, working from home again, divorce and so on; they need a place to relax, to meet other women, to talk, to try out new things. That's what we get when we come to this group.”
Another first-timer, Louise McPhail, told me she'd been meaning to come along for several months: “I do Guiding too, so I like 'doing' groups. I think women have always traditionally gathered to chat and to do.
“In the past it would be to gather and spin wool, butcher a large beast, gather and winnow crops. The WI offers a modern version of that, you can try new things, you can learn, you can do things, but don'thave to. That's nice.”
Lorraine agreed: “We do as much or as little as we choose. There's never any pressure. We have a couple of wee competitions each month; this month we have knitting and pancakes.”
She smiled: “As you don't know anyone, how about you judge?”
I dug into memories of Calendar Girls to select Arlene Maxwell's pancakes based on texture, uniformity and taste, and my idea of a Scottish pancake.
The offerings for the knitting group were, as far as I could tell, all great and so different one from the other I was hard-pressed. I chose, what I felt was a modern take on Aran knits, a lime green ear warmer as runner up, and an immaculately presented basket weave scarf by Alison Freeman as winner.
Alison is also a member of the SWI Heritage Group, which is working to preserve and catalogue the crafts and information from the hundred plus years of the WI. The group is currently trying to find an archive in which to keep the collected data.
The information is indeed much and varied: “The WI published a cookbook each year. We're working on the 1928 one and I notice that some of the ingredients don't exist or would be hard to find now.”
I mentioned a heritage knitting skill: Sanquhar knitting, a pattern built up in squares. “It's a difficult style, but so worth saving. So many of the traditional heritage crafts are. It's important we pass these skills on, because once they're lost, they're gone.
“That's where the WI can be so important, so many of these crafts are in the hands of women. We hold so much of the heritage and traditions of a place, a country.”
This is so from Scotland to Siberia, from Congo to Cardross. Women are what the world needs to move forward.
The Dumbarton WI group is certainly upholding this tradition.