The Women’s Institute was founded in 1897 in Canada by a small farming community that bought together women from isolated communities and offered them training in aspects of home and farming. The WI moved to Britain in 1915 to encourage countrywomen to help increase the supply of food to a country at war. The first one was at Llanfair PG, North Wales followed by Singleton in Sussex.
In 1916 Lady Denman was appointed chairwoman. By the end of the year 40 WI’s had opened, increasing to 1495 across the UK by the end of 1919. Today the number is nearer 6,500 groups.
This rate in growth shows a need for community, for women’s networking, for a way that an individualistic society can come together as a group.
I always meet such interesting and varied women when I give a talk on Medical Tattooing to different WI groups in my area. Mostly they are in village halls with up to 60 women present and sometimes there are offshoots of women’s group that meet in their houses. Wherever the venue there is a sense of warmth, kindness, a grounding in wanting to help, engage and support other people. This is the basis of the Institute to help provide training, experience and community to others.
This is something that can benefit all ages. As families move further afield from each other, and small villages turning into large towns many people can be surrounded by others but feel completely isolated.
The reason I offer up my presentations is so the information about Medical tattooing and Skin Camouflage is spread as far and wide as it can. Women are great talkers so who better to approach than the WI. Everyone there has either had first or second hand experience of some level of visible difference, and through their empathy can understand the psychological impact it can have on people irregardless of their age, religion, ethnicity, social or financial level.
So many of my patients have taken many years to find the correct words to put into a search engine to find a Medical Tattooist. If you don’t know this industry exists, how will you find it. Especially for many older people that didn’t grow up with technology, search terms, or permanent makeup. And so many of my patients don’t talk to other people about their visible difference. They are embarrassed, ashamed, nervous, shy, anxious and may not have a trustworthy family member or friend to discuss their issues with. They may have many friends but not feel they can divulge their personal fears.
By presenting this information to as many people as possible, the availability of this information, the knowledge that this industry exists will reach more and more people, so hopefully their path to confidence can be shorter and have a less of a negative impact. So please, if you are a member of the WI, or know someone who is, or wants to be, let them know the relevance and the importance of listening and participating in talks like these and how much of a positive impact groups like these can have on the whole of society.
My Year ahead with the WI
January – Monday Ladies Group
February – Cheam WI and Woodmansterne WI
March – Reigate WI
April – Nutfield WI
June – Epsom WI
September – Pebblecombe WI, Guildford WI and Oxted WI
Find out more about Medical Tattooing or Permanent Makeup with your own bespoke treatment plan but Contacting Rae Denman
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