This article is included by courtesy of the Pirton Magazine, where it was first published in May/June 2001 and the authoress Clare Baines

Sixty years ago, Pirton joined the National Federation of Women's' Institutes and became part of the largest national charity for women. The WI was started at Stoney Creek Ontario, Canada by a Mrs Adelaide Hoodless. One of her children had died and she blamed herself for her ignorance of hygiene. She therefore set up classes in domestic science to help other local women and that was the beginning.