Along with all other Women's Institutes, the South Brent Women's Institute forms a part of the National Federation of Women's Institutes (NFWI), based in London, which is the largest organisation for women in the UK. One of the main focuses of the organisation is to improve the lives of its members and those around them through education and training, as well as providing an atmosphere in which 'women can be inspired and enlightened'. The first Women's Institute was formed in the USA in 1897. The Women's Institute Movement started in Britain in 1915, when the formation of Women's Institutes under the direction of the Agricultural Organisation Society encouraged countrywomen to get involved in growing and preserving food to aid the war effort.
The Golden Jubilee Year of the organisation was celebrated in 1965 and included a garden party at Buckingham Palace. All WIs made Scrapbooks of the Countryside during this year. In this period, the WIs also raised funds for the Freedom From Hunger Campaign. The rule which restricted WIs being established in communities with a population of 4,000 or less was rescinded in 1965.
From the guide to the South Brent Women's Institute Scrapbook, 1965, (University of Exeter)
