The Women's Institute
An Introduction to Loders
The Women's Institute (WI) was formed in 1915 to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War.
Since then the organisation's aims have broadened and the WI is now the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK.
The WI celebrated it's centenary in 2015 and currently has almost 220,000 members in approximately 6,300 WI's.
The WI plays a unique role in providing women with educational opportunities, the chance to build new skills to enable them to provide an effective role in the community and to expand their horizons. It gives women the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of activities and to campaign on issues that matter to them, their communities and the wider environment. It enables women to turn their interests into achievements and their concerns into campaigns.
The WI has an unrivalled reputation as a voice of reason, integrity and intelligence on issues that matter to women and their communities. The WI campaigns on a wide range of social and environmental justice issues concerning women, at home and abroad.
The ideals of the WI of truth, justice, tolerance and fellowship are as strong and important today as they were at the birth of the WI over a century ago.
Loders WI is a member of the Dorset Federation of Women's Institudes (DFWI).
Dorset County Office is located at County House, 18 Crown Street West, Poundbury, Dorchester DT1 3DW.
Telephone 01305 266366.
Loders is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, located 2 miles north-east of Bridport.
It is a linear village, sited in the valley of the River Asker, between Waddon Hill and Boarsbarrow Hill, with residents numbering approximately 520.
The parish of Loders comprises 3 settlements; Uploders to the east, Yondover to the west of Uploders and finally to the west of this is Lower Loders, now known as Loders.
Loders and surrounding areas in West Dorset are renowned for the bronze age & iron age earthworks and barrows found in the locality.
Strip lynchets are particular to this area and we are quietly proud of this unique landscape that surrounds our village.
Strip lynchets are vertical earth terraces found on the side of a hill and are a feature of ancient field systems of the British Isles that are predominant in this area. They were often used as terraces for agricultural use.
Loders lynchets form part of the Conservation area of Uploders and Loders and maps from 1800 indicate that cider orchards were planted on some of the lynchets in the area.
Logo image designed and produced by Loders WI member, Rosemary Hendry. With thanks.
