EASTWICK CENSUS 2007 

We have lived for a total of 4791 years, which gives us an average age of 67.5. We have 34 brothers, 40 sisters and 13 of us were only children. Looking to the future, we have 123 children (average per member 2.48), the youngest of whom is 3 months and the oldest 60. We have 163 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

We have converged on Bookham/Fetcham from far and wide. Only two were born overseas, Shanghai and Switzerland, but we have three Scots and two Welsh born members. Eleven members haven’t come far, having been born in Surrey (one of these in Bookham). We have eleven London born members, six from Kent and two Essex girls. Many other counties were represented. Crossing the north/south divide, we have members who were born in Sheffield, Wakefield, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Liverpool and Peterborough. We asked where members were brought up and these answers were equally diverse and include one member who travelled extensively with her forces father.  Eleven members have lived abroad, in Aden, Canada, Germany, Holland, India, Kenya, Kuwait, Malta, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey, USA and Venezuela.

Members were asked for their main occupations. There were 12 clerks, 14 secretaries and 7 teachers. We also have 2 nurses, 3 librarians, 2 in admin, and 2 receptionists. There were an accountant and one in banking, a computer assistant, a nursery assistant, a school housemother, a telephonist, a copyholder, a chemist, a careers officer, one who worked in public relations, and one who worked in a drawing office. One of us was a Wren and one worked in The War Office, MI5. Seven still work part time, as a medical secretary, a family planning nurse, a home help, a carer, a shop assistant and a library manager. One flew the flag for us all and said she was a housewife.

Eight of us are left-handed and another was left handed as a child. 19 consider themselves computer literate, 24 are not and 10 others say they are “Partly”, “slightly”, “semi” or “so-so”. Only 19 members support the milk delivery. When it comes to shopping, by far the largest number chooses Sainsbury as their favourite supermarket, and most of us do some of our shopping in the village. Tesco is second in the supermarket league with Waitrose last. Only eight buy on the Internet. Just two of us don’t wear glasses or contact lenses, but many just wear glasses for reading. We have only one vegetarian. 30 members have been to Denman College, but many of these just on day visits.

We travel far and wide for our holidays. Twelve of us have been to the USA within the last five years, ten to New Zealand, eight to Australia, eight to Canada, seven to South Africa and four to the Caribbean. We have also been to Fiji, Hong Kong, Singapore, Russia, Alaska, China, North Africa, South America, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Guatemala, Mexico and Indonesia. We have cruised in The Baltic, The Mediterranean, The Caribbean, The Rhine and The Black Sea and to Norway, Alaska, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, South America, Hawaii and Russia.

Just five of us don’t belong to The National Trust and very many also belong to the Royal Horticultural Society, being so close to Wisley. We have also joined U3A, TG, Nafas, Nadfas, Inner Wheel, Women’s Register, RSPB, Trefoil Guild and the Ramblers Association. In all 38 different organisations were listed, many of them associated with local charities. 

Lots of us spend time doing voluntary work, with the Help Your Neighbour scheme being well supported. We also work in charity shops, clean the church, read for Talking Newspaper, help at Leatherhead Day Centre, scouts and brownies, Polesden Lacey, a museum, with the disabled, with the Christmas charity post and as a Community Association road steward.

We should start a gardening club as 25 members list gardening as their hobby. 21 spend time reading, 15 like walking and 15 list needlecrafts of one sort or another. Only six mention travelling, even after the extensive list of places visited! Bridge, painting, flower arranging, music, Mah-jong, cooking, genealogy, a wide variety of sports, photography and stamp collecting all have a few members interested in them. Also mentioned were singing, wine tasting, card making, miniatures, bird and butterfly watching, antiques, line dancing and Scrabble.

What a diverse crowd we are!

What is the most amazing or memorable thing you have ever done?

Having read of all the exciting places visited by Eastwick members, it was obvious there wouldn’t be a shortage of amazing experiences.

We’ve been in helicopters over Hong Kong and the Jungfrau, in a balloon over Kenya, in a seaplane in Alaska and flown under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay.  We’ve climbed Ayers Rock and a Mayan temple, walked The Great Wall of China, we’ve snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef and paraglided in the Austrian Alps. We watched turtles lay eggs in Costa Rica and a volcano erupt in the Galapagos Islands. We’ve been cut off by the tide in Guernsey. We have walked the Coast to Coast path (192 miles) in 12 days and walked 42 miles at night in the pouring rain in aid of charity.  We’ve visited Raffles Hotel in Singapore, the Victoria Falls, Antarctica, Machu Picchu, the Grand Canyon, the Canadian Rockies, and an Open Air Theatre in Utah.

At home, memorable experiences include accompanying a husband to Buckingham Palace to collect his OBE and appearing four times at The Royal Albert Hall. Two members’ daughters gave their mothers an amazing experience by marrying in St Paul’s Cathedral and another daughter was married at The Tower of London. One member vividly remembers being bombed out in the Second World War. On a personal note, one member says her most memorable moment was meeting her husband, and another says that the most amazing thing she has done is, as a single parent, bring up her son. One member says that the thing that thrilled her and changed her life was passing her driving test.

But despite the ease of access to incredible places in our world, the one amazing event which was mentioned most, by fifteen members, was giving birth to our children.

       WHY EASTWICK SHOULD BE “WI OF THE YEAR”

     We asked Eastwick members why we should be “WI of the Year” and these were some of the phrases that appeared. 

• a wide programme of interests, we’re very active
• a dedicated and enthusiastic committee
• caring for both members and community
• a go ahead WI, embracing the modern world but still retaining the charm, friendliness and good manners of the historical WI movement. May it long continue!
• well attended meetings
• members’ welfare carefully monitored
• a lively, caring WI community
• a great atmosphere at our meetings - we are lively, busy and happy 
• the fact that we now have 100 members says a lot
• an energetic and go-ahead WI with a full programme of social events
• because it is innovative, active, interesting, friendly
• there’s always something going on
• the meetings buzz.
• it is quite simply the best
• new members are encouraged to join in
• support for the local community
• strong committee
• a very happy WI with a large age range
• if you join Eastwick WI you need never be lonely
• amazingly committed and enthusiastic committee
• a super, busy WI with many friendships forged
• because of the large number of long serving loyal members
• my life is much more innovative now
• a lovely president who is very caring
• because it is the best WI in the Group and the best WI in Surrey
• there’s no management “clique”  

And finally :

• Because it’s GREAT!