HUNDREDS of Women’s Institute (WI) members from across County Durham and Darlington will come together this weekend to celebrate 100 years of friendship, cake, crafts and campaigning.

The County Durham Federation of WI’s is staging a musical extravaganza on Saturday night (September 26) as part of the organisation’s centenary celebrations.

More than 500 members from 76 different institutions are expected to attend the event at the Xcel Centre in Newton Aycliffe, where they will be treated to performances from various choirs, including the Catterick Military Wives, Affiliates, Girlfriends and Servicewomen’s Choir (WAGS).

The Northern Echo’s editor Peter Barron will compere the evening, which will also feature a raffle and a sing-a-long, as well as the traditional renditions of Jerusalem and the National Anthem.

Shine, a youth choir based at St Clare’s Church in Newton Aycliffe, will also take to the stage, along with Revolution, a musical theatre group which will perform extracts from Les Miserables.

Federation chairwoman Lyn Swift said: “We wanted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the WI in a big way and bring together members from across County Durham and Darlington. We all love music and the sing-a-longs will get everyone involved.”

The WI movement arrived in Britain in 1915 during the First World War. It was formed to encourage countrywomen to grow and preserve food to help increase food supply. The first institute was set up in Llanfair PG on Anglesey, North Wales, but it didn’t take long for North-East women to answer the call.

A list of the first 50 institutes published in the 1925 publication, The Story of the WI, shows Witton-le-Wear, near Bishop Auckland, at 13 and Cotherstone, near Barnard Castle at 14.

The County Durham Federation, which has its head office in Spennymoor, celebrates its centenary in 2017 and is already coming up with ideas on how to mark the milestone.

Although it is famous for its tasty Victoria sponge cakes, there is much more to the WI than jam and Jerusalem.

Promoting traditional craft and cookery skills remains important but the WI is also a force for change and has lobbied the Government on numerous issues over the decades, including cervical cancer screening in 1964, breast cancer screening in 1975 and recycling in the 1970s.

In 1982, members of Wentworth Park WI, near Chester-le-Street, led a campaign to tackle the problem of solvent abuse among young people.

Friendship is also crucial and these days more and more young women are enjoying the social benefits of the organisation.

The musical extravaganza begins at 7.30pm with doors opening at 7pm. Tickets cost £10 and are available on the door or by calling 01388-819100.