District 11 Chairman Mary Fenn

January 10th 1924 now known around the world as IIW Day!

Margaretta Golding held the first Inner Wheel meeting in Manchester in November of 1923 with 27 ladies present. Eager to help within the community, 80 knitted woollen baby outfits were made and  delivered  to  the  local  hospital  in  time  for  Christmas  and  funds  raised  for  their  inaugural meeting on January 10th.

'After considerable discussion', the rules of the club were resolved and "The  Inner  Wheel  Club  of  Manchester"  name  duly  adopted,  creating  a  firm  foundation  and ingeniously indicating the Rotary connection.

Membership grew steadily and had doubled within the year, but the influence of the Manchester Club, lay not only in its active charitable work locally, but in its vigorous help in the formation of other clubs, until in 1928 Margarette Golding, a lady very much ahead of her time, put before the Manchester Club a proposal, with far reaching consequences, that steps should be taken to unite all women's clubs, existing alongside Rotary Clubs.

I  wonder  what  she  would  make  of  our  situation  today  and  all  the  technology  involved  r communicating with our members. No doubt she would be embracing the new methods for IW to continue its much needed service during the Pandemic.

Clubs  in  our  District  are  doing  their  best,  as  at  Christmas  the  donations  to  food  banks and refuges and the shoeboxes all helped.

IIW Day is being used to hold club quizzes, frugal lunches, bingo on line, all to  try an event, to help  raise  funds  for  the  international  charity  they  are  supporting  this  year  and  to  continue friendship in our clubs.

Best Wishes, yours in Friendship,