Crossgar Womens Institute

Welcome to the Home Page of Crossgar Women's Institute. This site has been developed as a special project to mark the Millennium by establishing our presence on the World Wide Web and to provide some information about the area in which we live and how the activities of our Institute contribute to the success of our community.

Crossgar is a village in Northern Ireland approximately 18 miles south of Belfast and about half way to Newcastle where the Mountains of Mourne, shown in the picture below, sweep down to the sea (to quote the words of the song). Despite the fact that the village is only a half hour drive from Belfast it serves a large community made up of commuters and families engaged in a vibrant agricultural industry for which County Down is renowned.

Newcastle - where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea - song by William Percy French (1854-1920)

A view of the Mountains of Mourne from Newcastle

The Institute currently has 46 active members that gather together each month, during September to June, to enjoy the programme of events organised by the Committee. These are not simply limited to the subjects of jam making or flower arranging, as you may imagine from the stereotypical picture of the Women's Institute, but can include important local and social topics as well, such as presentations on crime prevention or drug abuse and awareness. Not that this means that the monthly meetings are all doom and gloom! Generally our invited speakers provide a presentation on a lighter and more entertaining subject. The current programme of events and monthly competition titles is shown in the 'Programme' page. The Diary Page provides additional information on events and important dates for Crossgar members diaries including monthly meetings, other events, competitions and a link to the Diary Page of the NI Federation.

The monthly meeting not only provides women living in a rural setting the opportunity to attend the organised events but also offers an important social gathering during which women from different backgrounds can communicate and develop supportive relationships. For centuries it has been the custom for farming communities to help one another and the Women's Institute has been built on that foundation although today our Institute draws its members from a wide spectrum of society.

Members of the Institute regularly assist with a variety of other community activities such as help for the elderly or fund raising for local causes.

This reflects the motto of the Women's Institute which is:

"To unite in promoting any work which makes for the betterment of our homes and the development and improvement of conditions in rural life, by providing a centre for educational activities and social intercourse."

Feedback is important to us. Your comments or views on this site really are appreciated and e-mails from visitors are always welcome.

Our thanks to everyone that has already sent feedback. We found your comments to be both positive and encouraging and, judging by the e-mails received, we are reaching quite a wide audience. Not only has the site generated local interest but we have received e-mails from people living in England, USA, Canada, France and Holland. We would dearly love to hear from you and would appreciate it if you would include in your message some indication of the city, town or country in which you live.

Thanks in advance. Just click the bunny e-mail icon to the right to send a message.

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Last modified 01/01/2010 17:25