The Spa Sweethearts Story
Spa Sweethearts was founded in 2011 by three friends, Bex, Cat and Suzanne, who were looking for a WI to join but were unable to find one that fit their needs.
They wanted the group to appeal to working women and mothers, who wanted to make friends, meet like-minded people and learn new skills. They wanted a WI like the ‘new-wave’ WI’s that were springing up across the country in response to a desire from younger women to become part of the Women’s Institute. The difference in approach of these WI’s was nothing to do with age, it was more of a desire to be part of the great WI tradition but wanting to do things a little differently.
Spa Sweethearts was popular from the very beginning, welcoming 32 members to their first meeting. Our WI continues to flourish welcoming many more members from their early 20’s to their 80’s, and expanding to include various sub-groups including groups for crafters, keen gardeners, board game enthusiasts, a social group and book group!

The Spa Sweethearts Story
Spa Sweethearts was founded in 2011 by three friends, Bex, Cat and Suzanne, who were looking for a WI to join but were unable to find one that fit their needs.
They wanted the group to appeal to working women and mothers, who wanted to make friends, meet like-minded people and learn new skills.
They wanted a WI like the ‘new-wave’ WI’s that were springing up across the country in response to a desire from younger women to become part of the Women’s Institute.
The difference in approach of these WI’s was nothing to do with age, it was more of a desire to be part of the great WI tradition but wanting to do things a little differently.
Spa Sweethearts was popular from the very beginning, welcoming 32 members to their first meeting.
Our WI continues to flourish welcoming many more members from their early 20’s to their 80’s, and expanding to include various sub-groups including groups for crafters, keen gardeners, board game enthusiasts, a social group and book group!
About
the WI
A WI membership offers you the opportunity to meet women, in-person at your local meeting and virtually, to learn and have new experiences and to make a difference in your community.
Formed in 1915, the Women’s Institute was originally brought to life 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 to give women a voice and to be a force for good in the community and it is now a unique organisation shaped by its members. The WI campaigns nationally on a wide range of issues and provide life-long learning and self-development opportunities for women in England and Wales.
Today, the WI is the largest women’s organisation in the UK and prides itself on being a trusted place for all women of all generations, to share experiences and learn from each other. Find out more on the official WI website.
About the WI
A WI membership offers you the opportunity to meet women, in-person at your local meeting and virtually, to learn and have new experiences and to make a difference in your community.
Formed in 1915, the Women’s Institute was originally brought to life 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 to give women a voice and to be a force for good in the community and it is now a unique organisation shaped by its members.
The WI campaigns nationally on a wide range of issues and provide life-long learning and self-development opportunities for women in England and Wales.
Today, the WI is the largest women’s organisation in the UK and prides itself on being a trusted place for all women of all generations, to share experiences and learn from each other. Find out more on the official WI website.
Bex’s Story
It all started with a trip to the Great Yorkshire Show, and a visit to the WI tent in search of tea and cake (although I don’t even drink tea!).
A lasting memory from my childhood is that of Grandma Brown taking a very active role in her local village WI. With this in mind, I’d decided some time ago that I liked the idea of joining a local WI, although, I hadn’t found a group in the area that completely fitted what I was looking for.
Cat, Suzanne and I got chatting to a couple of advisers from the North Yorkshire West federation who suggested a new group was started, for girls of around our age, and advised that we only needed the three of us to get going. The next thing I knew I had sourced a venue and a date had been set for us all to meet. The formation Spa Sweethearts WI was formed on Thursday 15th September 2011 with the aim of giving women the opportunity to learn new skills and meet like-minded ladies.
There was a fantastic turnout with 32 women in attendance, and that was all word of mouth and a small notice in the local paper. It wasn’t just a case of my friends humouring me as I had worried about! Several suggestions were submitted for the name, and a vote was taken to choose the winner. The Spa Sweethearts were born.
Bex – founding president

Bex’s Story
It all started with a trip to the Great Yorkshire Show, and a visit to the WI tent in search of tea and cake (although I don’t even drink tea!).
A lasting memory from my childhood is that of Grandma Brown taking a very active role in her local village WI. With this in mind, I’d decided some time ago that I liked the idea of joining a local WI, although, I hadn’t found a group in the area that completely fitted what I was looking for.

Cat, Suzanne and I got chatting to a couple of advisers from the North Yorkshire West federation who suggested a new group was started, for girls of around our age, and advised that we only needed the three of us to get going.
The next thing I knew I had sourced a venue and a date had been set for us all to meet. The formation Spa Sweethearts WI was formed on Thursday 15th September 2011 with the aim of giving women the opportunity to learn new skills and meet like-minded ladies.
There was a fantastic turnout with 32 women in attendance, and that was all word of mouth and a small notice in the local paper. It wasn’t just a case of my friends humouring me as I had worried about!
Several suggestions were submitted for the name, and a vote was taken to choose the winner. The Spa Sweethearts were born.