With a membership of 75 and an array of groups and activities to organise our committee members have a number of different roles and responsibilities.
Any member of the committee is happy to answer your questions or discuss any WI matter.
The 2024/ 2025 Committee Members are:
Pam Davison - President
Pam worked in various areas of education and the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux before retiring in 2011. She joined the WI in 2013 for friendship and fun and has enjoyed the variety of activities on offer . Pam was Treasurer from 2014 to 2023 when she became President. Her interests include politics, keeping fit, singing and attending classes about history and arts. She has volunteered at sporting events and a local homeless project
Melanie Aspey - Secretary
A Lancastrian who has spent all her working life as an archivist in the London area, Melanie joined the WI in 2013 at the invitation of her new neighbours when she moved to Greenwich. The WI offered everything she expected: the chance to learn new things, a strong sense of a community, warm friendship and fun. And cake. She enjoys dancing – tango and Lindy Hop being the most recent experiments – and makes regular resolutions to improve her skills in gardening, knitting and language-learning.
Melanie took over the secretary’s role from Christine, a New Zealander with a pilot’s licence, in 2022. Melanie has not yet managed to master the bicycle.
Kathy Aitken – Treasurer
Kathy is from Lincolnshire originally and moved to London to train as an accountant and then worked for an American pharmaceutical market research company in Marylebone for 26 years. On retiring, she went back to her ‘roots’ (she has a degree in Botany) and joined the local Charlton & Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society where she is now Vice Chair. Kathy was introduced to the WI by a friend in 2018 and discovered it to be a lovely group with very wide interests, enabling her to become less obsessive about gardening. Her other interests include cooking, grandchildren, and walking as long as it involves stopping for coffee and cake. She became Treasurer in June 2023.
Judith Pye - Refreshments Co-ordinator
Judith is the eldest of four sisters. She lives in Lee Green and worked in the Early Years' Service of Lewisham Council for many years before retiring in 2008. She loves books, walking, visiting gardens and looking after grandchildren. Judith joined the WI in 2012, being attracted first by the lovely coach trips that were on offer and she became a Committee member in 2021 She is also a dual member of Lee Green WI.
Dami Crossley - Membership Secretary
Dami is of Sri Lankan heritage but has been in the UK since the age of 5. Having qualified in London she worked as a GP for a deprived community in Wolverhampton for 25 yrs, retiring to pursue her interests in art history and to care for her grandchildren. With husband Tim she moved to Lewisham in 2017 and has settled in a house they renovated in Lee Green. She joined WI during the lockdown and enjoys the broad interests of the association. She became a Committee member in May 2022.
Marion Kimberley - Speakers’ Programme
Marion was born and grew up in Bournemouth. Whilst at college in London, she met her future husband, Keith, and has remained in London ever since. The family moved to Blackheath in 1967 when she joined the Mathematics Department at Goldsmiths’ and she has never wanted to move anywhere else ever since! She is very fortunate that her children and most of her grandchildren seem to feel the same. Since retiring (and even before) she has been involved in various local groups such as Blackheath Choir, Age Exchange and Art Society Greenwich. She joined Blackheath & Greenwich WI some years ago because her good friend, Pam, was enjoying it so much and she loves it too – interesting talks and visits, opportunities to volunteer and make/eat cakes but most of all the warm friendship.
Val Williamson - Trips Organiser
Val was born in Lewisham Hospital and has lived in London all her life, apart from three years when she trained to be a teacher in Hull. She has taught in schools locally and in Central London, and has also worked with newly qualified teachers and supported teachers with the English curriculum. She has three grandchildren and her other interests include reading, theatre, art exhibitions and she is a member of the local horticultural society, the U3A and the Arts Society. She joined the WI in 2018, has made new friends and enjoys the interesting and varied meetings.
Tunrayo Adeleke-Larodo - Website