S1 Episode 5 - Bossing It In Later Life with Margaret Carter

In this engaging conversation, Margaret Carter, the chairman of the Tyne and Wear South Federation of WIs, shares her journey from being a teacher to leading a significant women's organization. She discusses the importance of adapting the Women’s Institute (the WI) to attract younger members, the role of community and social interaction in combating isolation, and the WI's historical and ongoing advocacy efforts. Margaret emphasizes the need for inclusivity and the value of personal growth, reflecting on her own development of confidence over the years. The conversation highlights the WI's evolution and its relevance in today's society, showcasing the fun and meaningful experiences it offers to women.

“Born in 1954 I am now 70 but in my head I am only 23! 

After 36 years of teaching I retired as a comprehensive school deputy headteacher. 

I have been married twice and although I never had children I am step- Nana to 7 boys who have enriched my life .

With my husband I have enjoyed travelling to many places our favourite being the Greek Islands. 

I am a voracious reader and on holiday I can easily read a book a day. 

I love the theatre , country music and Coronation Street. 

I am too fond of chocolate and occasionally partake of alcohol in the form of Black Rum and White Zinfandel.” 

Takeaways

• Margaret Carter is the chairman of the Tyne and Wear South Federation of WIs.
• The WI was established for the education of women in 1915.
• Margaret emphasises the importance of adapting to attract younger members.
• Community and social interaction are vital for combating isolation.
• The WI engages in advocacy and campaigning on various issues.
• Inclusivity is a key focus for the WI's future.
• Margaret's journey reflects personal growth and increased confidence.
• The WI offers a space for women to be themselves.
• Margaret encourages women to seek opportunities proactively.
• The WI is more than just traditional activities; it fosters fun and meaningful connections.

Resources

Tyne and Wear South Federation of WIs: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BhWpMsTqs/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Email: chairman@twsfwi.com

Insta @hearmeroarhere

Facebook Hear Me Roar

YouTube @hearmeroarhere

Get in touch: hearmeroarhere@gmail.com or via our website hearmeroarhere.com

Transcript

Hear Me Roar (00:32)

You've done that on purpose, haven't you? Should I always press this play when I'm in the middle of laughing? I sound like a cackling witch. Well, so do you now. A pair of witches. I know. I'm evil. All right, we're going a bit manic now. I know. Well, should we tell people what we've been doing? Yes, do. Do share our angst. I know. We've got size angst. Size angst. So we thought we'd be clever.

And we thought we'd get some podcast t-shirts done for ourselves for just wearing when we're on the podcast so that people who watching it rather than just listening can, we look great. And also for appearances. For appearances as well. photo ops. Cause like, you know, everybody wants this. Everybody's queuing up to take our photo.

People who are listening won't be able to see this, but I'm holding up the t-shirt. It's a white t-shirt with our Hear Me Roar podcast logo on it. And it looks, it does look really fantastic. I'm really pleased. I love the t-shirt. However. Then you put it on. Mrs. V gets a 2XL. And I get an L. Yes. No, I got an XL. I got an XL. You got an XL. I got an XL. 2XL. You got 2XL. Right.

I'm size 14 to 16 and you are? I'm size 12 to 14. Right, so Marie's 12 to 14. So she's in an XL. I'm in a 2XL. T-shirts arrive and this is the largest size they do is a 2XL. Put it on and what do we look like, Marie? We look like two sausages squashed into skins. Yeah, we do. It's not pleasant. I know, I was like...

I feel like Michelin tyre going round my middle wasn't there? It was awful as well. Very unflattering on both of us. Yeah, too tight, far too tight and really unflattering and I would say that mine's is nearer a size 12. Yes, and mine's probably an 8 to 10. Yeah, yeah. Crazy. And it is absolutely crazy.

Anyway, we could talk about this all day, couldn't we? Yeah,

Okay. So this, this week we are speaking with Margaret, Margaret Carter, who is bossing it in later life. That's the title of the episode. She's 70, but she says she's 23 in her head. So she's a former head teacher, deputy head, deputy head.

at a comprehensive school she taught for 36 years and then she retired. She's now absolutely bossing it in the WI where she's the chairman of the Tyne and Wear South Federation of WIs. She's been married twice, never had children she says.

but she is Nana to seven boys who've enriched her life. That's so lovely. That's gorgeous.

Let's go and speak to Margaret and find out how she went from retired to bossing it in later life

Hear Me Roar (03:33)

Welcome to Hear Me Roar Margaret, you're Margaret Carter, former deputy head and now chairman of the Tyne and Wear South Federation of WIs. That's the Women's Institute for anyone who hasn't heard of a WI and why would someone not have heard of the WI? There must be few and far between if you've not heard of a WI. ⁓

Margaret Carter (03:54)

I can't imagine really

Hear Me Roar (03:59)

How are you, Margaret? Good.

Margaret Carter (04:01)

Well thank you, you

really do really well thanks.

Hear Me Roar (04:04)

Well, it's lovely to have you with us. So one of the things that we're really looking forward to hearing about today is about your career before you retired and before you got involved with the WI. So tell us a bit about where you started off.

Margaret Carter (04:20)

When I was a kid all I ever wanted to do was teach. I really wanted to be a teacher. So when I was 18 and did my A levels I went to teacher training college instead of going to university and qualified as an English and Geography teacher. The year I qualified I was employed by Gateshead Council and I always considered myself very fortunate because I worked for Gateshead Council until my

the end of my career, which was 36 years. I loved the job, it gave me so many opportunities as well. I've always been a joiner and always been somebody who got involved. Even if I was in a situation where I wasn't enjoying it, I couldn't not be involved in it. mind you, other people would

probably interpret that as being bossy and nosy but there you go. But I've always been somebody who wanted to get involved

Hear Me Roar (05:06)

Hahaha!

Margaret Carter (05:10)

Because

the thing is I firmly believe that the world is run by people who bother to show up and you know it's no good sitting back complaining about things if you don't actually get up off your chair and do something about it.

Hear Me Roar (05:23)

Well, yes, exactly. So how did you end up in the role that you're now in with the WI? Was it planned? Because I've got a feeling that it was more of a stealth attack, which is so often the way.

Margaret Carter (05:34)

Well it was really it

wasn't planned. About 12 months before I retired I knew I was coming up to retirement and doing nothing in retirement was never an option. I my idea of doing nothing is sitting with my feet up and reading a book but people would say to me before I retired, will you not get bored you know after being at work all this time and I would say to them

Hear Me Roar (05:55)

Hmm.

Margaret Carter (05:58)

well no because there's so many things I want to get involved with. As it happened I joined the WI about 12 months before I retired and I just had a blast from the minute I joined. I would go to talks and go out for meals and all sorts of things and it was really, you know, it was a really good way in to being retired. And you know I swore I wouldn't be on any committees or anything.

once I retired, I'd had enough of that. Having been a deputy head, I was always on committees for this, that and the other. But I just sort of got involved and as a result I ended up on my own WI committee. And then I got involved in the Federation when I expressed my interest in judging competitions and things and in crafts I got involved and then...

Through that I got involved in the actual Board of Trustees. I was approached if I'd be interested in being the chairman of the Federation. At the time I said, I don't think I should do that. I've not been a member for very long. Because in my eyes that was a job for somebody who's been a member for 25 years or something. At that stage I'd only been in about four years. But I sort of thought about it and I thought, well there's something I think I can do.

Hear Me Roar (07:05)

Yeah.

Margaret Carter (07:16)

As a result when I was elected chairman it gave me an opportunity to change things in lots of ways but in a good way I think and I hope people would say that things change in a good way because we've got to a stage where having lots of women involved women's lives have changed so much and of course women were coming through with different experiences

One of the issues we, for instance, we had was that we weren't attracting younger members to the Federation Board, but that was because we met on a Tuesday morning. I could go on a Tuesday morning at that stage because I'd retired by then, but if you're working full time, you can't. So all our meetings are now in the evening, which is as inclusive as we can be at the minute. There are some people who obviously can't come in the evenings.

Hear Me Roar (07:52)

Yeah.

Margaret Carter (08:03)

but it gave us an opportunity to recruit more widely from the membership.

Hear Me Roar (08:07)

So you're talking about recruiting and all the rest of it. And I would say that the public perception of the WI, rightly or wrongly, is basically quite middle-aged women. jam. And older, making jam and singing Jerusalem.

Margaret Carter (08:22)

That's great.

Yeah.

That's right, I mean we're fighting stereotypes all the time and it's, it is something that you know you do sometimes talk to younger women and say well I'm not old enough for that you know and yet we we're open to females from 18 years plus, once you're of an age where you can vote you can join the WI and the demographic is shifting gradually to sort of younger age group.

Certainly, where there's been lots of development in more urban areas, we're getting lots of younger women coming through. But it is, you know, it is a constant process. And of course, unless you recruit younger people all the time, you're going to end up with no organisation at all, because obviously, you know, people leave us, they become more aged and not able to go out anymore. So the worst happens and they're no longer able to become a bigger member anymore. So we have to...

it's one of the sort of main things that drives us now is the constantly attempt to recruit younger women and we hope that by showing younger women that you know that basically we're group of women who yes there's a serious side to the WI but we try and make sure that people see us having a good time when we're out together and you know in a sense it's like a tribe really, a tribe of women who it's a place where you can go where

You can be yourself. You're not somebody's mom, you're not somebody's auntie, you're not somebody's wife. You go along and you're just yourself. And that's a great thing for women, I think, because women have to carry so many roles in society that sometimes you need a space where you just say, well, this is me and this is what I'm enjoying. And I have to say, I have made so many friends from joining the WI. It's been phenomenal for me.

Hear Me Roar (09:51)

you

Margaret Carter (10:14)

sort of where I live. live in Washington but up until I retired I didn't really you know anybody in the area but since I joined the WI I kind of go to the shops or anything. I'm always meeting people and having a chat to them and think it's great I love it. It takes ages to do the shopping but it's absolutely wonderful that I've met so many lovely people you know it's a real asset and I think often for older women as well they need somewhere to go where they can make friends and it's you know

does provide a safe space.

Hear Me Roar (10:44)

Yeah, and I think in a world now that is so dominated by social media where people can just sit at home on their phones or on their laptop and become very insular, think organisations like the WI are now needed so much more.

Margaret Carter (11:02)

I would agree with you on that Marie because people do, as you say, social media can become all encompassing for people and they get absorbed into it and as a result they become isolated and cut off whereas for us social media has been a great tool. You you know we do a lot of recruitment by it, we do a lot of publicity for any events we're having and it's a great tool that's free.

Hear Me Roar (11:15)

Yeah.

Margaret Carter (11:26)

But it doesn't make up for sitting next to somebody in a meeting and chatting to them or having a coffee with somebody or going out for a meal with them or talking about books with them. It's a whole area that that doesn't cover.

Hear Me Roar (11:39)

Yeah, it's just that social interaction, isn't it? And actually having the chance to sit down and chat and, you know, share the same interests. So when you're trying to when you're trying to recruit younger members or members from different communities, what sort of things are you doing to drive that recruitment?

Margaret Carter (11:42)

without a doubt.

Over.

We tried to make people see that we're sort of a much wider organisation than just the jam and Jerusalem that they might have heard of. We are actually an organisation that was set up for the education of women in 1915 at a time where women didn't really have a voice. And so from the very beginning the WI was set up under democratic processes and you'll find that if you go to a WI meeting...

they will have a vote on all sorts of things you know because that's part of the process. And we do a lot of campaigning work. The WI has got a great reputation for the campaigns that they've done and this is an area that is quite attractive to younger women as well. I mean currently one of things we're working on is dental health matters and we've been working with the government on the problem that we've got in this country that it

Hear Me Roar (12:37)

yeah

Margaret Carter (12:49)

people don't have easy access to NHS dentists and a lot of children are missing out now. But if you go back over time, the WI worked on all sorts of things like keep Britain tidy. After the wars, they had resolutions where they really tackled the government about living conditions in country areas. They worked on the Bastardy Bill just after the First World War. They worked on things like

education for women on sexually transmitted diseases who were suffering when their husbands came back from war and all sorts of things. Very often the WI have been the forefront of topics. Equal pay for women was a great one in the 1940s that they promoted. lots of things like that. But from the other point of view as well when we're trying to recruit, also let people see us having a good

you know because often people are so stressed with work you know and especially young women these days often they're looking after parents, they've got kids to look after and have a full-time job most of them you know and it's their time is very precious and the time that they get for themselves is very precious as well so it's got to be meaningful it's not just a case of well this month we'll just have a cup of coffee and you know it needs to be something worthwhile for them to turn out to. So we have

Hear Me Roar (13:36)

Yeah.

Mm-mm.

Margaret Carter (14:02)

You you know, across the Federation we have things for the women throughout our Federation. For instance, tomorrow night we're having a treasure hunt and we get people from all over our Federation who participate in that. You you know, we might have a quiz in August that people from all over are taking part in. We have a big party in July always, you know, lots of dancing because I've always maintained women like to have a dance.

You don't get the opportunity these days to go out and have a bit of dance. And so So I like people to see us having a good time and not get carried away with the idea that we're all knitting nannas and that we're much more than that.

Hear Me Roar (14:27)

Mm-hmm.

No.

Margaret Carter (14:43)

thing about the jam and Jerusalem that came about during the war and were actually involved in something next week on VE Day which celebrates what the WI did during the war and I was looking at some statistics a week before last when I was doing a presentation about it and during the Second World War WI members made 12 million jars of jam that went out into the shops to be sold and

Hear Me Roar (15:06)

Wow.

Margaret Carter (15:09)

You you know, that was just one of the things they did. They organized the evacuation program across the country. You you know, when children were brought from the cities into the countryside, they collected plants in the countryside that could be used for medical things, things like digitalis from foxgloves for heart medicine.

Hear Me Roar (15:15)

Wow.

Margaret Carter (15:31)

You might remember the time when we were we were very young you're probably younger than me But we used to get rosehip syrup when we were kids at school the WI collected rose hips to make syrup for vitamin C for children and things But the amount of work they did and that was alongside trying to feed their families on rations and making sure that the you know that the world ticked along so So it's really standing on the shoulders of giants and that you know, I'm very proud of that

Hear Me Roar (15:37)

No. ⁓

you

Margaret Carter (15:59)

history we've got.

Everywhere they could be doing something, they did things. But the good thing about it was that the government came back to them and asked them about their experiences when the welfare state was being set up. They wrote a report called Town Children Through Country Eyes and contributed to the government what they'd seen

Hear Me Roar (16:25)

Are there still the opportunities to be involved in that more serious side of life now? Because I you know when I go around the WIs as a speaker and I sit and hear all the business at the beginning, there's an awful lot of

Margaret Carter (16:37)

Yeah.

Hear Me Roar (16:39)

fantastic entertainment that's going on and get togethers and social things, which is absolutely necessary. But all the things you were talking about, does that still happen? Are the WI involved in things?

Margaret Carter (16:42)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Most definitely.

This year one of our resolutions was about clean waters and about clean places to swim but also about all the pollution that's going into our rivers. Just yesterday some of our members were out testing the water samples in the river Wear, quite close to where I am. It's part of the work with I think it's Durham Nature.

Hear Me Roar (17:13)

the one.

Margaret Carter (17:18)

their work on rivers. You'll find that each WI you go to, it's surprising really because they tend not to make a big thing about it. Quite a lot of our WIs collect for food banks and you'll go along and you know and they don't make a song or dance about it they just put the things in the you in the bags as they go in. And

one of our big WIs, Fells Angels, last year, at end of their year, they recorded, they donated something like 260 kilos of food to the local food bank. And then there are others that will knit for charities, you know, they knit for the premature baby units. And every single WI I go to in my role as chairman, when I listen to what they do, you know...

Hear Me Roar (17:51)

Wow.

Mm-hmm.

Margaret Carter (18:05)

They just give a report and they say, yes, and we did such and such for the local library and we did this and we supported this charity. Most WIs will, even though we're a charity ourselves, most WIs will designate a charity in a year. So, you know, it could be something like Women in Need, it could be a Women's Refuge, they support.

they just don't make a song and dance about it you know be honest I think that's sort of it's so important that they do that but it's just something that they do you know we see a lot of stuff on the television and on social media about so and so donating this to this one and donating things to the other but our WIs just get on with it and do it.

They'll have some fundraising event that'll donate money. And one of the popular ones across the Federation is Daft as a Brush.

I think so many of our members have had to use that or you know people who have had to use that charity at some point. Our latest Spring Council meeting, one of the competitions was a knitted baby's cardigan but all the ones that were entered in the competition are being donated to charity.

rather than being given back to people, you things like that. So there's a lot of things that the WI do that's not sort of, well they just don't make a song and dance about it, it's as simple as that, you know.

Hear Me Roar (19:18)

Yeah. Yeah.

except in July when they have the dance. So you were talking earlier about having made some changes to try and make the WI more accessible to people who don't, you know, who have got other commitments. When you were making those changes, how did that go down with your fellow committee members? Because they'd presumably been there much longer than you, so.

Margaret Carter (19:31)

Except in July, yes, we have a big song and dance then, yeah.

Well, yes, I mean, it's like anything if you start changing things, people back off a little bit sometimes, but having said that.

I think people are now seeing the benefits of that having been done. I've just been re-elected as chairman for the ninth This is my ninth year. Whilst I'm proud and privileged to be doing that, and I'm honoured to be doing it, that is not a good thing in my eyes because any organisation needs change of personnel. What we're trying to do is develop younger members coming through on the board who can then take the reins.

and leave older people like me to get out of the way. But it's not necessarily a good thing that. So we needed to make those changes because we did at the time have a Board of Trustees that were becoming quite elderly. And they would say that. So by changing the meetings to the evenings, we did lose some people and some people weren't very happy.

And as a result, we also had to make changes to the structure of the meetings as well.

it wasn't popular with some people that they were being changed to the evenings. But

Margaret Carter (21:03)

In order to get younger members onto the committee and onto the Board of Trustees, we needed to make the meetings accessible

because we were getting younger members on, time counts. It wasn't a case of just rocking up to a meeting and you had three and a half hours to have a bit chat and get on with it. The meetings have to count. So papers go out before the meetings for people to read and we have to stick to a very strict agenda to get through the business in the course of time.

There are lots of things that come from national we have to deal with as well as keeping our WIs on the

tracks as well, you know, we have a responsibility to all individual WIs to support them and help them get on with their work.

Hear Me Roar (21:45)

It's a huge job, absolutely huge job that you've taken on. Have you done anything that you've, in your time with the WI, you've just come away and thought, that's it, that's my crowning glory

Margaret Carter (22:02)

I don't you know so much about that. mean, I am proud of things that we've achieved over the past few years. Covid in particular was a very difficult time because obviously we had lots of people who were shielding and we had to try and reach our members. And so once it was safe to do so, myself and Joanne, our secretary, we would work in the office every week.

we put out a newsletter by email and it got that I was pinching bits from magazines and all over so that it would get to 20 pages so that people had something to keep them occupied. And a lot of them even now talk about it and say, you know, it really kept us going through COVID. So there was that. But I'm also quite proud of the fact that we've got a lot more open doors in that we have a lot more events where people from different WIs get together.

and do things, which I think is really important because if you join the WI, yes you're a member of a particular WI and you're entitled to 11 meetings a year, but you're also entitled to join anything that the Federation puts on. So it means you've got access to so many other events, whatever they might be, but more and more of our WIs now are opening their events. If they've got a particular speaker on that, that's costing them a lot of money for instance.

Hear Me Roar (22:55)

Mm.

Margaret Carter (23:23)

they'll open it up to all their WIs and say we've got this happening if anybody wants to come along, let us you know. So it's this whole open doors thing that I think is so important. And again, that means

We get people's friends joining as well because they see what an organisation we are and how important to our people.

I'm pleased at the way we have a much more open Federation now, I think. People are prepared to talk to each other from other Federations and do things jointly.

Hear Me Roar (23:51)

That's fantastic.

That's good. It makes all the difference and it makes it more attractive to new members as well.

Margaret Carter (23:58)

It certainly does, yeah.

Hear Me Roar (23:59)

when we had our pre-chat you said as a younger woman you had absolutely no confidence. So how have you got from there to here? Where's that newfound confidence come from?

Margaret Carter (24:10)

I am very old now so I've had a long time to develop it. But really I think, like I said earlier on, I've always been a joiner and I would put myself forward for things and I've often said to people, younger people, say yes then worry about how you're going to do it. Because I do believe that the world doesn't come knocking on your door. You've got to go out and seek things.

whether it's in your career or whether it's in your home life. Often I meet women who have been widowed and things, but you've got to go out there because, friends will go so far supporting you, but you've got to be proactive in your own future. And also, the more I've done over the years, the more I've discovered it's quite easy to become an expert in things.

Hear Me Roar (24:46)

Mm-hmm.

Margaret Carter (24:55)

surprisingly enough. You you know, you do a couple of things and then people say, and here we've got an expert on such and such. I do suffer a lot from imposter syndrome. I must admit that's a big part of my life because I've always got the feeling that someday somebody's going to stand up and you, you're talking rubbish, get off. But it hasn't, it hasn't happened so far and I think I've just made myself do things over the years, you know.

I said before by working with Gateshead Council I got lots of opportunities as a teacher because I was prepared to put myself forward for it. know.

confident if I'm on my own ground I think. Ask me to talk about maths or PE I'm not so confident.

Hear Me Roar (25:32)

⁓

Margaret Carter (25:34)

just a case of sort of put myself in places that I wasn't convinced I'd be able to do but I was going to give it a damn good try to do it. You know I've always had this sort of thing about just do it. I think it's the Nike symbol, used to be the tagline they had, just do it. Sometimes you'd spend a long time worrying about something but if you don't you know if you don't make the effort to do it and I think that's lots of things.

even now you know our spring council meeting when I was stood up in front of 151 a few years ago I would have been terrified at the thought

I'm just quite lucky to be doing things that I enjoy doing

Hear Me Roar (26:15)

We asked you to come up with a cocktail that represents you and we are both really interested to hear what it's gonna be. Cocktail or mocktail?

And Marie's got the pen at the ready here. She's writing them down because we're going to make them all. At the end of the series, we're going to make them all and drink them.

Margaret Carter (26:30)

Alright, alright, ⁓ lovely, right. Right, I

don't you know if I'm supposed to make up a name for it but my cocktail would comprise a black rum and with diet lemonade of course and a squeeze of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Hear Me Roar (26:49)

And have you got a name for it?

Margaret Carter (26:50)

Well, I thought about calling it a Geordie Margarita, really, because I do like the Margarita, but I did think that was maybe better if I called it something else that... Call it a sailor's Margarita, with it being rum instead. Whenever we go to a pub and I ask for a dark rum my husband will say to the barman or the bar person,

Hear Me Roar (26:55)

That's nice.

Margaret Carter (27:13)

Her dad was a Navy man. As if it gives an indication I was brought up on rum. I wasn't but I do like the taste of dark rum.

Hear Me Roar (27:15)

laughter ⁓

very nice. Fair enough. So the sailors Margarita dark rum, diet lemonade and a squeeze of orange juice. Very nice. Very nice. Well, thank you so much, Margaret. We've had a lot of technical difficulties when we've been doing this episode and you've been so patient. We really appreciate your patience. But most of all, we appreciate the fact.

Margaret Carter (27:29)

Yeah.

It's a pleasure.

Hear Me Roar (27:48)

that you're out there, you're bossing it in later life, which is the title of this episode. And we really admire you. We really do genuinely admire you. Not many people could hold together a room of 150 people. Not many people just go, yes, bring it on. And we absolutely love you for it. Thank you very much, Margaret.

Margaret Carter (27:58)

Thank you.

Hahaha!

Thank you.