Women queue up for hours to join the Women's Institute

Cookery lessons for the Women's Institute.

There are nearly 600 Woman's Institute groups in the east of the region alone and it's reported that women have been queuing for hours just to sign up.

As the Women's Institute gets ready to celebrate it's centenary it's more popular than ever as Ellie Barker has been discovering.

Click below to see Ellie's report:

The Women's Institute came from Canada and started in Britain in 1915. During the First World War it was formed to encourage women living in rural areas to get involved in growing and preserving food.

It is now the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK. In the last year alone more than 20,000 new members have joined and the stereotypical image is changing.

The Women's Institute 1915.

Next year the Women's Institute will be celebrating their 100th birthday in Britain. The faces and traditions may have changed but the friendship values and bonds still remain as strong as ever.

If you want to find out more about the women's institute and how to join click here.