BLOOM AND BUST
WI ladies strip again – to create ‘hanging bra-skets’
THEY posed topless as the original Calendar Girls, and now members of the Women’s Institute are stripping off their bras again – and turning them into bizarre floral decorations.
Thousands of women have been filling their old underwear with flowers to create ‘hanging bra-skets’ to go on display across the country.
And the eye-catching results have attracted more than the odd chuckle from passers-by.
The displays are being created for a nationwide competition designed to promote recycling, in addition to providing great entertainment for the women creating them.
Sarah Steele, from Farnham, Surrey, said: ‘My bra is quite big and filled with pink and yellow flowers. It’s hung up in my garden and is a talking point when visitors come round. It’s a lot of fun, and a great use of old bras.’
She is one of the members of the Bourne WI who gamely agreed to be photographed by The Mail on Sunday showing off their artistry.
Liz Ledger, who filled an old white bra with geraniums and blue daisies, said: ‘Taking your top off in company is not something you’re used to when you’re 65!’
Adele Hewitt, of the Little Sutton Sapphires WI, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, said: ‘It’s been great fun. We chose a sapphire theme, so most flowers are shades of blue.
‘They looked amazing. I used hydrangeas, lobelia, purple lilies, and marigold as contrast.’
Jen Whitworth, of the Taunton Deane Divas WI in Somerset, added: ‘I’ve got three-year-old twins and used a breast-feeding maternity bra. I’m quite big on top anyway so it was good size. I planted lots of herbs and lavender. People think it’s a hoot. Who knows, we might be asked to plant old bloomers next year.’
The WI boasts 220,000 members across 6,300 UK branches and has long shed its reputation as a staid club known for ‘jam and Jerusalem’.
The Rylstone and District WI’s famous nude calendar in 2000 helped change perceptions, as did the members who gave Tony Blair a slowhandclap when he made a political speech at the WI’s annual general meeting the same year.
Janice Langley, who chairs the national federation of WIs, said the ‘hanging bra-sket’ competition – whose winners will be announced at the end of September – was ‘another great example of members’ ingenuity and resourcefulness.’
‘We might plant our old bloomers next year’