THESE ladies were already in the Christmas spirit. With tables packed with bottles, tins and all sorts of bric-a-brac, they were ready for an avalanche of festive buyers.

This was the scene in 1963 at the old village hall in Radley, near Abingdon, where members of the village Women’s Institute were holding their Christmas bazaar.

Balloons festooned the hall, the paper chains were in place and Father Christmas was ready to do an early stint handing out gifts to children.

Those in the picture include Bindy Angus, Florrie Hadland, Spy Wheeler, Mrs Deller, Lily Hadland, Joan Poirette, Mrs O’Connor, Elsie Andrews, Sylvia Bainbridge, Mr Barber, Amy Jones, Madge Allen, Sue Shaw, Mrs Gowring and Mrs Levetus.

The picture comes from Christine Wootton, a local historian, who has spent hours delving through the village WI minutes and has produced a booklet of significant events in its history. Radley WI has been celebrating its 90th anniversary, in the same year that the WI movement has been marking its centenary.

The minutes of Radley WI’s first meeting in the village hall on February 18, 1925, reveal that “after an interesting address by Lady Rucker on the aims and object of the movement, a resolution that a Women’s Institute be formed in Radley was put to the meeting and carried unanimously, 28 women being present”.

Early activities included talks on Florence Nightingale, the Congo River and the BBC, a demonstration of dressmaking, a picnic in Radley Wood, a games evening and outings to the seaside by charabanc. Members also staged an entertainment evening, which prompted the minutes’ secretary to write: “Their power of impersonation shows that there is much talent in our institute.”

One early decision was to buy a bath chair for the village, “cost not to exceed £10”. Members accepted an offer by Mr Duncan to keep it at the Bowyer Arms pub.

Charges were also agreed – “WI members free, their husbands and children half price, all other persons sixpence for a whole day and threepence for half a day. The bath chair must always be returned to the Bowyer Arms at night” (with the word ‘always’ underlined!).

Other good deeds were recorded, such as helping to get a car for the parish nurse, supplying eggs and cakes to Abingdon workhouse, and supporting the Radley Distressed Fund, to help families suffering air raid damage during the war.

Members backed the war effort in other ways, welcoming evacuees to meetings, organising social evenings for service personnel and sending parcels to the troops and prisoners-of-war.

In 1943, the “lamentable state” of the village hall caused concern and, according to the minutes, “members who had husbands among the trustees were urged to make their lives a misery until something was done to remove the danger of the roof collapsing on us”.

Christmas has always been a happy time, with annual bazaars and, in the early days, parties for members’ children.

In 1938, the minutes record, 32 “little guests” enjoyed tea, games and dancing, sang carols, then welcomed Father Christmas “at the door because no chimney was to be found”.