THE familiar format of Jam and Jerusalem has returned to Lamberhurst for the first time in two years with the reformation of the village's WI.

The first meeting of the reinvigorated and re-energised branch of the Women's Institute since it went bust in 2007 has been hailed as a "great success".

And although the women have no immediate plans to get naked for a Calendar Girls style fundraiser, they are keen to attract more interested ladies to their next meeting on December 3.

President Karen Collins said: "We have said we could buck the trend and keep our clothes on at the moment.

"There's no plans for that kind of thing just yet but we will be coming up with some interesting fund-raisers."

The re-launching of the group came after an appeal in the Courier in August by former member Barbara Twiss.

She wanted the Lamberhurst WI, which was suspended in February 2007 after the club ran out of money, to re-group and also asked for younger members to come forward.

And that is exactly who turned up to the first meeting at the Village Hall last week.

Mrs Collins added: "We had 25 ladies come and we're still hoping we can boost the number to around 40 or 50.

"The old group dwindled down to about 15 because once you get older you can't organise and do as much.

"So we're looking for a wide range of ages to keep the group strong and are open to any ideas for activities."

The group's next meeting at the Village Hall on December 3 at 7.45pm will see a bottle raffle, quiz and wine, with a full programme of events for 2010 to be published shortly.

To offer suggestions contact Karen Collins on 01892 890575, secretary Liz Mercer on 01892 890778 or programme secretary Dawn Silburn on 01892 890991.