What do you get if you mix 1950s fashion, burlesque dancers and dozens of cakes? Answer, The Alternative Women’s Institute. We meet the women behind the group.

FORGET knitting and jam-making, the members of the Alternative Women’s Institute are more interested in tattoos and parties with a twist.

A group of friends from East Lancashire felt they wouldn’t fit in with the conventional Women’s Institute — so they decided to set up their own version.

Their members include burlesque dancers and tattoo artists who meet up for nights out and themed events, and, at the same time, raise money for charity.

“I wanted to start up a group for younger and more liberal women that was just that bit different,” said the group’s founder, Sheryl Tattersall, from Burnley.

“Personally, I wouldn’t want to go to a Women’s Institute meeting, I wouldn’t fit in.”

Sheryl, who is an avid collector of vintage tea sets, came up with the idea with her daughters Carly Fletcher, 24 and Gemma Fletcher, 25.

They wanted to create something quirky for young women to get involved in.

Carly said: “A lot of us have tattoos and piercings and brightly coloured hair and we are interested in different things to what we thought the Women’s Institute would typically be.

"But we wanted to be part of a group in a similar way.”

The highlight of the group’s social calendar is coming up this Sunday — in the form of an annual vintage tea party held at The Ace Centre in Nelson.

A hundred women dressed in 1950s style outfits are expected to descend on the venue to be entertained by a vintage style singer and enjoy home-made cakes from a retro era.

Sheryl said: “I like getting dressed up. I like parties and like to give people a good time.

"It is all about having fun and putting my tea sets to good use.

“I love the 1950s, the girls were so sexy back then.

"The women love dressing up in the clothes, I think it makes them feel very feminine.

“Burlesque really goes hand-in-hand with the group and we try to get that across.

“We are holding a raffle at the tea party and the top prize is a £100 tattoo voucher, which you probably wouldn’t expect from a WI group.

"It should be a great day and a good laugh and we are hoping to raise lots of money for suicide prevention charity Papyrus.”

The group of 10 women, who meet regularly throughout the year, held their first Alternative WI party back in 2008, with mainly friends and family.

Their first vintage tea party last year attracted more than 60 people, and this weekend more than 100 women are due to attend the second big event.

Now the girls hope to spread the word and set up more groups across the region with the hope of eventually rolling the concept out nationally.

Sheryl added: “At the moment we have revolved around the tea party and organising it, but we are looking to holding more meetings and more events, possibly even a festival.

“We have had quite a lot of interest, and it would be great if people from other areas wanted to start up their own Alternative WIs.

"We love it.”