The Winton Club

The Winton Club is a Winchester nonprofit service organization of more than 200 women devoted exclusively to supporting Winchester Hospital. Members volunteer in the hospital, raise money for equipment and programs, and run the Winton Shop, a volunteer-staffed gift shop inside the hospital serving patients, visitors and staff. Its signature fundraiser is an annual Cabaret show, performed by a volunteer cast from Winchester and nearby towns.

The club began in 1911, when twelve women answered an appeal to sew linens for what was then the Cottage Hospital. They took the name Winton from the ecclesiastical signature of the Bishop of Winchester, England. In 1948 they opened the hospital gift shop and a canteen. Members now give more than 5,000 volunteer hours a year in the hospital, and the club’s efforts have funded more than $3 million in gifts, equipment and patient linens.

What to Know

• The Cabaret has run every January since 1920, usually at Winchester Town Hall, drawing over 2,000 people across five nights.
• The club is a 501(c)(3), so donations are tax-deductible to the extent the law allows.
• An annual holiday fair is part of its fundraising calendar.
• New members are welcome to join and volunteer.