As a bastion of Middle England, the Women’s Institute is renowned for its redoubtable members and their sensible advice on household matters. From today, that sensible advice includes tips on sex.

A WI video goes online with a guide that includes practical hints such as the best sexual position to adopt if your husband has suffered a heart attack previously and a rundown on battery-operated devices that its members may prefer to call marital aids.

The video is centred firmly on the bedroom, although its sex expert and presenter, Janice Langley, who belongs to Washington WI in West Sussex, suggests enjoying relations in the lounge, the kitchen or even the garden (as long as the neighbours aren’t watching).

She even brandishes a French maid’s outfit and exhorts viewers to “try something really saucy”.

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Mrs Langley, 66, who sits on the board of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, was chosen for the job because she is a former nurse and a retired counsellor and sex therapist. She said: “We’re not all 85 and knitting. We have a diverse membership.”

Her presentation on “sex, myths and spicy tips” is one of six subjects included in the video, all fronted by WI members. The others cover IT, gardening, home management, the environment and creativity.

They are presented in firm and well-modulated tones by nononsense women with a natural air of authority. Peaceful piano music plays in the background.

Creative advice includes how to knit an iPod holder and tips such as “rub your hands with olive oil before knitting with cashmere”.

It echoes Blue Peter by telling viewers how to make a “cheap and environmentally friendly” notebook from old envelopes, a picture from a catalogue and double-sided sticky tape. The gardening guru recommends using tea bags on plants and placing water butts under drainpipes.

The glamorous presenter of the home-management video demonstrates how to clean a sink with lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda. And the internet expert discusses online dating, chat acronyms used by teenagers and antivirus software.

But Mrs Langley’s video is the most eye-opening. Referring to rising levels of sexually transmitted diseases among older people, she advises them not to think of condoms as being just for contraception.

Sexual positions to use if one partner has arthritis or has suffered a brain haemorrhage are also explained.

Reclining on a bed with a variety of magazines, DVDs and sexual aids in vibrant colours, she tells female viewers: “They come in all shapes and sizes. You may say nice girls don’t do that, but they do and they enjoy it.” Mrs Langley also advises how women can cope if they or their husbands go off sex. Her presentation is interspersed with cartoon characters enacting her words.

She told The Times that she discussed with the director what subjects to cover. “I wrote the script from the point of view of what I’d like to say. They were very good about sticking to what I felt comfortable with.

“It was filmed in my house and it was a long day. It was very different from anything I’d ever experienced before. The video is about showing that we have some very skilled and educated women in the WI. Quite often the perception is just about jam and cake.”

The project was launched to tie in with the WI and Sky’s search for a W-Icon. Two were chosen – Emma Cunningham, from Hampshire, and Valerie Wood-Gaiger, from Wales – and both appear in the guide giving short introductions to the different topics. Each won £10,000 for charity.

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