Introduce yourself
I'm Shelley Tobin, I am President of Broadclyst WI. I'm a working Mum and specialise in fashion and dress history, currently working as Costume Curator for the National Trust and a local authority museum in Devon.
Why did you become a member of the WI?
I wanted to be more active in our local village, especially as my son became a teenager. I was interested in finding out about workshops and courses run by the WI, including Denman courses. I was aware of the history and already interested in that aspect, but also keen to get involved with current campaigns.
How would you sum up your WI?
We are a small friendly group, reborn nearly five years ago after the original group had folded. I decided to make enquiries about starting the group again when I discovered from a neighbour that the old WI had closed. We revived with about 20 people, but now have 12 on the books. It means that we share a lot together and are quite close knit as a group. Everyone is lovely, we all have different interests and backgrounds and get on so well, we look forward to our monthly meetings and socials.
We are represented at WI events and meetings, and our ambition is to get more involved in county and national events and campaigns. We encourage new members to join but find that there is a lot of competition in the village and it is difficult to recruit people who will commit to becoming members.
Why would you encourage other women to get involved in the WI?
On one level, it is a wonderful way to make new friends and to share support for each other.
It's a great way to learn new skills or find out about something new, or pursue an interest. The WI has the potential to offer so much to women. On a more serious note, the WI has proved that it can deliver in terms of campaigns based on very important issues and has made a really positive contribution to the lives of people in this country.
I am also interested in the work of the ACWW and the work done overseas to help improve women's lives.
What are you most looking forward to as part of the WI centenary in 2015?
We elected to send members to events this year so I have not participated in the he main meetings myself but I have enjoyed observing and reading about them. I look forward to reports from members who have attended the NFWI AGM and the garden party at Buckingham Palace, and our own garden party later on in June.
I am admin for our social media accounts, having set them up a little while ago, and enjoy posting and tweeting on a variety of subjects, including centenary news.