Swap jam and Jerusalem for Facebook and Twitter

Aged 24, she thinks she may be the youngest WI president in Britain – if she isn’t then she’s one of the youngest. She’s bubbly, brimming with enthusiasm, ideas and energy – and she absolutely loves Facebook and uses it constantly to publicise the Worcester Belles’ activities.

But she admits one of the best experiences she ever had at a WI meeting was learning how to make a cake in a microwave – a modern twist on jam and Jerusalem.

Laura, who lives on Warndon Villages, is an archives assistant in the Worcestershire County Council records office at County Hall and worked with a colleague Julia Roberts who was head of the National Federation of WI’s finances at the time. Julia, now NFWI honorary treasurer and chair of the finance committee, invited Laura to go along to a local WI meeting.

“The reason I joined was because of the women. They are amazing. As a WI member I get to spend my life around inspirational women. Learning how to make a cake in a microwave was pretty good too,” she enthuses.

Laura had only been a member of the Worcester Belles for two years before she was elected president by the other members.

She says, while the age range for members spans from women in their 20s to those in their 70s, the group has a more modern approach to those groups where one person retains the presidency for 20 or 30 years.

“Being president was not something I had planned on. I was elected in June this year and next year there will be another vote for the next president. WI is democratic.”

Laura learned very quickly that to be a successful WI group president she had to delegate to committee members and other members of the Belles.

“I found it really hard. At the first committee meeting, I came away with a ‘to do’ list of six pages. I don’t do that now. The first thing you have to learn is to delegate.

“One of the reasons people voted for me is because of my enthusiasm. I have always been a very active member of WI. I led a salsa dancing session and I play in the skittles team.”

She says one of the most important parts of the president’s work is to listen to what the members say and what they want. And the Worcester Belles members know Laura is happy to voice their ideas, even if they find it difficult to come forward themselves.

“They use me to put forward their ideas but I always credit the individual. A lot of my members talk to me, they text me or facebook me. They are such a talented group of women. Being in the WI is just so much fun.”

Laura says her dynamic approach to promoting and supporting women is partly due to her great grandmother Irenie Chown who set up the first Widows Club in Worcester for women whose husbands had died. “I have spent my whole life around inspirational women.”

She is a bit of a feminist at heart – but not to the exclusion of men. “I am a feminist and equality is very important to me. It is not to banish men but it is about helping women.”

The Worcester Belles, which now meets in St Mary’s Church Hall, Northfield Street, in the Arboretum – they had a couple of other homes but grew out of them due to expanding numbers, has a varied programme of events from a visit to Worcester’s Infirmary, a session of cookery on a budget to car maintenance.

“The car maintenance man was amazing. He helped to instil confident in the members. It was a brilliant night and they did not want him to go.”

She admits some WI groups can be a bit cliquey but Worcester Belles is extremely inclusive. “I really like that. I never see a member sat on her own.”

One of the ways the WI is changing is its use of social media. “There are some WIs which do not want new things but 64 per cent of Worcestershire WIs have an online presence. I do a lot on facebook and one of the other members does Twitter.”

She says the WI movement is generally booming. “There are 6,000 WIs in the UK with over 200,000 members and 150 WIs have opened this year. It is becoming extremely popular again.”

She adds that as technology advances and we live in an increasingly throw-away society, there is a worry that people are going to forget how to do things. “At WI we have lots of people with different skills and we have a ‘Share a Skill’ night and we can learn a different skill from our members. It is my favourite night and you get to see other people shine.”

While Laura clearly has boundless enthusiasm, she credits her committee and members for their work and support.

“I have got a fantastic committee. I have the best committee I could ask for and I am never short of volunteers to do things.” She also credits her long-term boyfriend Chris Daniels, who she says is very supportive of her commitment to WI.

“I love my Belles and I hope I do them proud. It would take an awful lot for me to miss a WI meeting – say the birth of my first child for example,” she jokes.