A chilly November night brought big changes to the Swallowtail WI as we voted in the committee and welcomed new people into the roles of President, Treasurer and Secretary.

Our founding president Clare gave a wonderful speech about the past year for our WI, before we voted in Kate as our next president. She'll be joined by Roz in the role of treasurer - taking over from the wonderful Vicki - and Kate B as our secretary following lovely Rachel's stint.

Here is Claire's speech in full:

Presidents Speech 2018
 
We’ve had a fantastic year and as ever the Swallowtail Committee have been incredible. They work so hard behind the scenes and I’m truly grateful for all they do.
 
Vicki has done three years as treasurer and we couldn’t have managed without her. No matter how self-deprecating she is about her abilities, she’s kept our finances in order, taken Barclays to task and made sure we have a very healthy bank balance.
 
Rachel has brought an incredible amount of creativity to the Swallowtails as both secretary and craft club organiser. She led the way with our Norfolk Show entry and created a gorgeous Ferris wheel. We’re sad she’s stepping down, but hope to see her at meetings next year.
 
It’s been great to have Kate W as my Vice President, she’s supported me throughout the year and it’s been fun to share the work and responsibilities.
 
Kate B has been a champion and stepped into the breach on more than one occasion. She’s stepping up to be secretary this year and I know the job is in very capable hands.
 
Szara has kept us busy with lots of fun and fabulous events, from organising the annual quiz and our Quingo this week, to the seal and swallowtail trips. It’s a lot of fun to meet up outside of WI and get to know members in a different setting.
 
Kim is responsible for the beautiful birthday cards members receive, her cards are gorgeous and bring a special, personal touch. She’s also kept our tablecloth updated and made our delicious third birthday cake.
 
Jody has maintained the snack rota and made sure we all have tasty treats at each meeting; we thought we were losing her but we’re pleased that she’s not leaving us just yet.
 
Sophie joined the committee this year and is already invaluable and looking to take on a bigger role. She introduced our latest mini-meet, our Brunch Club. It’s been great to meet up at some amazing cafes for some delicious breakfasts.
 
Roz also joined us this year, and like an answer to a prayer, she knows all about accounting and will be taking over from Vicki. Roz made sure our latest accounts were in order before our audit and I know she’s going to do a fantastic job.
 
Roisin is our long distance committee member, we might not have seen her at meetings, and we’ve missed her lot, but we know she’s representing the Swallowtails down in London with the Shoreditch Sisters.
 
Kerry runs our lively book club and has just joined the committee. She’s taking on the role of Public Affairs Liaison and will be keeping us up to date with all the campaigns.
 
A big thank you to all the Swallowtails who aren’t on the committee but make a hugely valuable contribution to our WI.
 
Jenny’s been our Public Affairs Liaison for the past few years, she’s made sure we’re informed and represented at Federation events.
 
Anita, aka my mum, aka Claire’s mum, has looked after the kitchen for the past three years.
 
Sarah has transformed our Twitter account and made it so interesting and engaging with her live tweets of the meeting.
 
Jenny has kept our Instagram beautiful.
 
Margaret took over the dog walking group.
 
Debbie made our beautiful bunting triangle.
 
Anne sells the second hand books for us.
 
Rosemary set up our trade table.
 
Thank you also to Dave, Matt and the other husbands and partners who support us.
 
Finally, I’d like to say thank you to you the members, for being part of the Swallowtails and making it such a welcoming and friendly WI. Thank you for showing up, getting involved, donating to the causes we support, coming to our events and just generally being lovely people. I’m sad I won’t be president anymore but I look forward to seeing how the committee and Swallowtail WI develop and grow over the next year.