Membership Secretary

Introducing Jo Wenborne

I’m a physical geography graduate who has spent my career, to date, in local government across a number of south-west local authorities. Initially I qualified as a Trading Standards Officer specialising in quality assurance systems and I then found myself quite by accident managing a front line local government service in much need of modernisation. Since then I have developed a bit of a reputation as a transformation manager and I absolutely love working on systems to achieve better outcomes for customers. This is one of the reasons why I’m delighted to become the membership secretary so I can help shape and deliver what our members want.

I have been ringing since I was a teenager and over the years have been fortunate to ring on both tower and handbells with a lovely bunch of ringers of all standards. In the past I have never had so much fun as ringing at my local Sunday service tower with a group of ‘young at heart’ lads including a WW2 fighter pilot who always lived his life on the edge (as did anyone ringing within a 2m radius of his rope!) I have also been fortunate to ring with some very good ringers, providing me with the opportunity to ring around 250 peals and 700 quarter peals.

I have previously held a number of posts within the Dorset County Association, including secretary and ringing master and I’ve judged a number of striking competitions (which I find just as scary as ringing in them!) I have also, in the past, been very active at ringing centres, helping new recruits and supporting Sunday service ringing at rural churches.

Outside of ringing I have a love of animals, gardening and climbing Scottish mountains. I currently live in bit of a menagerie with 3 rescue rabbits, 2 chickens, a rescue cat, a stray cat that seems to have adopted me and of course my partner Andy.