On Tuesday the 9th March at 7pm for a 7.30pm start we had the pleasure in welcoming Toto James. Toto was co-opted to the Board of Trustees in November 2019. She is also Vice Chairman and a Trustee of Surrey Federation, as well as Head of Digital.
After joining Fulham WI in 2010, Toto quickly made some excellent long-lasting friends. She joined the committee and became President of what is now Fulham and Chelsea WI, having widened the areas served. After she finished her term as President, she joined the board of Surrey Federation.
Two hundred women attended the meeting. The Vote of Thanks was given by Susan Leicester. Jean Harding, Chairman of Cheshire Federation, thanked members for attending the meeting
Toto was honoured as a Women of the Year in 2018 for her professional work as a Marketing Consultant for a leading law firm and her charity work. Women of the Year
Toto will talk about her life in the W.I. and what made her join in the first place and why her Indian parents and their sense of community has led to her aspirations for a WI that reflect our communities. Toto told how she had never made a pie before joining the WI but since the pandemic has enjoyed baking for her neighbours. She is currently advising Dartmoor Zoological Society, home of the best-selling book and Hollywood film “We bought a Zoo”. Toto has undertaken a number of charity projects, including establishing a visiting English teaching programme at a school in India. The school, in Gujarat, where a number of Toto’s family members have studied, has recently been rebuilt as a result of an international fundraising and development campaign.
Please see WI Life page 17 for the article on Toto James and her WI journey