ALTRINCHAM Rotary Club has admitted its first female member.

Karen Wroe, who is a trustee of community arts centre, Art with a Heart, said she is 'delighted' to be working with the club.

Born in Doncaster, Karen moved to Altrincham in 1987, having spent three years in Portsmouth working as an analyst at IBM.

As well as being an experienced project manager and IT consultant, Karen is also an artist and has exhibited her work in Cyprus since 2003.

She then founded Art with a Heart in 2011 which, since opening its doors to the public in 2012, has staged monthly events, exhibitions and other activities aimed at contributing to the regeneration of Altrincham.

Karen describes the transition from corporate life to community arts as a 'learning curve', but one she has greatly enjoyed.

The new Rotarian said she is committed to 'giving back' to the community by providing opportunities for the young and old to engage in the Arts.

She also identified skills development and growth of young adults as a key focus, especially at a time when young people are finding it increasingly difficult to come across career opportunities in the arts industry.

Karen said: "Working and volunteering at Art with a Heart, a community based arts and heritage project in the local area, it is a natural development to become a Rotarian and join Altrincham Rotary, and I look forward to working on a number of projects with them in the future, especially those aimed at youth, arts and community."