KIDDERMINSTER Ladies' Circle's "gregarious" chairman is on a mission - to tell the world: "We are absolutely NOT a knitting group!"

Jo Gregory cites the "fun and friendship" of life with the circle - despite the stereotypical image of "cliquey coffee mornings".

"We eat, drink and make merry - plenty of it," she said, enthusiastically preparing a meal while telling the Shuttle/Times & News about her life.

Jo is a self confessed fidgeter - which helps to explain why the circle is only one of several pies she has a finger in.

The 34-year-old single mother balances her home life with a hectic range of social commitments and roles on the parents committee at her daughter's school.

She also finds time to actively support Stone and Cookley's cricket clubs, as well as maintaining a 21-year involvement with Cookley Amateur Dramatics Society.

A local government officer by profession, Jo has been chairman of Kidderminster Ladies' Circle since May.

The 14-strong group meets every other Tuesday and its time is divided between social activities and fund-raising for its chosen charity, which this year is the Foundation for the Study of Infant Death Syndrome.

The only criteria for joining is that women should be aged between 18 and 45. Members enjoy a range of activities such as going out for meals and to the cinema or theatre, while a barn dance and a sponsored walk of the "Worcestershire Way" are up-and-coming fund-raising events.

Stourport-born Jo described juggling her many commitments with bringing up 13-year-old Hannah, a pupil at Heathfield School in Wolverley, as "a hard balancing act".

The pair have lived in Cookley, the village Jo calls her "haven", for 11 years. But Jo has been involved with its amateur dramatics group for more than two decades - and Hannah seems keen to follow in her footsteps, having taken singing and dancing roles in several productions.

Jo regards the group as something of an extended family, to the extent that 13 of its 40 members recently went on holiday together to France.

"We put on about three productions a year - usually a panto, a play, and something musical," she said.

"The parish hall is not ideal for putting on plays so we all have to muck in - otherwise we'd never get a production off the ground.

"We tend to write our own plays, which is good because it's cheaper and also you can write roles to suit the characters within the group."

Jo has somehow also found a niche in her schedule to embark on a four-year course at Kidderminster College, which will lead to her being a qualified debt counsellor.

She said: "I'm gregarious, a very social animal. I hate being bored!"