A social club in Maidstone added another milestone to its 134 year history when its first ever female president was elected.

The Stone Street Club, which is a private members social club for older people, runs events from bingo and quiz nights, to Sunday lunches at the site in Lower Stone Street.

It only started allowing women to join in 2003 and now, 18 years on, a female will guide the club through the next five years as president alongside four other women on a 12 piece committee.

Jeni Mace, who joined in 2009 was elected on Monday, October 11 taking over from her husband Phil who stepped down from the role.

Her position is historic, something Mrs Mace described as 'absolutely wonderful'.

The 72-year-old added: "My husband has been a member for about 17 years.

"He was on the committee and I used to go down to events as his guest because partners were only allowed to go in with members before.

"One year a steward who was supposed to be doing the Christmas dinners walked out on us and a friend and I were sitting there and we thought 'we could do it instead'.

"So I took a health and safety food exam and we did the buffets for the police and the post office group and we enjoyed it so much so we both then wanted to become members."

She made her way onto the committee in 2011.

Mrs Mace, from Mote Road, added: "The president's chair is very official looking with green leather upholstery on it and I always joked and said ‘I'm going to turn it pink when I become president’.

"To be truthful, I worked towards it and it has been lovely.

"I just feel quite overwhelmed. On Monday I couldn't get words out properly."

As president, Mrs Mace says she will work to keep the club running efficiently and hopes to get more members involved in activities.

The club was founded in 1887 and was then known as the Liberal Club which was started by businessmen in Maidstone.

The first president recorded was E. Vaughan in 1912 who also ran a business in Broadway.

Some 11 years later, P. Boorman, proprietor of the Kent Messenger, even held the title until 1924.

Then, in 1946, it became a private members club and changed its name to Stone Street Club, after its location in a Grade II listed building in the town centre.

But it wasn't until recent history that women were officially allowed to join.

Geoff Smith, a former president and trustee who has been a member for 57 years, explained: "During the start there were various business men in the president's chair.

"There were no females at the time.

"While I was in the president's chair in 1988, there was a movement to get ladies to become members but during a vote it was about 98% against 2% for, there were loads of men who didn't want women there.

"But over my nine years, at each AGM it slowly started to level out.

"It was about 2003 it was voted that ladies could join Stone Street Club as members.

"It has progressed since then and the current membership is about 700 which is 542 males and 158 females.

"It's all changing and ladies are becoming more prominent in business and we are proud to see a lady come up to be a president and hopefully we will see others in the future."

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