The Hypatia Trust

Interviewer: Hello, Melissa.

Melissa: Hello, Joanna.

Interviewer: What would you like to tell us about today?

Melissa: I would like to tell you about the organisation which is called The Hypatia Trust, erm, located in Penzance in Cornwall, that I founded in, er, 1996. It is allied to Exeter University and it is a, an institute which encourages lifelong learning for women. We concentrate on women's lives, both their careers and their family life, and virtually anything which they have accomplished – which often, in history, is, erm, swept over or sort of edited out of normal histories.

Interviewer: Do you want to tell me about some of the projects that The Hypatia Trust has been involved in?

Melissa: Yes, yes, I would like to. Er, we have, for example, we have a Wikipedia group which, erm, spend a lot of time and effort in their own homes working on the entries for women on the net, on the internet. This is very helpful because very often men forget that women are there when they're talking about their lives and their achievements! This is one project. We also have art exhibitions of women's art, er, craft. Er, er, that might be sewing, that might be needlework, you know, it might be needlework or it could be painting or any sculpture, that sort of thing. And we also have lectures where women who have climbed Everest or done something else remarkable will come and tell us about the experience. Erm, we have some very fine offices with meeting rooms that the community can also use for their projects. Altogether we are a kind of a community centre, but basically we are a women's learning institute and we promote anything which leads to lifelong learning …

Interviewer: For women?

Melissa: For women.

Interviewer: OK.

Melissa: Though we don't, erm, disinvite men attending, because they need to learn as well.

Interviewer: Exactly. OK. Thank you very much for talking to us.

Melissa: You're welcome.