SI Leicester’s Viv Galloway, a Leicestershire Constabulary staff member, has been highly commended in the police staff achievement category at a national awards ceremony hosted by the British Association for Women in Policing (BAWP) in association with Jane’s Police Review.

Nominees for this award had to demonstrate outstanding or significant support for her police service colleagues through leadership, job-related community service activities, mentoring or excellence in performance.

This year BAWP received a total of 93 nominations in categories including bravery, leadership, mentoring and excellence at BAWP’s fifth annual awards ceremony at the Leicester Marriott Hotel.  Each award was judged separately and judges were drawn from a wide cross-section of police officers and staff, and others with appropriate professional skills.

Viv is pictured receiving her certificate from BAWP president, Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick from the Metropolitan Police.

She talked passionately about her role, which she took up in June 2009 and about her aims and objectives of:

• increasing participation in sport and physical activity by children and young people
• encouraging volunteering by children and young people
• promoting the educational opportunities provided by London 2012
• cultural activities for and involving children and young people
• internationalism

Her work within the region means that with only a year to go the East Midlands is well placed to take advantage of the fantastic, once in a lifetime, opportunity that being host country of the 2012 Games can bring.

The work she is undertaking with the Young Ambassador programmes is providing excellent opportunities for young volunteers and the region already has a number of influential Young Ambassadors who have represented the East Midlands at national events.

Educational opportunities also abound with over 500 schools in the region so far having registered for Get Set, the high quality learning resource produce by LOCOG. Signing up and using the resources is just the start with chances to win trips and visits from Olympic heroes and LOCOG staff.

Gaynor’s commitment to her work and the young people she has and continues to inspire is truly amazing.She waas very interested in Soroptimism.  To learn more click here

Twenty five Soroptimists and friends attended a workshop with celebrated voice coach Priscilla Morris, one of the top voice coaches in the country. The workshop provided a unique opportunity to learn how to improve vocal technique and develop the voice to communicate more effectively. During the morning delegates took part in various fun and confidence building exercises.

What a day! Members had prepared a delicious lunch of Shepherd’s Pie and vegetables followed by Apple Crumble and custard for clients of the Anchor Club, Leicester a facility for recovering alcoholics and substance abusers. Leicester Soroptimists have had a long association with the Anchor Club both as boardmembers and preparing and serving this annual lunch.

The hot meal and social company is much appreciated by the people who use the facility, followed by the usual request of ‘any second helpings, please?’.  

Miss Dorothy Smith, Headteacher at the Collegiate Girls School was the first President and other founder members Mrs E Bond, wife of an eminent Leicester surgeon, Mrs Attenborough, wife of the Principal of University College, Leicester and mother of Richard and David, Miss Dora Warner, a Chartered Secretary who in 1949 became President of the Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, Miss Hughes, Matron of the Royal Infirmary and other prominent citizens. Many of these founder members were amongst the first female magistrates on the City Bench.

Today Soroptimist International of Leicester has members from many different businesses and professions. Some are also magistrates others are involved in voluntary work additional to their business or profession.

As a result of much hard work it has been a remarkable year in our efforts to improve the lives of women and girls around the world. One of our main undertakings for 2011 is to give educational support and sponsorship to Preeti Gamit who is living in the interior village of Vyara taluka, India.  She is undertaking primary teacher’s training course and she is in her second year.  She doesn’t have a father only her mother and two siblings brother/sister. We hope to follow her progress throughout the rest of her training and establish regular communication with her.

We have continued to work and raise funds for the Soroptimist Quadrennial Project – Project Sierra, a family and a future aiming to improve the health and life chances of thousands of deprived women and children living in abject poverty in Sierra Leone. The club has also supported the President’s Charity, Save the Children, raising almost £4000 for their work in Sierra Leone.

On a local basis SI Leicester has donated to Book Aid, to Girl Guides, Tree Aid, in kind we have supported the City of Sanctuary gaining a Golden Giver Award and made up swimming bags for the Mablethorpe Children’s Home. We have continued our longstanding support for Rainbows Children’s Hospice, Leicester Charity Link, LOROS and many other local organisations through service and fundraising projects raising in excess of £11,500.These fantastic amounts of money could not have been raised without the efforts and a lot of hard work by many members and the support of their families and friends. It truly is a time to celebrate!

It was cold, it was frosty but that didn’t dampen the spirit of Christmas shoppers at Loughborough’s Saturday market. SI Leicester’s festive bakes, cakes and preserves were a resounding hit with shoppers raising £450 for SI Quadrennial Project: Project Sierra – a family and a home.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported our stall.

President Josephine and members of SI Leicester were joined by The Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Jennifer, Lady Gretton at their recent supper meeting. Following the meal Lady Gretton gave a very interesting and amusing account of her role.

The Lord-Lieutenant is the official representative of Her Majesty The Queen for the County and City of Leicester. The office of the Lord-Lieutenant is military in origin and can be said to date from the reign of Henry VIII.

Each year Lady Gretton performs an incredible amount on behalf of Her Majesty, attending events, parades and other civic functions. It certainly isn’t a 9 – 5 job!!

Lady Gretton also told us of the award scheme she has established, The Lord-Lieutenant’s Award for Young People incorporating The Young Person of the Year 2011. She established the scheme in order to raise the profile of young people’s achievements. She said that young people are key members of society and it is important that their positive role within our community is recognised and celebrated. To learn more click here

SI Leicester have donated nine beachbags complete with everything essential for a happy holiday to Leicester Children’s Holiday Home (Mablethorpe), one of Leicester’s oldest charities. President Josephine presented the bags to Stephanie Brown, Chairman of the charities’ Board of Trustees, and her fellow trustees at their recent meeting. The charity has been active in Leicester for over 100 years enabling over 50,000 disadvantaged children to enjoy the simple pleasure of a sea-side holiday.

The workshop focussed on the importance of the internet in today’s world, and members learned how to create an interesting website for their club, including how to link to a number of short videos recently uploaded to Youtube showing Soroptimists in action. 

To see one of these videos, please click here.