2009
This year has been a busy year with charity and social events.
19th April – Hospital Garden.This is an annual event where we give the garden outside the Geriatric Ward at Loughborough Hospital a bit of TLC. This began as a Millenium Project and continues to be a great success.
20th May – Presentation on Refugee Action. A volunteer kindly came and gave us a talk on how this organization helps in the reception, resettlement, development and integration of asylum seekers and refugees.
31st May – Open Gardens. This is an annual event that takes place in Quorn and one of our members gardens is open to the public. We take the opportunity to raise funds by selling homemade preserves, cards and plants.
1st June – Hospital Garden Tidy Up. A continuation of work carried out earlier in the year. This session involves planting up tubs and the raised bed made specially for wheelchair users.
4th June – Talking News. Supporting this charity once every six weeks by joining a local team. We all record on tape, excerpts of the Loughborough Echo for distribution to blind recipients. In 2010 this progressed on, to us having our own team and set of equipment.
8th to 9th June – Street Collection. This was done on behalf of the British Red Cross Raising £500.00
17th June – Open Evening. This was a chance for people to come along and learn all about Soroptimisim and whether it might be for them. This included members partners who were interested in knowing what their wives/girlfriends got up to.
15th July – 3M Speaker. A representative of the company 3M came and gave us a very interesting and informative talk on the company and the products it produces. A generous raffle prize was donated by the company containing a variety of goods manufactered by 3M including useful items such as scotch tape and sticky pads.
22nd July – Ploughmans Supper. This was hosted by President Sandra in her own home to raise money for the Region Project: Cameroons.
9th August – Social Visit to the National War Memorial Aboreutum. This was a very moving but nevertheless enjoyable day out. The weather was fantastic and it gave members a chance to chat and socialize.
23rd August – Visit to Tolthorpe Hall. This was another social visit to an outdoor theatre to see a Midsummer Nights Dream.
26th August – Visit to Ragdale Hall Spa. This was to raise funds for the Brisith Red Cross which is the local charity which was nominated by the President for her year in 2009 to 2010. It included a Clarins Beauty Demonstration and a tour of the premises. This was especially interesting as they had just unveiled their new Sensory Spa area.
7th September - International Literacy Day. The club has made a donation of over £50.00 to Book Aid in respect of purchasing sets of class books for school children in sub Saharan Africa. The money was raised primarily through the reading diaries some members had kept and from the sale of donated books at the Clubs’s Literacy Evening. The club has received a very nice thank you letter for its efforts.
16th September - Beijing ParaOlympics Speaker. This was a very motivating talk on the planning and implentation of organizing the ParaOlympics. It was illustrated well by the use of slides. The speaker himself was wheelchair bound and was able to give a unique insight into the common difficulties encoutered by athletes and also how important it is to have events of this kind.
3rd October – International Friendship Day. A set donation for each club we had friendship links with, was multiplied up and forwarded to the Sierra Leone International Project.
5th October – Fitness is Fun Speaker. One of our members was put through her paces by the personal trainer. Alot of useful tips were gained to try and alay existing problems and how to prevent others from occuring.
11th October – Charter Dinner. This is an annual event around this time of year and celebrates the birthday of the club.
25th October – Hopital Garden Bulb Planting. The order of the day was to re-plant bulbs saved over the winter and add new ones if necessary. The tubs and raised beds give a wonderful display of colour for patients once the bulbs bloom in spring.
18th November – Bead Project Speaker. We were given a fascinating presentation on how, whilst teaching in Uganda, our speaker had become involved in a jewellery making project. The Acholi people had been taught how to make the jewellery from rolled up paper by an Icelandic woman. Alison explained that by setting the whole enterprise on a more efficient business footing meant that the workers could spend more time out of the stone quarries earning money on a regular basis in a cleaner and healthier environment.
Having left Uganda Alison continued her involvement and began to sell to her local shops and at craft fairs. The business operates as a Fair trade one and she has a system set up so that the women receive their money immediately as they are usually saving it for their children’s education. She then opened the discussion to ask for member’s comments on the way forward, suggestions include diversification into selling other handicrafts, selling through the internet & craft fairs, sending beads to UK to be threaded and so benefit another group. It was agreed that members could help by collecting cereal packets and thick glossy paper (not colour supplements) – ways and means would be discussed. Members then indulged themselves and were able to purchase the jewellery for themselves. Her email address is – acholibeadcraft@yahoo.co.uk
8th December – Christmas Dinner.This year we decided to go out to a restaurant instead of having in house buffet. The location was a success and everyone enjoyed themselves. Events like these give members a chance to chat and get to know other members and for other halves to meet everyone including “Soropti-misters”.
2010
25th January – Asylum Aid Speaker. The Policy and Research Manager for Asylum Aid came to speak to us on the subject of protection from human rights abuses for women seeking aid and the notable absence of specific references to women asylum seekers in the Charter of Rights. This is a London based organization that works closely with British Red Cross and Refugee Action. They were foremost in campaigning and lobbying to make a change in policies dealing with women seeking asylum.
She outlined the legal definition of a refugee based on 5 categories which did not include gender. She illustrated the problems encountered by women in this position by telling a story and comparing it with a British woman’s story protected by the legal system in this country. Asylum Aid have just launched a campaign dealing with the rights of women seeking asylum. Members unanimously agreed that the matter of seeking the Federation support for the Women’s Asylum Charter will be taken forward through Programme Action.
17th February – British Red Cross Speaker. This organization has been the clubs yearly local cause especially in regards to their work with asylum seekers and immigrants.
26th February – Quiz Night. This was held in a local village hall. The money was donated to Project Sierra which is a chairty supported by Soroptimist International.
4th & 25th March – Carers Tea Party. These were held at John Storer House and Barrow upon Soar. Members volunteered time and food to give carers a break from their duties and the opportunity to meet others in the same positon. The carers enjoyed talking to the providers almost as much as they enjoyed the food.
12th March – Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Visit -The President attended this local womans group as part of International Women’s Day to learn more about them and to give a talk on what Soroptimism is about. The women at the temple spoke about people who had influenced their lives including Mother Theresa, Indira Ghandi and one girl spoke about her mother. We were entertained with singing and dancing and ended with a supper of asian food. Their involvement with charities reflects our work and ideals and that we hope to invite them to join us at one of our meetings.
25th March – World Water Day Tea Party. This was a fund raiser for Water Aid with the proceeds going direct to this charity. The party was held at a members house and was open to friends and relatives. To mark Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Irelands 75th year, President Jackie launched a £75.00 for 75 years Appeal. Every club in our Federation was challenged to raise a mininum of £75.00 to fund Water and Sanitation Projects in Bangladesh.
Other
Barnardos - Bric-a-Brac left over fromt he Charity Fair was donated to this shop and over £50.00 was raised by the sale of these items.
Christmas Quiz – One of our members designs a Quiz for sale and all proceeds go to the Project Sierra.