News and Views – latest edition of our Regional Newsletter
MIDLAND ARDEN REGION
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NEWS AND VIEWS October 2011 |
REGIONAL SHOP ………….A note from Ann Russell
You will have seen from your copy of Soroptimist News that the range of goods on offer at the moment is very limited. Because of that, and the fact that goods with the new logo are to be introduced gradually, I do not intend carrying much stock in the immediate future. There are no Christmas cards again this year.
However, for a trial period I am more than happy to order goods for you for collection at the next MAR meeting on 3rd December. I will not pass on the cost of the postage, and hope many of you will make use of my offer so that the postage I am charged is covered by the discount I receive. I need to have your order 14 days before the MAR meeting as it takes that length of time to get the goods from Stockport.
Thank you to all who have used the shop in the past and I look forward to continuing this service for you in the future.
Anne Russell
S.I. COVENTRY
Members attended an afternoon at Compton Verney and were able to look round the house, the garden and enjoy a cream tea. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and all members enjoyed themselves.
Lena Crockett was awarded Honorary Membership for her long service in Coventry Club. This was presented to Lena at our Members Lunch by MAR President Gail Teague. Four members were recently awarded the “Women of Achievement Award” for their achievements throughout their lives. The awards were presented by Lady Godiva (Pru Poretta) Recipients were Barbara Slater, Annette Simpson, Lena Crockett and Grace Roberts.
Our Charity Auction of Antiques and Collectables took place in October, when the auctioneer was Philip Serrell of BBC TV’s Bargain Hunt, it was a successful event, raising just under £700.
Grace Roberts and Annette Simpson will be Acting Presidents of Coventry for the remainder of this year, Grace will be in charge up to Christmas, with Annette taking over in January.
Annette Simpson
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S.I.CENTRAL BIRMINGHAM
Our summer speakers were Linda Butler on “Building the New Library in Birmingham” and Sarah Evans, Headmistress of King Edwards High School on “KEHS – an Institution run by Women for 128 years”. The September supper meeting was held at a new venue, The Queen Alexandra College in Harborne. Speaker was Jane Slatter on “Promoting the Soroptimist Brand” and guests included Tabisile Msezane of the Sithabile Centre in Johannesburg and several potential new Club members.
The Annual Lunch was held at Hornton Grange on Sunday 16th October, when we enjoyed a talk from Professor Rebecca Probert on “The Rights and Wrongs of Royal Marriages”.
In June Betty Lordan hosted a lunch in aid of our continuing support of our VSO linked volunteer and raised £535 – our link is Vicky Dyer, a teacher trainer in Cambodia. Axelle Parker, Community Appeals Officer for VSO joined a number of us for a coffee morning to update us on the work of VSO, and she will be happy to visit other Clubs in the Region.
In July President Ruth Gibson hosted an afternoon tea party at her home in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society which raised £123, Club member Louise Dawes participated in the Birmingham Great Run and the Berlin Marathon to benefit this charity. Also in July Past President Celia Charlesworth, accompanied by Mair Jones, Jean Hill and Valerie Weston Smith presented a cheque for £3,300 to Prof. Paul Moss at the School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham. Celia had chosen to support Cancer Research in Birmingham during her year as President, and the principal fund-raising event was a charity concert at Edgbaston High School featuring the Canoldir Choir and soloists from the High School.
Past President Celia, President Ruth and other Club members visited Northfield Manor School where the children who had represented the UK gave a presentation about their visit to Knoxville, USA. A link has been set up with the school, and some members will act as volunteers to listen to children reading.
In August a party visited the Avery Museum at the Avery Weigh-Tronix HQ. The museum houses probably the finest collection of weighing artefacts in the world and illustrates the development of weighing over 6,000 years, from its origins in Ancient Egypt during the time of the early Pharaohs.
We continue to support the Regional initiative producing blankets for the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa. Two members acted as sighted guides for visually impaired visitors to the Sight Village Exhibition organised by Queen Alexandra College.
We are pleased to report that the Club has used some of the legacy left to us by Christine Tobias to provide outdoor furniture for Christine’s Garden of Peace at the Sithabile Centre in Johannesburg. The furniture has been put in a little grove of trees which is shady and cool. The children use the tables extensively for homework, meals and craft work. The Centre provides a refuge for street children from Johannesburg and was very close to Christine’s heart. The remainder of the legacy will pay capitation fees of two new Clubs, the first of which being S.I.Uyanda
As a Club we are much concerned to attract new members and our Membership Committee is actively pursuing this objective.
Jenny Saxby
S.I.KIDDERMINSTER and DISTRICT
Like many Clubs, August is always our ‘R & R’ month, with little or almost no official Club commitments, a time to reflect on what has been quite a busy year so far.
In June, a number of members, friends and family went back in time dressed as Victorians to take part in a very successful Victorian Tea Party held in Tina Hobin’s garden. We raised some £400
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which has been donated to Age UK, the Stroke Association and Wyre Forest co-ordinator providing activities for adults with learning difficulties.
Our newest local project is giving support to Birchen Coppice Primary School in Kidderminster in many different ways. For the whole of the summer term two or three members regularly helped with the weekly coffee mornings which had been introduced to help parents get to know the school better. In rotation, the parents of a specific year group would be invited to join the Friday school assembly and following that with their children enjoyed some refreshments.
The highlight of the end of the school year was the Pirate themed Summer Fair, where about half of our members arrived again to run a variety of stalls – suitably clad as pirates with a number of eye patches, but alas no parrots.
Our own summer outing saw us on a reasonably pleasant July evening on a guided tour strolling through Leasowes Park in Halesowen. This park ranks highly with other prestigious historical landscapes. It was designed and created in 1743-1763 by the poet William Shenston. It is of national and international renown for its significance in being instrumental in the subsequent fundamental change of garden design. We all enjoyed the walk through the varied landscape with its cascades and pools. The evening ended with well-deserved refreshments at the “Black Horse”.
We are delighted to welcome Heather Prangley as our newest member, and attracting new members was a key issue discussed at our Reflection Day in July. This annual event provides an excellent opportunity for all members to contribute ideas on the development of the Club in a relaxed setting and there was an excellent ‘Bring and Share’ lunch to finish off.
Elke Jury and Linda Cocksedge
S.I.LEAMINGTON and WARWICK
This year is our 75th birthday, and we celebrated with a Friendship Weekend at the end of June. We were delighted to welcome twenty members from our Friendship Links in Koln-Romerturm in Germany, S.I.Apeldoorn in Holland, S.I.Birkerod in Denmark, as well as one of our own members, Hilary, who is now living in France and is a member of S.I.Angouleme.
We had a reception at Leamington Town Hall, followed by meals at various members houses, and on Saturday a visit to Charlecote Park with a guided tour (guided by one of our members) followed by a picnic down by the river, and in the evening a barbecue – when we were serenaded by the girls from Apeldoorn. The festivities ended on Sunday with lunch at Warwick Masonic Rooms, when we were also pleased to welcome other MAR club members.
Our ‘President’s Evening’ followed in July, when most members went to the Croquet Club in Kenilworth, to learn how to play – an enjoyable experience – and followed by supper at the club.
August, usually a quiet month, saw us running two car boot sales, but the 1920’s Fashion Show and afternoon tea which we had planned for September had to be cancelled. However, this has now been re-dated to 17th March 2012, and we are hoping for a good response.
in October our Annual Soroptimist Swimathon took place for the fourteenth time. The charities this year are Myton Hospice and Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance. Results of this will not be known until all the sponsorship money has been paid in, on 18th November, but it was a good day and enjoyed by all who took part. We were delighted to welcome back the team from S.I.Kenilworth, who have been great supporters of this event through the years.
Patricia M.Dent
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S.I.SOLIHULL and DISTRICT
Action packed and full of interest………the only way to describe President Angela Sadler’s first few months in office. Our annual Film Night in May featured the subject of equal pay – a showing of “Made in Dagenham” followed by a retro 1970’s style supper. Over £150 was raised and in true hands-on fashion. President Angela and Club member Gill Schofield took the money in person to Homelands School and Orphanage in Uganda, where a sewing machine was purchased to help expand the skills of the women in the area.
Three fine speakers have really focussed our thoughts on issues at the heart of Soroptimism – health, equality and the status of women. Pat Brandum spoke of the role of housing associations within the community, and Ed Williams described the innovative charity he helped form to use cricket to help spread HIV/AIDS awareness in Africa. Not often is cricket associated with Soroptimism, but a fascinating talk. In June we were honoured to welcome Rt Hon Margaret Becket MP. A brilliant evening with someone who has been at the very top of political life since the 1970s. In complete contrast, Wilson Roberts entertained us with reflections on Growing Old Disgracefully! We all made very careful notes!
The Club has also relaxed and made the most of the somewhat mercurial summer weather. A series of Summer Strolls kept us fit. A visit to the Workhouse in Southwell, Nottinghamshire was a sobering experience, and a visit to Highclere Castle provided a taster for the new series of Downton Abbey. As always, food and drink was never far from the social agenda, and on one of the sunniest days of the year we enjoyed a Pig Roast and Pimms lunch in member Helen Clarke’s garden. The Club is in good heart and is looking forward to an even busier Autumn.
Jenny George
S.I.WEST BIRMINGHAM
Theme: ‘Together we go forward’ - Three members are sharing the role of President this year, and two new members joined at the start of the Club year.
The Club has raised just over £1,000 since April 2011, for St Mary’s Hospice, Selly Oak. The money was raised by holding a Summer Supper, Coffee Morning and a Bengali Lunch – a Quiz, courtesy of the Birmingham Choral Union, is planned for March 2012 to raise further funds. A cultural event in aid of the ‘Connie Jones Fund’ – to help young women in educational projects, will take place in 2012.
The Club also maintains contact with local Girl Guides, collects jewellery, mobiles, foreign currency for Project Sierra, knits blankets for the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, and on the Day of Service next March, will collect and deliver boxes to Birmingham Crisis Centre.
Awareness talks by speakers from St. Mary’s Hospice, British Red Cross, Mental Health, and Birmingham Crisis Centre, and members take part in activities outside the Club, School Governor, Rathbone Society and Fresh Winds Client Forum.
The Club maintains links with Adelaide, Bratislava, Calcutta, Cwmbran, Frankfurt and Lyon.
Mary McCurry
From the Editor…………Thanks to all who sent in contributions for this issue –
DEADLINE for the next issue will be 14th November pmdent@btinternet.com