About our Region
Welcome to the Region of Soroptimist International of Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland is a country within the United Kingdom lying in the north east of the island of Ireland. It covers 5,459 sq miles (14,139sq metres) – about a sixth of the island’s total area. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. Its population is approximately 1.7 million – about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland consists of six of the nine counties of the historic Irish province of Ulster.
Soroptimist International of Northern Ireland has 14 Clubs in its region. These include:-Ballymena, Ballymoney, Bangor, Belfast, Coleraine, Downpatrick, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Lisburn, Londonderry, Lurgan, Newtownabbey, Newtownards, and Newry and Mourne.
The Regional Executive Team includes:
President – Mrs Hazel Holmlund
President Elect - Mrs Miriam Hamilton
Regional Vice President - Mrs Irene Miskimmon
Regional Immediate Past President – Mrs Eleanor Ferris MBE
Honorary Secretary - Mrs Mary Atkinson
Honorary Treasurer – Mrs Valerie Miskimmon
Programme Action Chair – Mrs Maura Maginn
Extension and Membership – Mrs Doreen Tennis JP
Federation Councillor – Mrs Sue Hogg
Development Officer – Mrs Jennifer Loughridge
Biographies on our Regional Officers may be found on a separate page.
IMPORTANT
REGIONAL DATES
1st meeting – Regional Council will be held on Saturday 19 November 2011 in Stricklands, Bangor, at 1.30 p.m.
President’s Lunch and Workshop – Saturday 21 January 2012, Broughshane, at 10.00 a.m.
Regional Final of the Youth Award Public Speaking Competition- Saturday 25 February 2012, Great Hall, Parliament Buildings, Stormont
2nd meeting – Regional Council will be held on Saturday 24 March 2012 in Downpatrick
3rd meeting – Regional Council will be held on Saturday 15 September in Enniskillen.
Annual General Meeting - 19 May 2012, Wexford
Annual North/South Conference - 18 – 20 May 2012, Wexford
The Belfast Conference will run from 25th – 27th October 2012.
Club News
Congratulations to Mrs Isobel Holmes on receiving Honary Membership of the Region, for 47 years service, at the AGM which was held on Saturday 7 May 2011.
Congratulations to Mrs Alice Chapman, President, SI Belfast, on receiving an OBE in the New Years Honours.
Congratulations to Maura Maginn on her appointment as Vice Chair of UKPAC.
TALK ABOUT AN OPPORTUNITY!
If you think that teenage girls restrict their talking to girlie gossip and telephone chit-chat, think again. Young women from Northern Ireland
have an enviable track record in the art of public speaking and their skills are about to be aired in a major, Province-wide competition.
Entries are now being invited for the Annual Youth Award Public Speaking Competition, organised by Soroptimist International, supported by Progressive Building Society. The competition is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary by having the Final in Stormont hosted by Anna Lo MLA on Saturday 26th February 2012.
The competition is one of the largest held in the Province and is expected to attract more than a hundred entrants who will compete for the honours, a handsome perpetual trophy, a £250 bursary and the chance to deliver their speech at the North/South Annual Soroptimist Conference. The winner’s school will also receive book tokens to mark the win.
The event is open to girls in Years 12 and 13 from schools and colleges across Northern Ireland. This year they are invited to choose their
topics from:
- The European Union – a victim of its own success?
- Tuition fees – back to the days when you needed class or brass to go to university?
- ‘Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites’ (William Ruckelshous, Business Week 18.6.1990)
- In today’s digital era anyone can be a citizen journalist – is that a good or bad thing?
- Challenges of an ageing population – is it my problem?
- 2012 Olympics – a ‘winner’ forBritain?
- ‘Equality for women and girls is not only a human right – it is a social and economic imperative’ (Ban Ki-moon UN Secretary
General)
Looking forward to the annual challenge, Dr Joan Smyth, Chairman of Progressive Building Society, said, “As Northern Ireland’s largest locally owned mortgage lender, Progressive is delighted to support both the Soroptimists and this excellent competition.
“The young women who take part in this annual public speaking challenge will be learning and refining skills which will be of considerable value to them in later life. The capacity to speak constructively and well in a public setting is an enviable and important talent and our teenage competitors would already stand comparison with many more mature and experienced orators.
“We look forward to spirited and accomplished speeches, but I am sure that, in the very best sense, we will not have heard the last of these talented young women at the conclusion of the competition.”
Hazel Holmlund, Incoming Northern Ireland Regional President of Soroptimist International, said, “Our organisation was established to allow women in management and professions the opportunity to advance human rights and the status of women through service projects. I feel that this annual competition is an excellent example of those objectives in action.
“The girls who meet in competition have the opportunity not only to polish and showcase their public speaking talents, but also to meet new people and develop valuable inter-personal skills.
“The prospect of speaking in public is a daunting one, made even tougher when it is in front of a judging panel. In the past however we
have seen that our young women are more than up to the challenge and we look forward to some lively and constructive speeches from our candidates this year.”
Any girl who wishes to enter this competition should contact her school, local club convener or Rosemary Fuller on tel. no. 028 9265 1088/ debram.fuller@gmail.com. Entry forms to be received on or before 16th October 2011.
Carbon Footprint Leaflet produced by Downpatrick and District Soroptimists
Soroptimists International Goals for years 2009-2010 includes Objective 6 – “Mitigate the effects of Climate Change and Integrate sustainability into personal choices and government policies and programmes.”
In the light of recent activity in relation to Climate Change issues and the Copenhagen Talks, Downpatrick and District Soroptimists have produced a Carbon Footprint Leaflet relevant to Northern Ireland. Isabel Hood, a Lecturer in Environmental Studies and Economics with the Open University, provided invaluable assistance and guidance.
The leaflet is designed to raise awareness of, and provide ideas on how to reduce, the individual and family’s carbon footprint. For example it provides website details to allow readers to work out their own carbon footprint. This site also provides suggestions how to “offset” that energy use. Also did you know that in Northern Ireland car use is higher than any other region in the UK. The leaflet also encourages the reduction of packaging from supermarkets.
While the leaflet was produced by Downpatrick Soroptimists Club, following presentation to our Regional Programme Action Committee, it is to be rolled out across Northern Ireland in 2010 via our sister Soroptimist clubs for distribution in their local areas. Our club is to provide guidance and suggestions based on our experiences.
We are delighted to be able to say that Down District Council have permitted us to locate leaflets in all Council run centres including Museums, Arts & Leisure Centres in the New Year. Through our involvement with our local Council this will provide a template of action for other other Soroptimist clubs in the Province to follow.
We are aware of the Leaflet’s value as an educational tool within schools. For example primary schools p3-p5 curriculum includes “The World Around Us”. Down District Council Educational Officers have agreed to include the Carbon Footprint leaflet in their “Eco News” leaflet that goes out twice a year to all schools in the District, (64 in total of which 19 are post primary).
The Carbon Footprint Leaflet is available to download FREE from our website www.soroptimists.info
Miriam Hamilton, Club President of Soroptimist International Downpatrick and District presents specialist equipment for the Sensory Room of the Special Needs Unit to Colin McCready (pupil) and Jean Campbell (acting Vice-Principal). The £1100 used to purchase the equipment had been raised by The Downpatrick Soroptimists walking in the Belfast Marathon last year. Members are getting into training again for this years event.
Miriam, formerly a physiotherapist with the unit, now provides aromatherapy sessions for the pupils on a voluntary basis.
At the first meeting after the summer break President Miriam Hamilton of Downpatrick Soroptimists invited the beneficiaries of the club fundraising efforts to speak to the group and receive cheques for £770 each. Mountain Rescue & Riding for Disabled Association (RDA) are the two organisations chosen to benefit from Downpatrick Soroptimists Fundraising efforts. £1540 was divided equally between the two groups whose presentations gave an excellent insight into their work. Mountain Rescue are putting the money towards a specially designed lightweight stretcher, while the money donated to RDA will go towards specially designed holidays with support for the disabled riders.