Programme Action work
Programme Action is at the heart of the Preston Club and every member is encouraged to participate in some way to achieve the programme goals to ensure that women and girls:
• enjoy equity and equality
• live in a safe and healthy environment
• have access to education
• have leadership and practical skills
During the past year the Club has -
• worked with the local Salvation Army homeless project to providing shoes boxes at Christmas and made fruit pies as part of the Saturday of Service Day.
• played an active part in the Preston Child Contact Centre providing the management and volunteers.
• provided refreshments at the monthly Parkinson’s Disease Society meetings.
• provided items for the local Women’s Refuge.
• raised money for the NW Air Ambulance and for CLIC Sargent Cancer Fund for Children.
• produced bookmarks highlighting signs of Domestic Violence and distributed them to high schools and other organisations in the area.
A member of the Club represents the North West Region on the Domestic Violence Forum run by Lancashire Constabulary and individual members are representatives of the Club on organisations such as Save the Children, Life Education, Water for Kids, Partners in Education Swaziland.
Guild Shield
Once every 20 years Preston Guild is celebrated. In 1992 when Marion Fogarty, a Club member, was President, she presented a Shield to be awarded each year until the next Guild, to a primary school in the Preston area which provided the best environmental project.
Next year – 2012 – it will be a Guild Year and so this year is to be the final year that Marion will organise the competition.
We hope to hold an event during 2012 to commemorate Marion’s hard work and to bring together all the schools which have won the shield over the past twenty years.
The 20th and final Guild Shield was won by St Mary Magadelene Primary School in Penwortham for their wonderful garden. The gardening club children tend the garden with loving care and each year the garden literally grows to the point when now they are able to use and the produce. The club gave the school £100 to invest in the garden.
We are hoping to work in partnership with the Salvation Army and so far, have the members have been collecting non perishable food items for the Salvation Army’s food bank project.
- President Karen with some of the food for the Salvation Army food bank.
Anti Slavery Day found members of the club in the Harris Library manning a stand promoting the work of the Purple Teardrop Campaign. Members of the public were asked to sign a petition against ‘Sex for Sale’ ads and given a purple ribbon to wear. Preston’s Mayor, Bobby Cartwright came along to support the club as did Valerie Wise.
- President Karen, Mayor Bobby Cartwright and Valerie Wise on Anti Slavery Day.
Members wrapped and filled more than forty shoe boxes to send to the Salvation Army’s homeless. Items included socks, boxer shorts, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Major Babcock was delighted with the donation.
Meanwhile collecting non perishable for the Salvation Army foodbank carries on a pace.
ANTI TRAFFICKING DAY
The club are holding an anti trafficking day to raise awareness of human slavery and trafficking. It is to be held on Friday March 16th at the Salvation Army HQ in Harrington Street in Preston. Speakers include Chris Wilde from Lancs Police who will speak on a local investigation, Tony Mulcahy from Drugline who will talk on a more global view, Phillipa Roberts from Hope for Justice and Mark Hendricks MP. The day will be opened by the Mayor, Cllr Bobbie Cartwright and Valerie Wise from Preston Domestic Violence Services will chair the day.
Tickets are £10 each to include coffee throughout the day and lunch.