Seal Tea Set – 26 May On an extremely hot afternoon Sandie and Kathy were invited to Seal Tea Set’s monthly meeting held in Seal Library.  Sandie gave a wonderful account of what a Soroptimist means, what we do and how we raise awareness and money for various good causes. This was followed by tea and wonderful cake elegantly served on beautiful China. One lady is interested in joining the Soroptimists and we were given some lovely toys which we will take to the Sevenoaks Refuge. We were also given a generous donation of £30 towards our President’s charity this year – West Kent Mind.  We are delighted to receive it. Kathy Jordan SI Sevenoaks

Coffee and New Members Morning – 21 May On a wonderfully sunny morning, a small but select number of members and guests attended Sandie’s coffee morning in aid of our President’s charity this year – West Kent Mind. A selection of lovely cakes were consumed. The tombola and guess the weight of the handmade cake, kindly supplied by Vicky raised £120. Tracy was the lucky winner of the wonderful cake. An extra £37 was made from the follow-up plant sale. Kathy Jordan SI Sevenoaks

30/4/26 – Whilst attending the Independent Advisory Group (IAG) for the local police at the Sevenoaks District meeting held at the Sevenoaks Fire Station; SI Sevenoaks members and other attendees were treated to a tour of the Fire Station by Ben Frake, Station Leader. The Pump left on an emergency callout just as we arrived, unfortunately we did not witness them sliding down the pole as the station no longer has one!  We were encouraged to try on the clothing to witness how heavy they are. We all had an enjoyable and informative evening.  

25/4/26 – Eight ladies from SI Sevenoaks attended the monthly Orange the World Coffee morning at the Cornflower Café at Coblands Garden Centre. Raising awareness with members of the public to end gender-based violence.  Orange represents a future free from violence against women and girls. Apart from the wonderful weather, coffee and large helpings of cake we  took the opportunity to buy some spring flowers too.

SI Sevenoaks members recommenced their monthly gardening duties at the Vine on a wonderfully sunny Tuesday 21/4/26. The spring gardens looked magnificent, especially the Wisteria arch. The theme for this year’s South and South East in Bloom will be celebrating David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and the colours are blues, greens and yellows. Fingers crossed for a Gold Medal.

SI Sevenoaks have been collecting clothes and shoes to help Gatwick Detainees – one of our former members, Beverley, is a supporter of this charity.  On 14th March we delivered to Beverley a suitcase, a rucksack and a huge storage bag all full of clothes and shoes for the Gatwick Detainees. She thanked us profusely and asked us to continue collecting! Sandie Higgs SI Sevenoaks

SI Sevenoaks President Margaret Crabtree welcomed members and guests to our annual President’s lunch on Tuesday 17th March at the Nizels Golf and Country Club Hildenborough near Tonbridge. Our special guests were SEE Soroptimist Intl Region President Dr. Roxanne St Clair who spoke on the work of Commonwealth Girls Education fund;  Cllr Tony Clayton The Worshipful the Mayor of Sevenoaks Town proposed the toast to Soroptimist International of Sevenoaks; Gill Clayton Mayoress Sevenoaks Town; Pip Lawrence Interim Chief Operating Officer West Kent Mind – Presidents Margaret’s chosen charity for the year; Elizabeth Dolding Warners Solicitors South East and Past SEE Region President Sue Edgar. We were delighted that fellow Soroptimists members from Tunbridge Wells, Bromley, East Grinstead, Croydon and Folkestone were able to join us. The raffle was held in aid of West Kent Mind Sevenoaks raising the amazing sum of £355. Together with donations

SI Sevenoaks were delighted to hear a talk by member Shirley on 10th March about her wonderful work making trauma teddies.  Shirley knits these whilst watching television – she says it keeps her awake – and currently she has knitted more than 900 bears!  The teddies have been donated to schools, Police and Fire services, hospitals and the latest batch has just been delivered to Ukraine for children there.  Here is a report from the charity’s newsletter: ‘Is there anything that says ‘we care’ more than a box of lovingly knitted bears? Thanks to the enthusiasm of Shirley, one of our supporters, this box of 80 bears was  sent to Ukraine in a recent shipment.  Alla, from Ukraine on Palms, the charity we partner with in Ukraine, forwarded this note from a grateful recipient: “… this is the mother of a little boy, thank you

Several members of SI Sevenoaks club celebrated International Women’s Day by attending a lunch organised by the Sevenoaks Town Council and hosted by Mayor Cllr Tony Clayton. The event welcomes local working women and volunteers; girls from local schools and apprentices so that we can enjoy the speakers and lunch and network together. The speakers were excellent – Linden Kemkaran, Leader of the Kent County Council; Emily Heritage Assistant Project Manager at FM Conway Ltd Structures Division and Renee Imafidon author, creative portfolio entrepreneur specializing in gender equity, social entrepreneurship and community building.  After a pleasant lunch the Mayor called the raffle and a good sum was raised for his local charities.  We all received IWD badges and pens – a nice touch! Pictured are SI Club Members Linda Larter (our Town Clerk), Tracey Kemp, Eleanor Burns, Club President Margaret Crabtree, Mayor Cllr Tony Clayton,

The UN says ‘International Women’s Day 2026 (IWD 2026), under the theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”, marks a moment to amplify our collective determination. No matter how deeply rooted the sexism or how discouraging the politics, we refuse to step back or abandon our mandate. Instead, we climb together – for the rights and empowerment of all women and girls. This year, IWD 2026 calls for action to dismantle the structural barriers to equal justice: discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls.” https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/international-womens-day