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Club News

Toilet Twinning – July 2019

We voted at our AGM to use last year’s surplus to fund a toilet block with Toilet Twinning – well this is it.  It’s a school block in Rumphi District, Malawi, Latrine number 90537.  Latitude -10.92787 Longitude 33.6267

Even better Malawi is amember of our Federation and the toilet is only 338 miles from the nearest Soroptimist Club in Blantyre!

Godalming Town Show June 2019 

SI Surrey Hills hosted their stall at the Godalming Town Show & Carnival.  We were able to spread the word about the work of the Club and Soroptimism and many visitors to our stall supported our projects by:

  • donating mini size toiletries and new flannels that we will use for our packs for the emergency childrens’ ward and the End of Life ward at the Royal Surrey County Hospital;
  • donating toiletries which we will use to create a welcome handbag for those joining theYourSanctuary, the Surrey refuges
  • and by buying books sold in aid of the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

It was a good day and we had a steady stream of visitors so thak you to all who came and spoke to us, gave us toiletries or bought our books!  And a special thank you to the lady who sought us out to thank us for the toiletry pack she received on her visit to the Royal Surrey with her daughter.  It’s great to hear we are making a difference!

Monday 13 May 2019

We were delighted to welcome Carolyn Gibbs to our first Open Speaker Meeting of 2019/20.  Caroly, the founder of the charitable trust “Forgotten Children of the Land of Lakes and Volcanos” spoke to us about her work helping the children of the island of Ometepe, Nicaragua.  Her talk was both informative – children need school uniform to attend school and teachers buy the stationery and learning equipment from their own money – and awe inspiring as we heard of the difference she has made to the community through the provision of equipment, unfiorms, musical instruments etc.   https://2newhorizons4ometepe.blogspot.com/2018/02/2018-achievements-and-plans.html

Monday 4 March 2019 – Farnham Refreshers’ Fair

The Club hosted a stall at this very popular event in order to spread the word about Soroptimism and to seek out prospective members.  We spoke to over 50 women during the afternoon and evening and were also joined by our visiting Soroptimist, Rowena from SI Esperance, Trinidad who brought the sunshine with her!

Sunday 3 March 2019 – Care International March4Women

Several members (members Ruth, Alison and Jacquie on the right) attended this inspiring event held in Westminster, and hosted by Sue Perkins.  We heard from activists such as Leyla Hussein (anti FGM campaigner), Gina Martin (who helped outlaw ‘upskirting’ photos) and from women such as Lady Hall, the President of the Supreme Court.  It was a brilliant thought-provoking afternoon with great entertainment from singers such as Beverley Knight and Imelda May.  Care International is working in 93 countries to end poverty so very much in harmony with our Soroptimist values.

Monday 11 February 2019

We held the first of our regular bookstalls for 2019 at the Royal Surrey County Hospital and raised approximately £100 for the Safe Delivery Trust, part of the RSCH’s maternity unit. This follows our bookstalls supporting the dedicated Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit which will create a dedicated area for those who are experiencing problems and perhaps loss in their pregnancy.  We raised over £500 for that project.

We were also delighted to receive a Certificate from the Royal Surrey Hospital thanking us for our work over the last 3 years or so and for raising over £1300 for the various projects.

February 2019  We delivered the third batch of toiletry packs for the End of Life and Bereavement Team at the Royal Surrey County Hospital.  This was a new project begun in 2018 and to date, over 50 packs have been assembled and delivered.  SI Surrey Hills have been asked to supply these packs because of our ongoing work with the Childrens’ ward.  We are delighted to help the Hospital and those affected in this way.  Please do help us with this work by delivering unused mini size toiletries to Mark at The Model Shop in Farncombe.

January – February 2019

As part of our ongoing work with the local Womens’ Refuge at your Sanctuary we were pleased spend some time in one of our meetings filling 12 handbags with an assortment of donated toiletries.   The bags will welcome those arriving at the Refuge who may not have brought such items with them, and give them a handbag they can keep as their own.

We presented the bags to Ann-Marie, a Senior Support Worker at the refuge, who updated us about the work of the refuge over the last 12 months.

This is a continuation of the work we have previously undertaken in support of the refuge, which includes furnishing a flat for a woman and child who had left the Refuge, fundraising to supply school uniforms for the children in the Refuge and supplying various household items to the Houses.

Saturday 24 October 2018 – Member Ruth appointed to the Board of SIGBI

SI Surrey Hills is delighted that member Ruth, a Finance Director, has been recently elected Finance Director to the Board of Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland. Her role will now involve managing the finances of the 8,000 member organisation, spread across 350 clubs in 29 countries and which has recently gained charitable status.

Ruth, has been a Soroptimist since 2003 and has played an active role in local club projects such as Smalls for All and supporting the local women’s refuge, as well as serving as Regional President of Southern England from 2015-17.  She has also used her skills to organise and run the annual conference of the organisation in Brighton in 2011, and has since delivered the role of Finance Director for the Federation’s Conference in Cardiff in 2017.

Ruth says, “I’m delighted to be able to use my business skills and experience to help this organisation, which works so hard to transform the lives of women and girls worldwide.  I am particularly excited to be able to help the Federation address the challenges associated with the recent granting of charitable status.”

Ruth’s grandmother, mother and aunts were all members of Soroptimist International in South Wales and her cousin is a member of Soroptimist International of Swansea.

SI Surrey Hills reaches 60!

SI Surrey Hills was delighted to celebrate our 60th birthday in 2019. To commemorate the occasion we held a lunch party on 1 September 2019 at Myrtle’s Courtyard, deep in the heart of the Surrey countryside. The lunch was attended by Soroptimists, both local and visiting, family members and friends. A display of photographs, newspaper cuttings and minutes from meetings held decades ago disclosed a wealth of forgotten insights into the club’s previous activities and provided food for discussion and reminiscences.

We were honoured to have as our guest speaker President-Elect (as she then was) Isobel, who gave an enthusiastic review of our 60 years of Soroptimist action. Our club president Alison and Treasurer Ruth also spoke. We all enjoyed the delicious buffet and fizz, with the celebrations continuing long after the final guests had left!