At our club meeting on 19 March, we were delighted to welcome our new member Smita Bora. Smita is pictured below with her sponsors Dorothy and Gill, while our Membership Officer Alison offers her the hand of fellowship.
Dorothy introduced Donna, whom she has heard speak on a number of occasions about the environment. Donna had worked with Soroptimists in South Africa, so is familiar with the aims of the organisation. Her background is in anthropology, psychology and economics. She had produced a diagram showing how the UN Sustainable Development Goals are all interlinked, the majority falling within the remit of health and wellbeing. She has set up a hub at the Nicholson Centre, to encourage people to try a variety of crafts, repurposing items which would otherwise be thrown away. A number of these items were passed round – an insect hotel made from a juice carton, pin holders stuffed with crushed walnut shells and/or sand which sharpens the pins, a collage made from fabric scraps. Sponsors from the business world provide a variety of materials, such as pallets which are turned
Ark Café turned Orange by Thames Valley Soroptimists The Methodist Church of Marlow generously allowed the Soroptimists of Thames Valley club to visit their populr Ark Cafe. The aim of the Soroptimists was to highlight their ongoing project which makes people aware of help for victims of Violence against Women and Girls. Throughout the world, from their 70,000 clubs, Soroptimists highlight this problem, drawing the public’s attention to it with the colour Orange, usually around the end of each month. Leaflets were handed out listing places where help is available and SI Thames Valley drew particular attention to Wycombe Women’s Aid, a local charity with whom they work closely. Soroptimist International, a leading women’s voluntary organisation, focuses on tgransforming the lives of women and girls, locally, nationally and globally through education, empowerment and enablint activities.
Join us at Bourne End Library, Wakefield Road, Bourne End SL8 5SX at 7.30pm on Tuesday 17 October 2023. SPEAKER: SEEMAB an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor FOR HIGH WYCOMBE AREA SI Thames Valley have a speaker coming to visit us on Tuesday evening, 17 October at our usual venue in Bourne End Library.(Some of our Western region clubs joined us for a regional meeting back in June so will remember the location.) We are grateful to Wycombe Women’s Aid for putting us in touch with the IDVA team and having now seen the report on Domestic Violence Courts it would seem even more timely. Seemab will describe the IDVA’s work and their support for the Women’s Aid team. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. If you would like to attend please email your name and club details as soon as possible to: sitvtreasurer90@gmail.com
Speaker Sylvia Pearl of Dianne Oxberry Trust Sushi welcomed Sylvia, and Gill a volunteer ambassador for the Trust. This charity was founded following the death of TV presenter Dianne Oxberry who died from ovarian cancer in January 2019. With just ten days between her diagnosis from the disease and her death, they are committed to raising awareness of the importance of early diagnosis. Sylvia told us she has spoken to many Soroptimist clubs via Zoom, and welcomed their support for the Trust. She explained that Dianne has been a news presenter on North West Tonight, and an investigative journalist. Her husband and friends formed the Trust to raise awareness of the symptoms and the need for early diagnosis. Sylvia spoke of the Trust’s SPREAD THE WORD campaign. Gill then identified some of the signs; if present for 3 weeks or more see your GP. Speed
Smart Works – what does this charity do? We were curious. Initially, we asked for a speaker, but instead were invited to their Reading branch. As well as learning about what they do, we were also able to see their comprehensive stock of clothing, much of it donated by retail partners. They work with unemployed women to enable them to find a job. Clients are referred to Smart Works by organisations such as the Jobcentre. They provided the following summary of their work. “Smart Works is a UK charity that provides women with the clothing, coaching and confidence they need to succeed in interviews and get the job. In the past decade, we have opened 11 centres across the UK and helped more than 30,000 women ahead of their interviews. We are proud that 69% of clients get the job within a month of their
Mary welcomed Anna Curson, our speaker at our June meeting, and gave a brief introduction to the Free Legal Advice Group for Domestic Violence. FLAG DV was set up in October 2012, and registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in October 2013. The organisation was established to fill the gap left by the reduction in Legal Aid services. Anna explained that they currently operate in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire. The service is open to anyone over 18. The charity arranges free one-to-one legal advice usually by telephone, with a solicitor or legal advisor specialising in Family Law. They have a bank of solicitors/legal advisors who give their time free. She explained the client pathway. When FLAG DV cannot help, they will signpost other appropriate charities. She spoke of her own history, and how she came to work for FLAG DV. She went on to
Starting in 2017, the aim of this project is to provide an independent review across England of how Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts should be improved for victims of abuse, the majority of whom are women. The project has been carried out by Soroptimists across England and involved c4,000 hours of volunteer time in observations and in excess of 1,000 questionnaires were submitted in relation to observations made at over 30 courts. The final report (of four) is now available (July 2023) and the collective reports together come very close to being a comprehensive report on the way in which the Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts are working on a national basis. Soroptimists stand up as advocates for all women, especially for those who have no voice. We have worked as independent observers to give the public confidence in our courts, but we also want to drive
SI Thames Valley were delighted to host the Western Group meeting at Bourne End. with members from High Wycombe, Newbury, Oxford, Slough Windsor & Maidenhead and Thames Valley clubs. Visit SI London Chilterns Region website for a report of the meeting. https://sigbi.org/london-chilterns/category/news/
Our speaker Ruth Walne played a short video that showed the range of medical procedures that they do and the effect this has on the patients and their families. Mercy Ships have been in operation for 40+ years offering free, life-changing surgeries to people in some of the poorest countries in the world. Most of Ruth’s work as a Plaster Technician, has been in West Africa. The ship arrives in country for about 9-10 months at a time. The types of surgery range from correcting bow-legs and knocked knees due to Ricketts [diet and possibly regionally related] to burns and tumour removal. On the Ruth’s Mercy Ship there were 5 operating theatres and 82 ward beds, where care givers sleep under the bed. There is a CT scanner, X-ray, a fully operational hospital Laboratory and Pharmacy. The ship is crewed by volunteers from over 40
