Staged by SIWD at The Holiday Inn Woking (which also sponsored the event), the event raised just over £300 for Woking Community First Responders, an award-winning team of volunteers trained to respond to emergency calls.

Jackie Theobald, president of SI Woking & District says: “We know how important it is for women and girls to be given the chance to lead and take part in decision-making at every level. We also know they do not have enough access to the skills they need to meet the challenges of leadership. These skills range from basic literacy and numeracy to vocational training and other practical abilities, and preparation for democracy and governance. In our Club in Woking, we actively support literacy projects and are developing our cooperation with Girl Guides as part of our commitment to this Soroptimist goal.”

The Studio (ADHD) Centre is a charity that has been offering support and hope to youngsters diagnosed with this condition and their families for the last ten years. Nancy Williams stresses the need to dispel the many myths that surround the condition. It is not caused, for example, by poor parenting or by poor diet. Parents – and mothers in particular – have additional responsibilities if they are to raise and support their ADHD child successfully, which means that they in turn need to be given support. While medication has a role to play, the holistic solutions advocated by The Studio (ADHD) Centre aim to develop the potential and positive characteristics of the ADHD sufferer, at the same time teaching social skills, self control, personal care and consideration for others.

Jackie Theobald, President of SIWD, says “We are pleased to be making a positive contribution to literacy in Woking.  According to Let’s Read, low literacy still exists in Woking and at times is double the national level of 19% and the worst in Surrey. International Literacy Day is also very important to Soroptimists because one of our objectives is to ensure equal access to education and training throughout the lives of women and girls.”

The aim of International Literacy Day is to remind everyone of the urgent need to intensify efforts to improve literacy globally, particularly for women and girls. According to UNESCO, two thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate adults are women and over half the 67.4 million children not in school are girls.  In a statement in 2010, UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova stressed that investing in literacy, especially for women, carries very high returns because it improves livelihoods, leads to better child and maternal health, and favours girls’ access to education.  In short, it is good for families and for society as a whole.

Can U C 2 drive? Check your sight regularly to make sure you don’t have glaucoma – that’s the message in these posters produced by the International Glaucoma Association for National Glaucoma Awareness Week.  The posters were distributed through the borough by Soroptimist International of Woking and taken up by driving-related businesses such as car retailer Colbornes Skoda.

There are very effective treatments for glaucoma, but untreated it can lead to blindness. Everyone is at risk of glaucoma, especially those over the age of forty. The International Glaucoma Association promotes research into the disease and supports sufferer.