As part of the campaign to stop violence against women and girls members installed an orange post box 'topper', created by a club member, at a focal point in a busy residential and shopping area in the city, to raise community awareness of and mark the 16 days of activism.

On the night of 25th November, the first day of the 16 Days of Activism campaign to end gender based violence, a group of members joined many more women of all ages in the local march to 'Reclaim the Night' in Aberdeen city centre. His Majesty's Theatre was a gathering point, lit up to mark the occasion.  

Members have recently spent several hours printing out posters and assembling information sheets in preparation for the 16 Days of Activism (25 November -10 December) when around the world individuals and organisations unite to raise awareness of and take action against all forms of gender based violence. This year's theme is 'Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls'. The colour Orange is used to promote the global campaign  symbolising a future that is bright and free from violence against women and girls. Members will encourage staff in a number of shops to support the campaign by decorating their windows. A group of members also set up and manned a table top sale in a local church. Items for sale included Christmas gifts and decorations made and donated by past and present club members. Proceeds from the sale will be distributed to various

A founder of the charity Team Jak Foundation gave our club members an inspiring talk about the ten year history of the charity and the work it has done in that time to establish ways of supporting families with children and young adults with cancer aged 0 to 25 years old , and to those who are bereaved. Across Scotland the charity has provided hundreds of families and friends with emotional, social and practical support, all their actions inspired by the founder’s son Jak who passed away aged 15 years and whose wishes and plans were the starting point for the charity.info@teamjak.org.uk ‘CREATING SMILES,EASING THE JOURNEY’

Afternoon tea was greatly enjoyed by a group of members to celebrate the long service of four members with certificates and bouquets of flowers awarded in recognition of 20 years, 25 years and 40 years as members of SI Aberdeen. Photos of past club events were passed around and stories of members’ successes were swapped with much humour and delight!  

Club members were delighted to welcome the SIGBI (Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland) Federation President to Aberdeen during her recent visit to Scottish clubs. A group joined her for lunch and visited two places in the city which have particular significance to our club - the Beechgrove Housing Complex and the Winter Gardens at the city's Duthie Park.     The Beechgrove housing complex which was developed in the grounds of Beechgrove House, bequeathed to our club by Mary Esslemont, a well known local GP, club member and city burgess, was run for many years by the SI Aberdeen Housing Society, and three stained glass windows on display in the Winter Gardens were saved from a beach promenade building, restored and then gifted to the gardens to mark the Golden Jubilee of Soroptimist International in 1971.  

Two club members accepted an invitation to attend the Team Jak Foundation Ladies Day in a local hotel. Team Jak, founded ten years ago following the sad death of Jak Truman at the age of fifteen, provides emotional, social and practical support to children and young people with cancer, and to their families and friends. Activities and support is available at ‘Jak’s Den’ in Aberdeen and Livingstone and at ‘Pop Ups’ in Fife, Glasgow and Lothian and Borders. In addition the charity  provides hospital support and outreach to family homes. It also collaborates with other charities. Lunch was enjoyed by over sixty guests and the day was full of fun with prize draws and competitions while  entertainment was all about dance and song with highland dancing by Dance Co Aberdeen and the amazing repertoire of Dynamo Divas Fife. Several stalls were also busy selling a

Over the sunny summer weeks our keen gardening members have been tending a variety of local gardens including the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary staff and patients' gardens, one of which is a Chelsea Flower Show award winning garden, as well as the Rubislaw Maternity Ward garden and the baby memorial garden at Hazlehead cemetery.   Pots have been planted up creating beautiful splashes of colour around the gardens while flower beds, paths and seating areas have been tidied making them all look their best for everyone to admire and enjoy.  

Absafe, the North East of Scotland’s only charity dedicated to health and safety education, was host at its Aberdeen headquarters to a group of members participating in an online safety course. The charity teaches all aspects of health and safety including road and water safety as well as cyber security and mental wellbeing. Club members welcomed the opportunity to learn more about keeping safe online. The course included online behaviour recommendations with emphasis on the use of passwords and password security, awareness of phishing emails and various types of scam messages. Advice was given about the wise use of social media platforms and the group discussed the particular online targeting of women.

As part of our annual summer outing a group of members enjoyed a very pleasant, extensive walk around the beautiful grounds surrounding Crathes Castle, built  in the sixteenth century and situated near Banchory, a town in Aberdeenshire. Owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland the grounds are particularly well known for the walled garden which is divided into distinct sections. These include the Gold Garden, the Upper Pool Garden, the Evolution Garden and the Fountain Garden. Meticulously cared for, the gardens are a delight of colour and layout all year round, and feature gravel paths for easy access for visitors. The views from vantage points show visitors the wonderful surrounding countryside scattered with woodlands and fields.