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.

  Cervical Screening Awareness Week in 2025 takes place from June 19th to 24th. Its purpose is to highlight the importance of cervical screening for preventing cervical cancer, the most common form of cancer in women under the age of 35. The screening process checks for the human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes almost all cervical cancers. The week also aims to encourage more women to attend their screening appointments and to provide information and reassurance.

Members had a busy Saturday at our annual plant sale at the Bonnymuir Community Garden where customers could choose from a wide range of plants on offer. They included herbs, tomato and strawberry plants, chives and peppers and summer bedding plants like pansies, geraniums and marigolds. Sweet pea plants and nasturtiums were also available to buy as well as a range of perennial plants which ensure year round beauty in any garden. Large and small house plants were also available as well as hand made cards and other items with a 'gardening' theme. Thank you to all our customers for their support on the day. The proceeds from the sale will add to our charity fund which will be used to benefit charities and organisations in the coming year.  

In a local restaurant a number of club members and guests together with staff and friends of Grampian Women’s Aid spent a fun filled evening taking part in a fundraising quiz in aid of Grampian Women’s Aid, a local charity providing free, confidential and person centred support to victims of domestic abuse. More than seventy participants not only competed in teams for a variety of prizes but also enjoyed choices from the supper menu. The evening raised more than £950 including the proceeds from a raffle with prizes including a large food hamper.info@grampianwomensaid.com

Members were delighted to hear about the charity, Aberdeen Action on Disability. The chairwoman gave us a very interesting talk about the assistance the charity provides for people who have physical or sensory disabilities. The charity aims to raise awareness of disability issues and to promote social inclusion and equality of opportunity for anyone with a disability. Established in 1992, the charity is user-led and provides advice and support on matters relating to disability, and currently their efforts are being directed to addressing issues arising from the welfare reforms of the past few years. Also available is training in media studies and computer skills. At their base there is a weekly 'Drop In' social group to which all are welcome to enjoy a wide range of activities. A Book Group also meets monthly. Future plans include the setting up of a 'HUB' in their current

In a recent talk to club members a representative of NESCAN, The North East Scotland Climate Action Network, spoke about what the organisation does. Its aim is to develop community led climate action in North East Scotland to reduce and adapt to climate change, and to contribute to policy setting and decision making. NESCAN Hub Ltd, the charity set up in August 2021 is the support organisation for the network helping communities with funding for sustainability projects, providing inspiring information by video and organising community events. Members discussed their efforts to combat climate change, talking about recycling, repairing and reusing a wide variety of goods including clothing, footwear, hard and soft plastics, tablet blister packs and all kinds of paper and card. There was also a discussion about our work in various gardens in the city. We were commended for all our efforts and were