Ceri Edwards, who was the first President to wear the “new” chain of office, presented the chain to Marianne and wished her well for her presidential year. Marianne then took the chair and set out her thoughts for the coming year. She thanked Ceri and said she felt the responsibility and honour of becoming President. She said it was now twenty years since she had received a telephone call from member Joan Thomas, asking her to join Soroptimists. She hoped that she would be able to make future meetings more inclusive. She gave a big ‘thank you’ to Lin and a bigger one to Vikki for agreeing to take on the role of secretary. She said that Gudrun and Olga were now stepping down from the Executive and she welcomed Andy and Susan. She also thanked Eirwen for co-ordinating the evening’s refreshments and said how

President Eirwen Jones SI Bangor & District 2019/2020   It is an honour and privilege to be President of SI Bangor & District for 2019/2020. I was born in Powys but moved to Anglesey in 1965. I have been in the catering industry all my working life, but retired from being Catering Manager for the National Trust 4 years ago, and I am now busier than ever on the farm and looking after two grand daughters.  I have a son who is a farmer and a daughter who is a pharmacist. My two main Charities for the coming year are, Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU )Ysbyty Gwynedd, who require funding for new incubators and the Lung Cancer Unit, Ysbyty Gwynedd. This second charity is close to my heart, as this year is the 10th anniversary of the death of my husband from lung cancer. I know

PRESIDENT GWEN ELLIS JONES 2017/18 Incoming President Gwen Ellis Jones (left) and Immediate Past President Olga EvisonBefore retiring at the end of 2015 I worked as a peripatetic Teacher of Deaf children in Gwynedd and Anglesey. Now, retired, I am enjoying life and have never been so busy. I still make time for my interests, which include reading, walking (with my dog) and going to the theatre. Since joining Bangor Soroptimists I have been involved with Project/Programme Action work and have come to appreciate how much our organisation is able to help not only girls and women but whole communities both locally and worldwide. Last year was a most successful year for us at Bangor, with money raised for local charities, various and varied guest speakers, delicious lunches and general friendship and goodwill. One of the highlights was being awarded the Certificate of Excellence for

I was brought up in Aberdyfi, Meirionnydd and moved to Caernarfon in 1974 following Local Government re-organisation. My work background is Office Administration and I worked for the North Wales Magistrates Courts Committee for many years before joining Bangor University 16 years ago. My charities this year are the North Wales Society for the Blind and the Ogwen Mountain Rescue. Hopefully we can fund raise a substantial amount together raising money for other worthwhile charities. I envisage a very busy year ahead continuing all the hard work with plenty of fun and of course, the friendship we all enjoy so much. I am married to Peter, a retired Quantity Surveyor and have a son working as a builder in South Wales and a daughter working at a Children’s Hospital as a Physiotherapist in Adelaide, Australia. I have been a Soroptimist since 2009.

I’m Anne Griffith, and I am married with 3 grown-up children living in Spain, New York and London. I’ve been a Soroptimist since 2006 and NEVER imagined I would be Club President, but somehow here I am. I’ve recently started Zumba and Pilates in order to keep my strength up for the year ahead! My background is in teaching, specifically in Dyslexia tuition and English as an Additional Language but now I’m enjoying the busy and very varied life of a Soroptimist. My theme for the year is “Let’s use our skills to bring dignity to others”,and I hope S.I. Bangor will do this through our support for Mary’s Meals, Young Carers, Teams4U and Freedom From Fistula. I’d like to balance fundraising with practical action and have deliberately chosen my charities to fit in with Programme Focus areas so we’ll be lobbying, marching, re-cycling, knitting