Once again, members of SI Beverley and District have been busy gathering, sewing, knitting and packing gifts for our friends at the Women’s Refuge in Hull. President Myra went along with Trish to deliver the boxes of Easter goodies which will become ‘welcome’ gifts for the women and their children whom they support.
President Myra Le Vine welcomed Members to the meeting and wished everyone a Happy New Year. She hoped members had managed to enjoy what was a very different Christmas and New Year. Seven of our members do not use Zoom but minutes and notifications are sent out regularly by e mail. President Myra welcomed Yorkshire President Linda who spoke about the SI Centenary tree planting project. SI Dewsbury and SI Wakefield had worked with Kirklees Council and one of their Countryside Rangers to plant trees on the site of a former rubbish tip. Digging the holes is physically hard work so they had help from husbands and youth groups including the Scouts. S I Richmond and Dales were planning to plant trees at the Jonas Centre. SI Leeds had planted 90 trees to mark their 90th anniversary as they were unable to have a celebratory
In spite of the Remembrance Day parades having been cancelled this year, members of SI Beverley and District visited the Garden of Remembrance to lay a wreath. The photograph shows President Myra, her mother and fellow Soroptimist Pat, with Trish and Berna at the War Memorial.
SI Programme Action continues despite COVID. Soroptimists International of Beverley, as have many voluntary organisations, struggled through the last few months to maintain their usual informative and social activities. Their monthly business meetings have moved to the Zoom platform and many of the summer social and fund-raising events have been cancelled. But not all the activities have ceased. Programme Action is the Soroptimist activity that is aimed at improving the lives of women and girls, both locally, nationally and internationally. Reports that during the pandemic, the incidence of domestic violence has increased, has prompted the Club to seek ways to support the affected families and their mentors in our area. COVID and the lockdown has impacted victims and survivors of domestic abuse with perpetrators behaviour becoming more violent and victims experiencing additional isolation. At the same time, many people assumed that services like refuge
President Myra is pictured presenting the Toilet Twinning certificate to Veronica Farrar, Lady Captain at the Golf Club. Members of SI Beverley and District have been saving pennies for several months in order to raise the £60 necessary to fund the provision of water and sanitation in a village in Africa. One child dies every two minutes because of dirty water and poor sanitation. In Africa, half of young girls who drop out of school do so because they need to collect water or because the school hasn’t got a basic toilet. Women and girls are vulnerable to being bitten by snakes, or attacked, as they walk to the edge of their community to go to toilet in the open, late at night. In Central African Republic, Ericaine and her family fled to a camp when militia destroyed their community. At first, they had only
HappyBirthdayBarbara!! Honarary member Barbara Newton celebrated her 90th birthday in September. President Myra ad Trish visited Barbara to convey our best wishes and to deliver cards and cake. Barbara was one of the founding members of the Beverley Club and has been a steadfast member ever since. The birthday card showed Barbara as Club President in 1967.
Members of the club have been unable to meet recently because of Covid19 regulations around social distancing. However we took advantage of the beautiful weather in August to get together in the garden for a socially distanced tea party. Members past and resent spent a happy hour greeting and catching up with friends. The opportunity was not to be missed, and £50 was raised through raffle and plant sales to go towards future projects.
President Elect Myra, Soroptimists Judy and Trish with the Soroptimist Wreath before the service at Beverley Minster. After the parade it was laid on the Beverley War Memorial in Hengate. For all those who fell or suffered in conflict We will remember them.
SI Beverley and District Grand Afternoon Tea On Sunday 6th October President Anne Lane and members of SI Beverley and District joined forces with the Tickton Village Hall Committee to hold a fundraising Grand Afternoon Tea in aid of Dementia Support East Riding. Soroptimist Liz Hallett worked hard to source lots of donated food items and fabulous raffle prizes. One hundred and ten tickets were sold, almost immediately, which had members busy producing 440 identically sized finger sandwiches on the morning of the event. Sadly the day before the event our scone donor was taken ill, but Liz Hallett powered up her kitchen and seamlessly took over scone production. Top table guests were the Mayor and Mayoress of Beverley, the Mayor of East Yorkshire and her Consort and the Vicar of Tickton. Liz Hallett gave a humorous talk about some of her experiences as the
