Becky Chalk, Community & Event Organizer at Autism Wessex, gave an informative talk to members about the factors of autism and how the work of the organization supports sufferers and their families.  Support includes e.g. advocacy, advice, parent training, education, residential and day care.  The organization’s vision is that “While there is no cure for autism, we believe that with appropriate education, support or care and by making the world an easier place to understand, the impact of autism can be reduced and people with autism can be active citizens enjoying maximum independence and a good quality of life.” Anyone interested in supporting Autism Wessex are encouraged to take part in the Big Brekkie event on Thursday 2nd April in support of ‘World Autism Awareness Day’.

On Monday 19th January we held our first meeting of 2015. We lit a candle and held a short vigil in remembrance of the children of Pakistan who were massacred recently.We condemn the violence and think of their grieving families.. Here you can see some of us as the vigil ended. Also pictured is Tina Crosby, President Elect who chaired the meeting together with the speaker, Michelle Challis. She gave a very interesting talk on the work of the S.A.R.C ( sexual assault referral centre) in Bournemouth. We had been involved in in lobbying for the setting up of the centre so were glad to have an update on the current situation. Michelle said that more publicity was needed to make the public aware of the centre and the services it provided for victims.      

Just as it got dark one evening near Christmas, children in the Talbot Village area were excited to hear seasonal music and carols being played in their streets. A small train with Santa beaming and waving on top, wound its way around the estate whilst his helpers knocked on doors and collected money for our Cementing Futures Charity. Thanks to the Rotary Club of Poole Bay, who provided the train and driver, we raised £310.81p, and probably lost some weight running up and down peoples paths. A good fun evening on a not very cold night.

In November, a strong contingent went to the Harrogate Conference. Apart from listening to the inspiring speakers, taking part in the A.G.M. and absorbing the atmosphere, we enjoyed a meal with some of our Friendship link Clubs at the famous Betty’s Tea Room. Bottom left shows some of us sitting in the Conference Centre, writing post cards for the children in Dhaka, Bangladesh that we support with our education projects. Some of the funds we raised for this during the year were handed over directly to the S.I. Dhaka President. Opposite, we make an appearance in a large picture fame positioned in the gardens opposite Bettys.

Whilst many of the Club were away enjoying the SIGBI Conference at Harrogate, two of our members volunteered to staff a stall in aid of our Charity, Cementing Futures at The Allendale Centre in Wimborne. As a result nearly £100 was raised and will go directly towards educating children in Bangladesh. Thank you to  Jacqui and Maureen for holding the fort so well.

Our Charity, Cementing Futures will gain considerably from an excellent team performance by Soroptimists and friends at this year’s Bournemouth Marathon. The organisers paid us £465 for preparing bottles of water and handing them out to thirsty runners. Our water station was near the Pier and we enjoyed the atmosphere of the event and supporting Henry Hopkins who completed a half marathon in aid of Cementing Futures. His original aim was to raise £1000 to help us educate children in Bangladesh, but to date he has topped £1,760! If you would like to add more to this please go to www.justgiving.com/Henry Hopkins1. We would like to thank SI Poole and SI Southampton for their extra pairs of hands and adding to the fun. Here are a selection of photos showing us enjoying the day and congratulating Henry on his achievement.

The speaker at our meeting on Monday 15th September was Debbie Simpson, The Chief Constable of Dorset. She gave us an update on how the Dorset Police deal with a wide variety of issues that interest Soroptimists. This included trafficking, domestic violence and child protection issues. Diminishing resources are leading to an increase in the sharing of specialists between forces in the Region and an acknowledgement that partnership working with other agencies was the only way to deal with these complex issues. One interesting fact was that although there had been an increase in the number of complaints concerning domestic violence, the number of repeat victims was falling. This was due to a policy of support and seen as a key feature of the long term strategy to deal with this crime. The question session at the end of the talk was enhanced by the

Photos from the Family Fun Day. Our stall was in aid of the charity Cementing Futures. Good weather, lots of customers and a fun event.

The recent Global Summit to end Sexual Violence against Women was attended by some very well known names from both the political  and show business worlds. SIGBI had a stall there which attracted much interest about our work and Clubs. Staffing the stall was tiring but rewarding as there were live feeds from the conference  to see , workshops, other stalls to visit and contacts to make. The happy group below from our Club clearly had a wonderful day and managed a little celeb watching for some light relief!

The Guide Commissioner for Dorset Catherine Welch, was the speaker at our June meeting. She was aided by Brownie Pack leaders and we were delighted to learn about the fun that local girls had with the Bee Project. Our pack had been adapted and used as a source of inspiration to learn about the role of bees in the environment and their importance to all our lives. Bees became the inspiration for craft work, art, and honey flavoured cakes. A local bee keeper gave a talk and demonstrated the use of a smoker tool. Favourite bee flowers were planted, a bee drive invented -like the more traditional beetle drive- and best of all a “Waggle Dance” devised to imitate the flight of these insects. Our Environment Group who provided the Project Pack, were very pleased that the project had such a positive response from the