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A new President for Bridgend Soroptimists

A new President for Bridgend Soroptimists

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Bridgend Soroptimists held their AGM at the Heronston Hotel on 30th April and welcomed their new President, Sue Newton. Unfortunately outgoing president Ruth Kemp-Davies was unable to attend the meeting. President Sue expressed her thanks to Ruth for all the work she has done to make the last year so successful. Highlights have included the organisation Ruth has brought to the role, including running very effective Club and Executive meetings and the Summer garden party Ruth hosted at her home. Ruth’s chosen President’s Charity was Emmaus South Wales. She had really good engagement with the team there and we all enjoyed an inspirational talk from one of their companions, who had turned his life around as a result of the support Emmaus provided to him. Ruth has been professional and dignified throughout the year and is a terrific representative for Soroptimism and for us in Soroptimist

Bridgend Soroptimists raise £2,400 for Emmaus South Wales

Bridgend Soroptimists raise £2,400 for Emmaus South Wales

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Last week staff and trustees were invited along to Bridgend Soroptimists New Year dinner, where President Ruth Davies-Kemp, presented Emmaus South Wales a cheque for £2,400 following a successful fundraising raffle. The raffle was drawn at our Christmas meeting on 11th December and featured some fantastic prizes. Some examples include a £100 jewellery voucher from D & M Davies Jewellers, a luxury Christmas hamper, and a £50 John Lewis voucher donated by Qualia Law. Bridgend Soroptimists decided to organise the raffle after a visit from Chair of Trustees, Julie Raikes, and Companion Dean last year. Julie and Dean visited a couple of club meetings and spoke to the Soroptimists about the work Emmaus South Wales do to support people overcoming homelessness and social exclusion. Julie Raikes, Chair of Trustees at Emmaus South Wales said, “On behalf of everyone at Emmaus South Wales, we would like

Bridgend Soroptimists New Year Dinner

Bridgend Soroptimists New Year Dinner

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Bridgend Soroptimists were delighted to invite friends and guests to their New Year Celebration Dinner held at the Bridgend Masonic Hall. Amongst our guests were The High Sheriff of Mid Glamorgan, Dr. Richard Lewis, Deputy Mayor for Bridgend County Borough Council, Cllr Huw David, friends from Bridgend Rotary, including Acting President John McCarthy and President Elect Paul Cheadle, and staff and trustees from Emmaus South Wales. Members of other local Soroptimists clubs were also welcomed to the event, including several members from the newly formed SI Minerva. As well as an excellent meal and convivial company, guests were wowed by the feats of a close-up magician both at their tables and during a performance from the stage. The evening ended with the presentation of a cheque for £2,400 to Emmaus South Wales to support people overcoming homelessness and social exclusion.

Successful Fundraising Raffle

Successful Fundraising Raffle

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We are delighted to announce the results of our Grand Prize Draw for 2024. The raffle was drawn at our Christmas meeting on 11th December. We had a variety of fantastic prizes, including a £100 jewellery voucher from D & M Davies Jewellers, a fabulous Christmas Food Hamper worth £75, a voucher for £50 from John Lewis, donated by Qualia Law, a bottle of single malt whiskey, and many more! We are delighted to say that we raised £2387.70 for Emmaus South Wales! Thank you to all who supported us. And a HUGE THANK YOU to all who donated prizes, it is much appreciated. Full details of the prizes and prize winners are available here.

Soroptimists Decorate Christmas Tree

Soroptimists Decorate Christmas Tree

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Bridgend Soroptimists were pleased to take part in the Christmas Tree Festival held at Nolton Church in Bridgend. As well as the traditional baubles and lights, the tree was beautifully decorated with decorations made by club members at a craft evening in October. A poster reminded visitors to the festival what Soroptimist International is all about and encouraged them to find out more by contacting SI Bridgend. The Soroptimists also donated prizes to the raffle held throughout the festival. One of the Festival organisers, Mandy Buckley, said, “Thank you for entering a tree into our festival. There were so many fantastic trees and lots of very positive comments from our visitors about your creativity and ingenuity. The raffle raised £1885.15 for SPLICE Child and Family Project, a very worthwhile project helping families with young children across the Bridgend Borough.”

Bridgend Soroptimists ‘Orange the World’

Bridgend Soroptimists ‘Orange the World’

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Bridgend Soroptimists took part in the UN campaign of 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. The campaign ran from 25 November until 10 December and included a range of activity. A number of displays were mounted throughout Bridgend and the district, including Cowbridge Library, the Heronston Hotel in Bridgend, Bridgend Leisure Centre and the Princess of Wales hospital. Each of these displays contained information about Soroptimist International, the projects SI Bridgend are involved in and an orange wreath. The orange wreaths were made from knitted, crocheted and fabric flowers, each one representing women affected by domestic violence every day. Each wreath also contained two purple flowers which symbolised the number of women killed in the UK every month through domestic violence. The displays generated a great deal of interest as did the ongoing social media campaign during the 16 days of activism.

Christmas Gifts from Bridgend Soroptimists

Christmas Gifts from Bridgend Soroptimists

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This year Bridgend Soroptimists have once again acted as Father Christmas for a number of organisations. To begin with, a selection of luxury toiletry items were carefully chosen and popped into pretty washbags to create beautiful pamper bags for the ladies in the Bridgend Women’s Refuge. The children in the refuge were given selection boxes and other Christmas gifts. Members also wrapped Christmas goodies for the companions at Emmaus South Wales, some of whom have not received any Christmas gifts for quite some time. And last but not least, children’s toys and books were collected for SPLICE Child and Family Project to be distributed amongst families in the area who are struggling at this expensive time of year. We’d also like to thank Liam Dixon, a generous friend and supporter of Bridgend Soroptimists, who added a large number of Selection boxes to our donation to

Blankets for dementia patients

Blankets for dementia patients

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Knitting needles and crochet hooks have been very active as once again Bridgend Soroptimists knitted and crocheted blankets for the local hospitals. The blankets are used by dementia patients, helping them to identify their personal spaces and providing a touch of home comfort. Taking delivery of the latest batch of blankets, Anne Jones at Glanrhyd Hospital said she was very grateful for this donation and was looking to receiving more in the future.

Welcoming new members

Welcoming new members

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SI Bridgend has been pleased to welcome two more new members during the autumn period. Julie Philips joined us after the summer break and was inducted as a Soroptimist in October. And Angela Parry joined us at the start of the autumn and was inducted in November. We look forward to getting to know Julie and Angela and sharing our Soroptimist values with them.

A life-changing opportunity for Binita in Nepal

A life-changing opportunity for Binita in Nepal

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This receipt shows how much we have given to the Women  and Girls campaign for Pipal Tree. Thank you to everyone who bought the jewellery and the mandalas. Once again Bridgend Soroptimists made a donation to Pipal Tree which thanks to The Big Give Women and Girls Match Fund was doubled in value. This receipt shows our donation – thank you to everyone who bought jewellery and mandalas. Our donation will help support the education of girls in Madhesh Province, south Nepal. Girls like sixteen-year-old Binita Mahara, pictured here. Binita is a sixteen-year-old girl living with a disability (she was born with one eye) who this year successfully passed the very challenging Secondary Education Examination (SEE – equivalent to GCSE). This is a remarkable achievement for a girl who lives in a flimsy hut in rural south Nepal, her parents impoverished day labourers. Without our