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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.

Review of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts in South Wales

Review of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts in South Wales

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In June and July, members of Bridgend Soroptimists joined other Soroptimists from Clubs across South Wales to undertake a review of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts (SDACs) in South Wales. This was an observational study of the courts (SDACs) in Cardiff, Llanelli, Newport, and Swansea. The goal was to assess the effectiveness of current domestic abuse legislation and suggest improvements to better support victims. This review follows recent evaluations of similar courts in England and highlights areas for improvement, aligned with findings from the UN Special Rapporteur (February 2024), who urged the UK to further act on its legal commitment to gender equality. The final report has been circulated to significant influencers across the area and will form the focus for future lobbying and cooperation in 2025. Key findings from the South Wales review include: Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs): Inconsistent presence and roles in court, ranging

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

Celebrating long service and welcoming new faces

Celebrating long service and welcoming new faces

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Bridgend Soroptimists had a double opportunity to celebrate at last week’s meeting. President Ruth was delighted to welcome Julie Phillips as a new member. Julie has joined us on a number of occasions and is now looking forward to being Soroptimist and contributing on a range of projects. We also celebrated Felicity Ladbrooke receiving her long service award for 45 years’ service as a Bridgend Soroptimist. Well done and congratulations Felicity! President Ruth said, “It has been an absolute delight this evening to formally welcome Julie and also to recognise the amazing service Felicity has given to the club. We are very lucky to have so many talented members and the club continues to go from strength to strength.” Celebrations continued over a relaxed evening of crafting when members made Christmas stars under the guidance of members Sue Jones and Sue Davies. The stars will

Afternoon Tea with Soroptimist Friends

Afternoon Tea with Soroptimist Friends

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As a club we get involved in many projects and do a lot for other people. Sunday 3rd October was an opportunity to take care of our own Club members. Many of our older members are unable to attend as many meetings as they’d like to because of ill health, mobility and transport issues, so why not create a meeting especially for them. It was a great afternoon tea hosted by Joyce at her home. It was lovely to see so many long-serving members. Everyone had a super time, enjoying good company, chattering away and indulging in delicious food. A big thank you to our drivers and cake makers and, of course, to our fabulous hostess Joyce! Hopefully this is the first of many such occasions!!

Smalls for All

Smalls for All

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During May, June and July, Bridgend Soroptimists and friends collected one hundred and ninety-one gently worn and new bras and over one hundred pairs of new knickers for the charity Smalls for All. This charity works across the UK collecting and distributing collected items to those women and girls in Africa and the UK. The project was part of our #90for90 campaign to celebrate 90 years of Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) and it was hoped that we would be able to send 90 bras to Smalls for All. It was agreed that we all have bras we no longer wear or have made a mistaken purchase and that it would be good to donate them to those who are less fortunate and can’t afford underwear. The bras in good condition are sent to women and girls in developing countries, whilst those in

Soroptimists hear how Dean turned his life around

Soroptimists hear how Dean turned his life around

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The chair of trustees at Emmaus South Wales, Julie Raikes, recently visited Bridgend Soroptimists to talk about the work the charity is doing in south Wales. Emmaus provides shelter for homeless individuals and aims to give hope and a purpose to those benefiting from its much-needed accommodation. Emmaus South Wales is the club’s chosen charity for this year. On this occasion, Julie was joined by a young man, Dean, who spoke freely and inspirationally on how his life spiralled out of control from an early age, resulting in many periods of custodial prison sentences. In April this year he was invited by Emmaus to take up residence in one of the units they are able to offer destitute individuals. He was also offered professional care and guidance. Dean has taken very positive advantage of this opportunity and has completely turned his life around. He now

Soroptimists talk about mental health

Soroptimists talk about mental health

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Bridgend Soroptimists welcomed Lisa Aske to the September meeting to speak on the mental health provided to students by Cardiff Met University. Formerly a disability advisor with Cardiff Met, Lisa diversified into mental health when the need to provide support to students experiencing such issues became apparent. She now leads a team of wellbeing advisors and student support officers at the university. President Elect Sue Newton gave a vote of thanks to Lisa on behalf of the members saying how greater awareness of the level of mental health care on offer is most reassuring.