Congratulations, Sharon on an amazing year as Regional President for SI Wales South. You have had a fantastic year and we are very proud of you. We wish incoming President Rachel the very best for her year in office.
As many of you may be aware, as Soroptimists we hold 16 days of Activism from 25 November through to 10th December. In addition we join with many other Soroptimist clubs to hold an Orange Cafe on 25th of each month – raising awareness of Soroptimism as well as our ‘Say No to Gender-based Violence’ Campaign. On 25th September, a group of Bridgend Soroptimists met in Cowbridge for coffee and a chat – with our ever-present Orange Shoe and Poster. We generated a great deal of interest and enjoyed fun and friendship.
Members of SI Bridgend gathered at the home of Joyce Chatteron to celebrate Honourary Membership being awarded to Lily Laesser. Lily has been a valued member for 37 years and has served as a club officer on several committees and was Club President twice. Lily continues to be involved in club matters and attends club meetings and functions whenever possible. Always smiling and full of fun, Lily was delighted to receive her Honorary Membership Certificate from President Lesley.
Bridgend Soroptimists enjoyed a visit to the the lovely gardens at Gileston Manor. We were joined by friends, family and Soroptimist friends from across the region. A fantastic history to Gileston Manor was shared with us through the very knowledgeable Head Gardener, Jack. The rain certainly didn’t dampen our spirits as we knew there was a sumptuous afternoon tea awaiting us. Thanks to Anne Hughes and Sue Davies for organising our lovely afternoon.
Soroptimist International is a world-wide organisation with 72,000 members in 122 countries and is a Global Voice for Women. Alongside our annual Federation (SIGBI) conference, Soroptimist International holds a quadrennial Convention and in 2023 this was in the historic city of Dublin, in Ireland. Two Bridgend Soroptimists, Judith Lewis and Rayner Rees, joined 1600 Soroptimists from all five Federations including Soroptimist International Africa Federation, Soroptimist International of the Americas, Soroptimist International of Europe, Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland and Soroptimist International of the South West Pacific. The theme of the Convention was ” Challenge the Future” and brought together speakers from across the globe, as well as a series of seminars, workshops, round table discussion and poster sessions. Take this visual trip through the convention. SI Bridgend was delighted that it’s Programme Action poster was selected for display. The poster highlights the work
Pamper, chocolates and chat. Two Bridgend Soroptimists, Sue Newton and Sharon Dixon, spent a busy afternoon at a local women’s refuge making the ladies there feel special. Pamper time. Face packs. Hand Massage. Nails. Music, a cheeky glass of chilled Schloer and lots of chatter! A good time was enjoyed by all and brought positive benefits all round.
On Wednesday 28th June, SI Bridgend made a wonderful donation of 12 Slow Cookers to the Women’s Refuge, Llamau, in Bridgend.The club organises easy cooking sessions with the women at Llamau’s refuge in Bridgend and recognised the need for equipment to encourage healthy eating. Hannah Jones, who has worked with Welsh Women’s Aid for 15 years was delighted to accept the cookers. We also welcomed Katie from Welsh Women’s Aid. Katie was so passionate about her role and it was a joy to hear her share many of the wonderful things that Welsh Women’s Aid are achieving and working on, one of which is “Live fear free” ; thank you Katie. We are looking forward to the ‘Ask Me’ Training in the coming weeks.
Last Friday SI Bridgend held a successful membership drive. Fun, Friendship and Prosecco Invitations via a leaflet drop and personal invitations saw 5 potential members join us. We look forward to seeing them at future meetings – and hope to share good news of our newest members soon!! Well done SI Bridgend
Bridgend Soroptimists were delighted to welcome Nancy Lidubwi, the policy manager at BAWSO, to a recent meeting as our guest speaker. Nancy explained the work that BAWSO do and spoke about issues concerning violence against women, trafficking, FGM and modern day slavery victims. BAWSO has offices in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham to cover all of Wales. Demand for its services continues to increase and in spite of funding from Welsh Government and Social Services, also depends on charitable donations. Housing for refugees features heavily on its workload, which includes meeting educational and social needs. BAWSO is President Lesley’s chosen charity for 2023-2024. President Lesley thanked Nancy for her very interesting presentation and pledged our support for the coming year.
Members of SI Bridgend gathered in friendship and fun to highlight Membership Month. Starting with a great walk in Cowbridge, a small group of members then gathered for coffee and chat. It was a great opportunity to display our leaflets and orange shoe, raising awareness of Domestic Violence alongside what it is to be a Soroptimist and our own club, SI Bridgend. We demonstrated Soroptimists Taking Action and asked David Barnes (local dry cleaners) to display the poster and orange shoe, which they did without hesitation. Remember, membership month is not just May.
