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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.

What do you need?

What do you need?

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Bridgend Soroptimists, friends and supporters have been busy over the summer donating items to Llamau for the Bridgend Women’s Refuge. Soroptimist members often have unwanted and unused items sitting around gathering dust. This was the impetus for us to ask the ladies at Llamau what items would be useful to them in the women’s refuge and for the ladies who are setting up new homes. The answer was “almost anything”!! From blankets and sheets to kitchen equipment, cutlery, crockery and pots and pans – everything you need when starting a new home from nothing. As well as household items, children’s clothing, toys, games and books are always very welcome. And Bridgend Soroptimists stepped up to the mark with donations dropped off at regular intervals over the summer months. Everyone at Llamau was delighted – as one resident said, “It’s like Christmas in teh middle of

First graduates from our tailoring training in rural Nepal

First graduates from our tailoring training in rural Nepal

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Yesterday, 14 girls and women from Sarlahi District in rural south Nepal, completed their six months’ training in basic tailoring, organised by Lily’s Leaves. All graduates will leave the course with their own sewing machine as a gift and will be supported with start-up grants and loans towards setting up in business, if they so wish. One of the deaf girls from the Lily’s Leaves centre in Kathmandu, Muskan, went to Sarlahi to distribute certificates and congratulate the new graduates. Muskan was one of our previous trainees and is now on the staff of the Lily’s Leaves production centre, where she specialises in making silver jewellery. Another of the girls, Rabina, is a graduate from the six-month basic tailoring course in Kathmandu and has returned to this village to set up her own little business that she runs from home. She’s keeping very busy with local

Members enjoy a behind-the-scenes studio tour

Members enjoy a behind-the-scenes studio tour

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A visit to the BBC Cymru Wales TV studios was a popular choice for Bridgend Soroptimist’s summer outing. The opportunity to step into the future of broadcasting at BBC’s newest and most advanced studios on our doorstep in Cardiff was very appealing. The 90-minute tour gave members the chance to visit one of the largest BBC newsrooms, packed with cutting-edge technology including augmented reality, virtual reality and robotic cameras. Several members sat in the news “hot seat” whilst others tried their hand at weather presenting! They also had a sneak peek at TV galleries and other broadcast facilities to discover the secrets of making a BBC programme and follow in the footsteps of some of Wales’ famous faces. Following the tour they adjourned to the Parkgate Hotel for a well earned lunch and a discussion on future programme development!

Collecting bras!

Collecting bras!

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Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland is 90 this year! As part of the “90 for 90” activities, SI Bridgend and District aimed to collect 90 bras to donate to Smalls for All. We actually collected 191 plus lightly used or new bras and over 100 pairs of brand new knickers! These have been received by Smalls for All and will be sent to women in need in Africa and the UK. Maria from Smalls for All said, “Thank you so much for donating to Smalls for All. We’re extremely grateful for every penny, every pair of new pants and every new or gently worn bra we receive. Your support will go a long way in helping make a difference.”

Removing the stigma around homelessness

Removing the stigma around homelessness

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With Homelessness, The Crisis On Our Doorstep as her theme, President Ruth was delighted to welcome Romy Wood from Housing Justice Cymru to join our June meeting. Housing Justice Cymru is a housing need and homelessness charity, launched in Wales in 2016. Housing and Homelessness are devolved issues in Wales and are the responsibility of the Welsh Government. As the only non-denominational Christian housing charity currently working in Wales, they work with and support people belonging to all faiths and communities. In addition to her work with the charity, Romy Wood is an associate lecturer with the Open University and author. Romy gave an interesting talk about the work of the charity, illustrated with stories of recent beneficiaries and the issues they have faced.  

Celebrating with Frances – 90 years young

Celebrating with Frances – 90 years young

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Bridgend Soroptimists had a wonderful evening helping long-time member, Frances Rees, celebrate her 90th birthday. Frances was delighted with the many cards and greetings she received. She said, “It has been wonderful to share this celebration with my Soroptimist friends. The lovely birthday cake and glass of fizz have made the evening very special. Thank you to everyone.” Frances, a farmer by profession, has been a Soroptimist for almost 40 years. She has served as President of SI Bridgend three times, in 1991-1992, in 2000-2001, and in a three-way job share in 2017-2018 with Lily Laesser and Eurwen Richards to celebrate the clubs 70th anniversary. An extremely active member, Frances has been particularly interested in environmental issues, leading the way in getting discussions about food miles on the agenda and encouraging members to shop local. She regularly attends meetings and recently led a nature ramble