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Brownies show they’ve got talent!

Brownies show they’ve got talent!

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In the last 2 months Brownies across Bridgend and Porthcawl have been honing their performance skills to take part in a Brownies Got Talent competition. The competition which is sponsored by Bridgend Soroptimists involved over 100 Brownies from 5 different Brownie groups in Newton, Kenfig Hill, Llangynwyd, Coity and Litchard. Each of the girls performed in front of an audience and the acts included singing and dancing, playing an instrument, doing magic, gymnastics, dog obedience, story-telling and even whistling! Every participant gained their Performing badge and also received a Brownies Got Talent certificate. Nine girls won through the unit and division heats to take part in the Grand Final and competed for the Brownies Got Talent trophy in front of an audience of around 100 people. The three ladies set the difficult task of judging the final were Gaynor Hoare, President of Bridgend Soroptimists, Donna

Fashion, Fun and Friendship

Fashion, Fun and Friendship

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Once again Bridgend Soroptimists hosted a very successful fundraising Fashion Show at the Heronston Hotel. A sell-out event with over 100 guests, there was something for everyone and for every event.From casual to formal, we were treated to a range of beautiful outfits from Samantha B in Ewenny, Bridgend. Several members of SI Bridgend stepped ably into the role of models bringing a mix of elegance, sophistication and glamour to the proceedings. As well as bringing along the fabulous fashions, Samantha compered the evening with great humour and also generously offered a significant discount on clothes bought from her in the 2 weeks following the event. The fashion show, an excellent raffle with prizes generously donated by Club members and local businesses, and the contribution from Samantha B is expected to raise a significant sum for the bereavement charity, Cruse Morgannwg, as well as other

Educating Girls in Cape Verde

Educating Girls in Cape Verde

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Jill Delgado and Joan Payne, both members of SI Cardiff and Trustees of the Soroptimist Members’ Educational Trust, gave a presentation on the charity Jill founded in 1997 to encourage girls in the Cape Verde Islands to stay on for, and then complete, their secondary education.Jill explained that the Trust had financially supported a total of 68 girls and that SI Bridgend had been immensely supportive sponsoring 7 girls. In addition, individual Club members (Carys Brown, Rayner Rees and Joyce Chatterton, who is also a Trustee) have sponsored a further 4 girls which meant that Bridgend Soroptimists have hugely assisted 11 girls to achieve their potential. The girls we support are all from the island of Sao Vicente and the funding has enabled them to remain in secondary school, subject to them passing their exams. Without this support, the girls would have to leave school

St David’s Day Greetings from Canada

St David’s Day Greetings from Canada

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Soroptimist International is a global organisation of women working togetehr to transform the lives of women and girls. Bridgend Soroptimists sharing friendship and projects with their Friendship Link Clubs in Canada, USA, Pakistan, Australia and Finland. We were delighte dto receive these St David’s Day greetings from Margaret, a member of SI Courtenay in British Columbia, Canada: “Thinking of all members of SI Bridgend & District on your special national day.. Earliest Daffodils are blooming in nearby Filberg Lodge garden in Comox and were not affected by light snow here this weekend. Thank you to your three Bridgend members who attended the recent Western Canada Region chatline friendship webinar – it was lovely to share our Soroptimist projects and to see friends from far and wide. Darlene Jamieson who organizes these webinars has family in our area and planned to visit. President Jean, another member

Working Together in Friendship

Working Together in Friendship

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President Gaynor and members of SI Bridgend were joined by members from SI Port Talbot, SI Neath and SI Swansea at a lunch in support of the bereavement charity, Cruse Morgannwg. This was the fourth event in the collaboration between the four clubs to support this worthwhile charity. The guest speaker was Claire Horrex, Community Fundraising and Engagement Manager for Cruse for South Wales and the South West. Claire gave a very interesting talk explaining that Cruse is a national charity with support from local groups of volunteers. In the last year Cruse has reached over 100,000 people across the UK. Since the pandemic, support is now generally provided by phone or video call which means that those seeking help get a quicker response. The charity also supports families at major incidents, including Grenfell, and has a helpline run by volunteers. In 2022, Cruse Morgannwg

Bridgend Soroptimist on The Big Climb!

Bridgend Soroptimist on The Big Climb!

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This week at our Bridgend Soroptimist meeting we had the pleasure of hearing from one of our club members, Sue Jones, who gave a fascinating talk about her journey to Nepal and Everest Base Camp – My Big Climb. Sue was joined on this remarkable endeavour by her daughter Rhiannon and grandson Dafydd – Dafydd had chosen to undertake this adventure as part of his 18th birthday celebrations and was delighted his Mum and Grandma were going to join him. Unfortunately the trip was delayed by over two years due to the pandemic and finally took place in the autumn of 2022. Sue trained tirelessly to embark on this amazing adventure although nothing could have prepared her for the challenge she faced when she reached Nepal. Through a series of incredible photographs and heartfelt explanations, Sue took us on the journey with her. She was

A Cheese Experience for Bridgend Soroptimists

A Cheese Experience for Bridgend Soroptimists

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Let’s do something different, they said. So instead of the Club’s usual New Year’s Dinner, Bridgend Soroptimists and guests enjoyed A Cheese Experience! Peter and Sharon and their team joined us for an interesting evening of cheese tasting and wine drinking at Bryncethin Community Centre. The couple run a local company that specialises in artisan cheeses from small producers. And whilst their cheeses are mainly from Welsh producers, they also have a selection from other artisan producers throughout Britain. Peter proved to be very entertaining and extremely knowledgeable about the cheeses on offer during the evening. Bridgend Soroptimists agreed that this was certainly a great way to start the New Year! Soroptimists enjoy fun, friendship and fundraising (and doing service!) – join us! If you’d like to find out more, click here or call our secretary, Margaret, on 07791 989096 or mrg2anthony@gmail.com. And don’t forget to follow

What are Soroptimists?

What are Soroptimists?

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The townspeople of Cowbridge had an opportunity to find out more about Soroptimist International at a display mounted in Cowbridge Library over the last two weeks. The display featured a range of projects that Bridgend Soroptimists are involved in and visitors were invited to take a leaflet and find out more. The club which was founded in 1947 is part of a global volunteer movement of women working together to transform the lives of women and girls. Members are women from all walks of life who raise awareness of local, national and international issues, and support local charities. The Bridgend Club’s primary focus in the last 12 months has been on empowering women and girls. In particular we have been campaigning on domestic abuse, participated in the UN #OrangeTheWorld campaign providing knitted and crocheted orange flowers for a magnificent display in Llandaff Cathedral and supported

Soroptimists Decorate Christmas Tree

Soroptimists Decorate Christmas Tree

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Bridgend Soroptimists once again took part in the Porthcawl Christmas Tree Festival held at All Saints Church. The tree was beautifully decorated with decorations made by club members alongside traditional baubles and lights. 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 tree will be on display for two weeks.