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Speaker Meeting 11th September: Welcome to Bridget followed by The M-Shed – Clive Brain

Speaker Meeting 11th September: Welcome to Bridget followed by The M-Shed – Clive Brain

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  Welcome Bridget: Before our Speaker Meeting we were delighted to welcome Bridget.  We know she will enjoy our programme work and will settle in quickly      The M Shed  – Clive Brain gave a sparkling talk to us about the M Shed Museum explaining that it’s called that because each shed along the docks was given a letter when Bristol was a working port with boats directed to the relevant one for unloading.      Clive showed interesting videos of behind the scenes at the museum along with current exhibits – including the double-decker Bristol bus that many of our grandchildren have had fun playing in over the years.  We learned that the well-known saying ship shape and Bristol Fashion resulted from the roping together of  boats moored alongside each other to provide stability and stop them toppling over because of the Avon’s 11 metre tidal drop. 

The Lord of the Rings: Another visit to The Watermill Theatre, Newbury

The Lord of the Rings: Another visit to The Watermill Theatre, Newbury

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  On the 30th of August Ruth S yet again organised another very successful outing to the Watermill Theatre.       Ten SI Bristol members and one from SI Weston-super-Mare joined members of Bristol Rotary and some of Ruth S’s friends and family for this fun event.  As usual we arrived at the Watermill theatre, in time for a delightful lunch and in the interval enjoyed ice creams in the garden. We went into the lovely garden where the show started with fun and the opening scene.  A small stage had been brought outside and we enjoyed this part of the performance in the sunshine (we were delighted that the show ended in the garden too).   It was an amazing performance and for those of us who were not familiar with the story line enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you, Ruth S, for

Yuko’s Gift In Memory of Lynn: Donated to Kings Forest Primary School

Yuko’s Gift In Memory of Lynn: Donated to Kings Forest Primary School

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  Late last year Yuko our Friendship Link  from SI Aquamarine Kure in Japan made a donation in memory of Lynn E.       Lynn had close links with Yuko but sadly Lynn died during the Covid pandemic.  Lynn had been a very well-respected teacher at a primary school in North Somerset and as teaching was so important to her, we decided to give the donation to a local primary school. On 14th July, Dee G handed over the money to the Head Teacher at Kings Forest Primary School. The school has created a garden in which the children grow vegetables, have meaningful lessons about nature, and have an outside ‘pizza’ oven on which to cook.  They have a thriving ‘bug hotel’ and compost heap. The donation will be used to support these activities.

Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART): RiverBlitz 2023

Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART): RiverBlitz 2023

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  This year, between 7th and 14th July over 500 volunteers collected water samples from rivers in different parts of the Bristol catchment, tested them for nitrates and phosphates and submitted the results to the BART online database.   Seven Soroptimists (LB, LBB, MD, BJ, LN, MR and SS) signed up and attended a training session at River Land Yeo on Watercress Farm near Tyntesfield.  Each Soroptimist collected a sample from a river that was convenient for them to access: Coombe Dingle, the Floating Harbour (by the Arnolfini and by the SS Great Britain) the River Avon (near the Create Centre, near Spike Island and near the Bedminster Bridge), Snuff Mills and Winterhead (near Shipham). This RiverBlitz helps BART gain a snapshot of water quality across the catchment.  

A Warm Welcome to Eleonora a Visiting Soroptimist from Italy

A Warm Welcome to Eleonora a Visiting Soroptimist from Italy

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  On Monday, 10th July, we were delighted to welcome Eleonora who joined us for the evening at our Speaker Meeting when Louise Mitchell, the CEO of Bristol Beacon talked to us. Eleonora (second from the left) is a Soroptimist member of E-Club Net Lead, the first E-Club in Italy, who made contact with us as she is studying in Bristol at the moment. It was great to extent the hand of friendship to another Soroptimist. This is what Soroptimists do – we support each other and women all over the world

Speaker Meeting10th July: Louise Mitchell CBE, CEO of Bristol Beacon

Speaker Meeting10th July: Louise Mitchell CBE, CEO of Bristol Beacon

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Speaker Meeting10 July: Louise Mitchell CBE, CEO of Bristol Beacon Our July speaker was Louise Mitchell CBE, the CEO of Bristol Beacon.  She first came to speak to us in 2016 at the beginning of the massive refurbishment project.  She headed up the project which has transformed the Bristol Beacon (previously known then as the Colston Hall) into what promises to be a world class music venue of international standing. Her aim in 2016 was that the Hall would have wider use as a music venue and education centre.  In its refurbished state, the main Concert Hall will offer a diverse and dynamic range of music from orchestral classical to jazz to pop and much more in between!  Styles to attract not only a variety of audiences but also top-class performers. Besides the main Concert Hall there are also smaller, adaptable rooms suitable for conferences,

A Fun Visit to Chavenage House, Near Tetbury in Gloucestershire

A Fun Visit to Chavenage House, Near Tetbury in Gloucestershire

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  Chavenage House, located near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, is a beautiful 16th-century manor house that welcomed a group of our members  on Thursday, 6th July 2023. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the manor and estate were granted to Thomas Seymour, King Henry VIII’s brother in law. The house was reconstructed by Edward Stephens in 1576 but parts of the present day house thought to date back to the 14th century. Upon arrival, the members were warmly greeted by a member of the family who provided a brief and amusing introduction to the house’s history and significance. We learned that Chavenage House has been in the same family for over 400 years and has been featured in several films and TV shows, including the popular British period dramas, Poldark, Emma and Lark Rise to Candleford. Our group was then taken on a guided tour of

Soroptimist Bristol Orange Café First Meeting 23rd June 2023

Soroptimist Bristol Orange Café First Meeting 23rd June 2023

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  The Soroptimist Bristol Orange Café Meeting a local volunteer-driven group of women aiming to raise awareness of violence against women and the work Soroptimists have done for the last 100 years in Bristol.   These meetings are being held by Soroptimist Clubs around the world – a membership of 72,000 women worldwide. You would find us easily, as we will be dressed in orange! Why orange, you ask? Well, the colour orange symbolises a bright, fresh future, as designated by the United Nations, and it’s used around the world for that purpose. The Orange Café meeting is held regularly on or near the 25th of  the month in various coffee shops in the city. The 25th of the month is significant, as it is the UN designated #OrangeDay, a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the prevalence of violence against women and the devastating

Relationship Bookmarks

Relationship Bookmarks

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    SI Bristol supported SI Weston-super-Mare in their ‘Railing Against Abuse’ project.        The bookmarks clearly explain the difference between a good, loving relationship and a bad, abusive relationship. A letter; signed by the Programme Action Officer, was posted to the Head of each Secondary School, asking if the Safe Guarding Officer would like to receive some free relationship bookmarks for use in their Safe Guarding classes. Based on responses, 1,388 bookmarks have been delivered to five facilities.

Clean Up Bristol Harbour: June/July and so on in 2023

Clean Up Bristol Harbour: June/July and so on in 2023

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  On 18th June 2023, Marion joined 24 other volunteers near the Arnolfini for a 2-hour litter pick.   The 25 volunteers were guided by three staff members. All necessary equipment was provided (branded hi viz jackets, gloves, litter pickers, bags with hoops and nets). By the end of the session, 31 bags of litter had been collected and the contents was sorted into glass, metal, plastic and other. The first three were recycled and the latter burnt, so nothing went to landfill. We even rescued an electric scooter. The volunteers were enthusiastic and everyone enjoyed the event. The next litter pick date is 23rd July. The website address is http://cleanupbristolharbour.weeble.com/ Following this Again on 23rd July 2023, Liz N, Marion and Sally joined 18 other volunteers for another 2-hour litter pick. All necessary equipment was provided by the organisers (branded jackets, gloves, litter pickers,