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A Happy New Year: Welcome to Four New Members in January 2025

A Happy New Year: Welcome to Four New Members in January 2025

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Our members of Soroptimist International of Bristol are honoured to have four new members joining us in January this year.    It is our privilege to welcome Sue, Sally, Becky and Frances to our worldwide organisation of members who are a supportive and friendly community focused on making a positive impact in the lives of women and girls.           Our members have a gift: the chance to help others in an atmosphere of support, friendship and fun. We look forward to helping our new members explore the gift of membership as they participate in club projects and activities that advance our mission. A very warm welcome to Soroptimist International of Bristol.  

Speaker Meeting 13th January 2025: Irene Hockin SI Barnstaple and District – Stamp Out Spiking and Welcome to Sue G

Speaker Meeting 13th January 2025: Irene Hockin SI Barnstaple and District – Stamp Out Spiking and Welcome to Sue G

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At our Speaker and Supper Meeting on Monday 13th January we welcomed Irene Hockin from Soroptimist International of Barnstaple and District who spoke about their brilliant project on Spiking. The project won their a well deserved award at the Soroptimist Conference in London in 2023.  A mention of their work on this project was given in the House of Commons by their local MP recently. The Barnstaple club has dedicated much time to research and develop a strategy in conjunction with the local police licensing officer and a charitable organisation called Stamp Out Spiking. Irene explained how they started the project in their area and the making of the packs they put together containing Spikeys and StopTopps (drink covers) that are distributed to nightclubs, pubs festivals and other venues where women might be at risk of drink spiking. However, we also learned that it is

Westbury Christmas Fayre

Westbury Christmas Fayre

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      Soroptimist Bristol raised £222.25 on our stall yesterday at Westbury Christmas Fayre in Bristol.   The amount raised will be doubled by Mary’s Meals ‘Double the Love Campaign’ making £444.50, which is sufficient to feed 23 children with a nourishing meal every school day for a whole  year.  In areas of the world where children are malnourished, a meal at school enables them to concentrate on their studies.  Thank you so much for your generosity.        

SI Bristol Christmas Party 2024

SI Bristol Christmas Party 2024

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  On 2nd December our members and guests enjoyed a Christmas Party dinner and entertainment by Sara Gray and her husband on the ‘History of Pantomime’ which was both interesting and fun. Four valiant members participated in a short demonstration of pantomime under Sara’s direction which was very amusing. Our Christmas prize draw, which is higher than the usual monthly draw was won by Denise this year. During the dinner, as is our annual custom, we collected donations for Caring in Bristol at Christmas, a charity working with the homeless of the city providing food, shelter and advice. Because of the ‘Big Give’ campaign running between 3-10 December, our donation will be doubled, so we are delighted to  tell you that we’ll send Caring in Bristol the sum of £450 which will result in a fabulous total of £900 for the charity. Not bad for

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women: What did SI Bristol do?

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women: What did SI Bristol do?

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    For every woman silenced, for every girl living in fear”, Soroptimist Bristol turns the world orange. Our Soroptimist Bristol project to collect and donate 60 Orange Bags full of essential toiletries for the women survivors of domestic abuse in Bristol culminated today when 8 Soroptimist Bristol members presented the bags to Sarah O’Leary, CEO of Next Link Domestic Abuse Services, and other members of staff at their office. The donation of orange bags are part of Soroptimist Bristol’s action to mark the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 2024.  We hope the welcome bags will bring a small amount of comfort to women and children fleeing abuse, often arriving at Next Link Domestic Abuse Services with nothing, that many people care. On this occasion our treasurer also presented Next Link with a cheque for £250, the proceeds of

“We Will Remember Them”

“We Will Remember Them”

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    Commemorating the Armistice signed at the close of World War I and remembering all armed conflicts around our world from this time and forward.   On behalf of Soroptimist International of Bristol Ruth laid our wreath, as we do every year, at the Whiteladies Road War Memorial. Soroptimists present at the memorial today were Carol, Lynda, Sue, Ruth and Ivete. We remember with thanksgiving and sorrow those whose lives, in world conflicts past and present, have been given and taken away. We will remember them.

Speaker Meeting 11th November 2024: Sue Mountstevens OBE, Chair of Quartet Community Foundation

Speaker Meeting 11th November 2024: Sue Mountstevens OBE, Chair of Quartet Community Foundation

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  Soroptimist Bristol members were delighted to hear Sue Mountstevens OBE at our Speaker and Supper Meeting on Monday 11th November.      Sue is no stranger to SI Bristol as Sue was our guest speaker at our annual luncheon in 2014 and number of us are Magistrates too. Sue was the first person to hold the post of Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner in Bristol and was first elected in 2012, having stood as an independent candidate.  She was vice-chair of the Independent Monitoring Board for Bristol Prison and was a magistrate for 15 years. She now works as Chair of Quartet Community Foundation. Earlier in her career she was a director of a family business, the Mountstevens Bakeries chain. Sue understands that addressing domestic abuse crime only as a ‘women’s issue’ risks blaming the victim and ignoring the actions of the

Marion Receives: The Bernard Fantus Lifetime Achievement Medal

Marion Receives: The Bernard Fantus Lifetime Achievement Medal

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    In Houston (USA) on 19th October, Marion Reid, a member of SI Bristol, has received a prestigious award from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB).   The Bernard Fantus Lifetime Achievement Medal is a prestigious award that recognizes an individual who made numerous, outstanding contributions to the scientific basis and/or clinical practice of blood banking and transfusion medicine during the preceding 50 years. In recognition of her critical scientific achievements, influence, and unwavering commitment to the field of transfusion medicine during her extraordinary career.  Her many accomplishments include her seminal research to elucidated many blood group antigens and the Blood Group Antigen FactsBook, which is a legacy for current and future generations. Her work also led to a greater understanding of the molecular basis of blood groups, which spurred novel developments in the field and influenced subsequent generations of

Speaker meeting 14th October 2024: Peaches Golding OBE CStJ, the Lord Lieutenant of Bristol

Speaker meeting 14th October 2024: Peaches Golding OBE CStJ, the Lord Lieutenant of Bristol

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  We were honoured and delighted to welcome Peaches Golding OBE CStJ, the Lord Lieutenant of Bristol, as our Speaker at our club’s meeting on 14th October.   Peaches has been an honorary member of our Club for many years and has always been present at our special celebrations and occasions, for which we are very grateful. Last Monday she entertained us with many interesting stories about 20th Century Female Royal Role Models. At this evening we were also delighted to give a warm welcome to our Regional President, Daphne Dowsing, who came over from Tiverton especially to meet us. It was a pleasure to host Daphne and we certainly hope this is one of many visits. We also welcomed and introduced two new visitors at the meeting and we hope they will join us as members in the near future. We must say a

Speaker Meeting 9th September 2024: St Georges, Bristol – Henry Alpass

Speaker Meeting 9th September 2024: St Georges, Bristol – Henry Alpass

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  At our Speaker Meeting we were delighted to welcome Henry Alpass whose knowledge of St George’s amazed us.  Henry took us through the different phases of St George’s ending with the recent upgrade.   He told us that in in the early 1800s St George’s was St Augustine’s Chapel  and was built in a burial ground between Great George Street and Charlotte Street.  Then in 1832, it became St George’s Brandon Hill. Then in 1975, lunchtime concerts began at St George’s.  The first evening concert took place in 1981 and then in 1984, St George’s closed as a parish church.  In the 1990s St George’s became a concert hall and the pews were replaced by seats.  Finally in 2018, a new pavilion extension was completed, with a new gallery and performance spaces. We were amazed at the changes that have taken place over the