Congratulations go to Anne, Margaret S, Hilary M, Liz N and Pat I. They received their Long Service awards at our AGM: Anne has been a Soroptimist for 50 years, Hilary and Pat 45 years and Liz N 35 years. However a special celebration for Margaret who has been a Soroptimist for 60 years. Between them they have 235 years service!
Programme Action has developed a list of information related to recycling and reduced use of plastic. The idea is to support places and shops that make an effort to reduce the use of plastic and to take individual responsibility for recycling and being aware of using plastics. Hopefully, this list is just a beginning and Liz N encourages anyone with further knowledge to contact her so the list may be kept up-to-date and relevant. Good Practice – National Trust now uses biodegradable wrapping for their magazine. They are made from potato starch. – City Hall sells reusable cups in their canteen. – Waitrose to plan to get rid of plastic cups by Autumn 2018. – A Swindon firm ‘Recycling Technology’ has developed a process to recycle previously non-recyclable plastic items. – Ann Garvie is producing a document “Sustainable Development Goals – What we can do”.
Chosen from hundreds of nominations for local heroes to become Great Westerners, Bristol Soroptimist, Miss Elizabeth Ralph, was a “first” to have a new GWR train named after her! The criteria for nominations were those who, past or present, deserved to be remembered as all-time great and had, in their lifetime, made the greatest contribution to Bristol. 50 new GWR trains were to be named after the successful nominees considered as Bristol’s most inspiring Westerners. Known as an exacting and precise lady, she would have approved of the detail paid to ensuring her name sat in just the right place and at just the right angle on the new GWR gleaming engine! She was nominated by Bristol Soroptimists as well as members of the Bristol Archive Office and other related bodies who have benefited from her work. The reasons given for her nomination by Soroptimist
Andrea joined SI Bristol in 1981 and was a keen Soroptimist being President 1987/88 and serving as a very conscientious and efficient Treasurer for a number of years. In 2016 she received her 35 year certificate at one of our regular luncheons. She kept up with all our events and had hoped to join us for Annual lunch this year, which was cancelled owing to the snow. Sadly Andrea died on 13th March Southmead Hospital. Andrea was born in Devonport and later moved to Kingsteignton she was always very proud of her Devonshire roots. After school she went to College in Leicester studying youth work, moving, with a lifelong friend Monica, to Norfolk. She then moved West to work at Withywood youth centre as assistant leader, before a short spell at Bristol Polytechnic. Her final job was Accommodation and welfare officer at Bristol University. This
SI Bristol responded to the request by SIGBI to conduct a survey. The purpose was to obtain data about the level of understanding the public has regarding human trafficking and modern slavery. The survey was conducted by SI Clubs throughout UK. Club members encouraged people to complete the survey (online or on paper) between 1st and 7th October 2017. On 7th October, a team of SI Bristol volunteers (Carol, Liz N, Lizzie, Helen, Hilary B, Pat I, Sue P and Yvonne) conducted surveys at Southmead Hospital lobby. The number of online submissions is unknown; 111 paper surveys were submitted (80 from Southmead Hospital and 31 others) from a diverse range of respondents. A total of 552 Forms were submitted from SIGBI (which consists of 17 Clubs). This means that SI Bristol’s activity contributed a fifth of the paper surveys. Responses provided valuable information to the
On March 12th Gill Kirk inspired us with her passionate and informative talk about the effects of ‘ Singing for the Brain’, supported by the Alzheimer Society. So many of us these days know friends or family members with memory loss or the onset of Dementia, where the person appears to withdraw into themselves. The idea behind the weekly group singing and movement sessions is that ‘ people can live well with Dementia’ through the power of music, using it as a therapeutic experience. Research at Reading University has shown the impact music and movement can have on the brain and Gill explained that during the sessions she can see real change in people’s self esteem, as favourite songs are sung; this appears to unlock memory and leads individuals to respond and express emotions in a way they have been unable to do beforehand. Gill’s
Nikki started by telling us about the project Shift Old Furniture Around which we know as the SOFA project. They collect good quality furniture and appliances from local households and businesses on a daily basis. The items have to be of good quality as they will be purchased from their retail outlets. The items are brought back to our premises, and in the case of electrical appliances fully refurbished, before being made available at a low a price and then can then be delivered to the new owners. They have other activities such as an electrical workshop, an e-bay shop, a flat pack workshop, a sales area and an office furniture operation. They also work with other local organisations providing work placements and work experience to those who, for a number of reasons, are currently excluded from the job market. They also help those in
Mend the Gap is a registered charity based in Bristol which runs projects in Eastern Africa that aim to eradicate poverty and advance education. When two independent schools in Bristol merged in 2017, Bristol Soroptimists were able to acquire supplies of new and nearly new school uniform which needed a good home. In many African countries, children without school uniform are not allowed to attend school and many such children often drop out of education altogether and miss out on life’s chances and a way to break out of the circle of poverty. Recycling these uniforms to schools supported by Mend the Gap in Bochoroke, Kenya, has made a big difference. Not all children in the village can afford to go to school, so to wear a uniform is a visible sign of school membership. Hard-wearing school clothes are important as they will be passed
The backpack project complements the Mary’s Meals school breakfast programme. It provides children with items that help to support their education. Club members collect items from the list provided by Mary’s Meals and then these are put together into backpacks for school. Items include school stationery, school uniform, flip flops or sandals, a ball, a spoon, towel, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste. Last year two independent schools in Bristol merged with the result that large quantities of pens, pencils and other school stationery items along with new and nearly new school uniform needed a good home. We were able to provide a good home by recycling useable backpacks, stationery items, dresses, jumpers, shorts and tops for the Mary’s Meals project. 30 completed backpacks were then sent to Mary’s Meals for onward distribution We also sent 5 large sacks/boxes of extra items for use in the schools.
First a little bit about Mary’s Meals Breakfast Project. Mary’s Meals delivers hope to over a million children every day in some of the most vulnerable and poor areas of the world. Many children living in the world’s poorest places are too hungry to go to school. Hunger also reduces a child’s concentration and learning ability and many children drop out of education because of this. The Mary’s Meals programme is excellent because, working with the whole community, children are given at least one good meal a day. Before Mary’s Meals establish a feeding programme in a new area, the community has to appoint a committee of parents, teachers and volunteers, who take responsibility for cooking and serving the meals for the children. Wherever possible, locally-sourced food is bought from producers that work with smallholder farmers in order to support the local economy. Educated children
