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Christmas Fair: In Aid of Mary’s Meals – 25th November 2023

Christmas Fair: In Aid of Mary’s Meals – 25th November 2023

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  Thanks to all our efforts today we raised £243 for Mary’s Meals.  Not a bad morning’s work!  There was hardly anything left, so we could say we sold out! All Mary’s Meals donations between now and the end of January will be doubled in their “Double the Love” campaign so that will make £486 from today’s fundraising which will feed 25 children for a whole school year with a nourishing breakfast. That is a wonderful feeling! Thank you to everyone who helped at the hall today and also to all who contributed with items for the Soroptimist Bristol stall at Westbury-on-Trym Methodist Church Hall in Bristol

Speaker Meeting 13th November 2023: The Wave – Nick Houndsfield

Speaker Meeting 13th November 2023: The Wave – Nick Houndsfield

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  At our evening meeting on November 13th the speaker was Nick Houndsfield whose vision and determination was the inspiration for The Wave, an inland surfing lake just outside of Bristol. It is an amazing story of how the Wave was built in 2019/2020, his philosophy behind the company focussing on the environment, health, sustainability and accessibility for all, men, women, children and for those with disabilities.  It was born out of a passion for technology, nature and human health. All should have enjoyment and fun. The team is working towards the ultimate goal of Paralympic inclusion for surfing. It was a truly inspiring evening given by a very modest man, thank you Nick.  

Act of Remembrance 10th November 2023: Organised by Churches Together in Clifton, Cotham and Redland

Act of Remembrance 10th November 2023: Organised by Churches Together in Clifton, Cotham and Redland

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  Yet again we were proud to join so many at St John’s War Memorial on Whiteladies Road to mark Armistice Day.       It was held on Friday 10th November to enable local school children to attend. There were prayers and the traditional one minute’s silence in honour of those who served and fought to ensure our freedom over so many wars.  Our own Sue P is very much involved with the event and organises our poppy wreath in advance of the event which Ruth presented on behalf of SI Bristol. We are proud to be Soroptimists as we remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in the wars and those who gave their support.

Speaker Meeting 9th October 2023: the Hunger Project – Rebecca Burgess CEO

Speaker Meeting 9th October 2023: the Hunger Project – Rebecca Burgess CEO

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    Rebecca came to talk to us about the Hunger Project which is part of a global charity founded in the 70’s.     Rebecca said that it will take another 132 years for women to reach gender parity and that 60% of the world population feeling hunger are women and girls.  This is not helped by the fact that 12 million girls are married as children under the age of 15. The Hunger Project works with communities to realise their own future, free from hunger and poverty.  They have 13 Programmes across Africa, South Asia and Latin America. All adapted to meet local challenges and opportunities, focusing on empowering people to lift themselves out of hunger. To date 11.9m people have been helped.  Hunger is caused by various things such as gender issues. The charity has three essential pillars: Start with Women Mobilise

Visit to the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire: 7th October 2023

Visit to the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire: 7th October 2023

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    On 6th October Ivete,  Lizzie and Sue led and organised by Ruth accompanied by Brian her Soroptimister  spent 24 hours in the wonderful village of Lichfield followed the next day by a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum which was nearby, On the first day we visited Lichfield Cathedral and our delightful guide shared the history and stories about the Cathedral and held our interest for a couple of hours.  In the evening we met up with two of the Lichfield Soroptimist Louie and Bev and their Soroptimisters and had a delightful meal in a nearby restaurant.  Interestingly we didn’t stop talking, exchanging stories and information that drew us close together. The next morning, we headed to the Arboretum and on the way enjoyed seeing many motorcyclists who were also heading for the Arboretum for their fundraising “Ride to the Wall” with a

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.