As Daphne Dowsing, current Regional President, is a member of SI Tiverton, the AGM, Conference and friendship weekend was held there. There were inspiring and impressive speakers including The Right Revd Dame Sarah Mullally, DBE, Bishop of Crediton in the diocese of Exeter, the first female Bishop in the West Country who was consecrated (alongside the Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek) as 4th female Bishop in July 2015. She had started her working life as a nurse and rapidly rose to the heights of her profession, experiencing sexist attitudes along the way, especially when appointed Government Chief Nursing Officer for England. She was ordained in 2001, taking up full-time ministry in the C of E in 2004. She experienced and commented on different styles of leadership between men and women with excellent stories to illustrate her point.   She is keen to find ways to encourage

  Philippa Rose Hampshire born 9th June 2017 a sister for Megan now our second baby born to Laura and Rowan. Congratulations to you all we are delighted.  Thank you for bringing her to see us she is a delight.

We are proud to announce that one of our Soroptimists has been presented with one of the Lord Mayor of Bristol’s prestigious medals. This took place at a ceremony held at the Mansion House on the 21st April.  Medals are awarded to people who have been instrumental in improving lives of people in Bristol. Liz N was honored for being a selfless, good egg. Liz was recognised for, among other things, her fund-raising efforts for the Lord Mayor of Bristol Children’s Appeal and other charities embraced by SI Bristol, as well as time freely given to various activities, including:  Eden House Garden Project, St. George’s Heritage Project, Ambra Vale Garden, sharing produce from her allotment, and being the best neighbour.  For over 30 years, Liz ran the Orthoptist Service at Bristol Eye Hospital where she was a favorite of staff and students.  She used these

On Saturday 11th March 2017, three members (Gill, Sue and Marion) attended the regional Development day in Taunton. The information provided was interesting and stimulating. It was clear that most SI clubs face challenges similar to those identified by SI Bristol, namely: succession planning, changes in communication methods (e-mail, website, social media), how to break the ‘best kept secret’ mold, and recruiting new members. Also the concept that SI clubs have moved (or are moving) from an ‘invitation only professional’ group to a ‘women from all walks of life; even retired’ group was mentioned. Succession planning was deemed important as SI clubs face [or embrace] the move from the model of operating under a rolling annual basis to one having longer term plans with sharing of duties club wide. To aid in the transition, practical tools, in three categories, were described: Growth Plan, Easy Stage