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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,

Speaker Meeting 12th June 2023: Amy Wade from Bristol and Avon Rivers Trust

Speaker Meeting 12th June 2023: Amy Wade from Bristol and Avon Rivers Trust

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  At our Speaker Meeting last night, we had a talk by Amy Wade from Bristol and Avon Rivers Trust.    The Trust encourages and provides opportunities for volunteering to help with monitoring rivers and taking action to prevent their further degradation among other things.   She began by illustrating the problems involved and then provided ideas for ways we could help including citizens’ science projects, joining the Riverblitz project between the 7th and 14th July and putting political pressure on our MPs by writing letters. Also our warmest congratulations to Anne, our longest serving member who was presented at the meeting with a Certificate for 55 Years of service as a Soroptimist. We were also delighted to be joined by three visitors who are considering joining our club

‘TheBigHelpOut’: SI Bristol make Therapeutic Teddies – Update 28th June 2023

‘TheBigHelpOut’: SI Bristol make Therapeutic Teddies – Update 28th June 2023

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Update 28th June 2023 On 16th June, three ‘families’ of therapeutic teddies  were handed over to Cherry (a participant at the Bristol Women’s Voice event at City Hall) who will use them to help her to counsel distressed children from mixed marriages.     Three ‘families’ of therapeutic teddies were made by Lizzie, Marion and a couple of friends of Marion.       Each teddy family consisted of two large teddies and two small ones. The yarn used for each head was a different colour to represent members of a mixed-race family. The teddies were donated to a therapist. The ‘families’ of teddies will be used by the Therapist in her work with children (in schools and in private therapy sessions) to help them explore their internal relationships with siblings and family members, especially those from mixed-race marriages. Such therapy can help to uncover unconscious

SI Bristol join SI Weston-super-Mare: A visit to the Weston-super-Mare Museum

SI Bristol join SI Weston-super-Mare: A visit to the Weston-super-Mare Museum

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  On 20th April 2023, members from SI Bristol joined members from SI Weston-super-Mare on a visit to the Weston -super-Mare Museum.   Displays revealed the interesting history of Weston and the age of some of the artifacts (centuries BC) surprised us. West Tun was Anglo Saxon for a settlement in the west. To distinguish it from other settlements, super-Mare was added to ‘Weston’.

Wonderful Women Tour: Arno’s Vale Cemetery 4th April 2023

Wonderful Women Tour: Arno’s Vale Cemetery 4th April 2023

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What an interesting tour we had once again at Arno’s Vale cemetery! We discovered the stories, lives, jobs, and place of rest of wonderful women. Mazzarina Emily Chute (1825-1878), theatre manager and actress; Ellen Jefferies née Sainsbury’s (1837-1917), the self made woman, catering entrepreneur and land owner; Joan Tuckett (1895-1957), early female solicitor, women’s rights activist and aviator; and some more of the wonderful women who contributed each in their own way to the history of Bristol, and now rest in this mesmerizing location. Thank you to our guide and sunny weather was definitely a bonus. Thank you again to those who organised the interesting tour.