We were at the charity PhysioNet, near Berkeley, on Saturday doing hard, but gratifying work.   PhysioNet’s warehouse was jam-packed with various mobility equipment which we helped to sort out and get ready. Our Bristol Soroptimists, together with Rotary members, helped to fill a container which is due to be shipped to Fiji. The Fiji High Commissioner, Jovilisi Suveinakama joined us at PhysioNet , as well as the charity’s founder, Peter Thompson MBE. This shipment on 12th April 2025 is the 25th to go to Fiji and the 171st shipment worldwide arranged by the charity. The container will now hopefully be dockside waiting to be loaded for its sea journey to Fiji soon.  

  On 23rd March, MR and SS joined a Walk & Talk along the River Trym and Hazel Brook that was organised by Bristol Avon River Trust (BART).    It was encouraging to learn these waters are monitored and managed and that they now contain eel, trout and stickleback. A few weirs with silt traps were built along the streams to create pools. Without a budget to periodically empty the traps, silt is infilling the ponds. The weirs also hinder trout and eels from going far upstream. The picturesque Stratford Mill was relocated, brick by brick, from Chew Valley Lake to Hazel Brook. The waterwheel is also in place but has never ground anything! On the River Trym old brick inspection covers used to overflow with ‘sanitary waste’ whenever there was moderate or heavy rain. These were replaced by Wessex Water with larger, more effective,

On Monday 10th March, a dedicated team of SI Bristol volunteers travelled to Berkeley, Gloucestershire, to collaborate with PhysioNet. PhysioNet is a UK based charity dedicated to helping some of the most marginalised people in the world by supplying children and adults with disability equipment considered surplus or redundant in the UK. The charity collects discarded items such as crutches, walkers, and wheelchairs from the NHS. These items are then refurbished and shipped in containers to various countries around the world where these vital items are in short supply. Between April and July 2023, for example, PhysioNet sent 5 consignments to Ukraine to supply hospitals in Kyiv and Lviv. The cost of that transport was met by UK Rotary clubs. The SI Bristol team spent a productive and enjoyable morning cleaning and preparing the equipment for shipment. This initiative not only helps reduce waste but

Bridget and Ivete watched live the Opening session of the CSW69 today, marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). We heard from the UN’s Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, that “women’s rights are at siege. But there is an antidote, and the antidote is action. Global crisis around the world impeded progress on the agreements in Beijing and that political will is often weak and so is action. The masters of misogyny are gathering strength, so we must step up support for women’s organisations.” Bob Ray, President of ECOSOC, stated that “it’s not enough to reflect on progress, not only talk about solutions, but to deliver solutions. Deliver on the promise of equality, as per Sustainable Development Goal 5. We have an obligation to push back against regression, against the argument that women must know their place. The answer to that

We were delighted to be part of a very stimulating event today, International Women’s Day 2025, at Bristol City Hall. There were many exhibits of interest, good talks, colourful dances and interesting stalls held by many charities, including Next Link – a charity that we support and worked with for a while. Soroptimist Bristol was well represented by Bridget, to whom we owe a big thank you for the organisation of our stall, Gish, Sharon, Sally B, Ivete, Yvonne, Lynda, Lizzie, Lucy, Sue P, Marion, Helen and Laurence. It was an excellent day and an opportunity to meet many known and many new people to talk about our projects and how Soroptimists advocate on women’s issues. We generated a lot of interest in our projects and were able to show a short video illustrating our work to interested parties. Women have continuously shaped history and