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

      Soroptimist Bristol raised £222.25 on our stall yesterday at Westbury Christmas Fayre in Bristol.   The amount raised will be doubled by Mary’s Meals ‘Double the Love Campaign’ making £444.50, which is sufficient to feed 23 children with a nourishing meal every school day for a whole  year.  In areas of the world where children are malnourished, a meal at school enables them to concentrate on their studies.  Thank you so much for your generosity.        

    For every woman silenced, for every girl living in fear”, Soroptimist Bristol turns the world orange. Our Soroptimist Bristol project to collect and donate 60 Orange Bags full of essential toiletries for the women survivors of domestic abuse in Bristol culminated today when 8 Soroptimist Bristol members presented the bags to Sarah O’Leary, CEO of Next Link Domestic Abuse Services, and other members of staff at their office. The donation of orange bags are part of Soroptimist Bristol’s action to mark the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 2024.  We hope the welcome bags will bring a small amount of comfort to women and children fleeing abuse, often arriving at Next Link Domestic Abuse Services with nothing, that many people care. On this occasion our treasurer also presented Next Link with a cheque for £250, the proceeds of

On a very hot summer’s day, a group of five  Soroptimists and two Soroptimisters joined a 2-hour tour of Watercress Farm at Wraxall, near Bristol, organised by Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART).   The visit was part of our Club’s environment project.  We were accompanied on the tour by four members of BART and expertly guided by Gil from the Belmont Estate. Gil supplied us with an incredible amount of detailed information about the history of the creation of Watercress Farm, its current development work and future plans for the site. Watercress Farm is part of the Belmont Estate and it is a rewilding project. The site includes rough pasture, formerly arable fields, woodland and a small river. There is a resident population of Yellowhammers and Kingfisher with Spring migrants and other passage birds. Whilst there we enjoyed the sight of a Hobby hovering above

As part of Soroptimist Bristol’s long-term project to raise awareness of and address the issue of pollution of water and how water quality can be improved four Soroptimists from SI Bristol registered to take part in the annual River Blitz project organised by Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART). This year River Blitz covered the period 5th to 14th July and we joined many other Citizen Scientists in enabling BART to assess water quality in the BART catchment area. Having received our testing kits and equipped with wellington boots and rain coats we set off in three groups to visit locations in Coombe Dingle (River Trym and Hazel Brook) and on the River Avon in Bristol (at Cannon Bridge, Gaol Ferry Bridge and the Bridge near the Create Centre). Water was collected in test tubes and then tested by dipping dip sticks. Samples were measured against