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Bag Packing at Marks and Spencer

Bag Packing at Marks and Spencer

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On Saturday, 16th March, 2019, a team worked at Marks & Spencer in Broadmead to collect money for the Lord Mayor of Bristol Children’s Appeal. Helpers stood at the end of the check-out counters in the Food Hall and offered to help shoppers pack their bags. Seven SI Bristol Soroptimists took part (LC, PC, DH, IH, YM, LN, MR). For the day’s effort, £402.27 was raised, making it possible for two vouchers, of £20 each, to be given next Christmas to 10 children.

A Bevy of Bears from Region

A Bevy of Bears from Region

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On 23rd March 2019, a bounty of Teddy Bears was given to SI Bristol by members of the SW&CI Region. The Bears will be at the Tea at the Marriott Hotel on 10th May 2020 as a part of SI Bristol’s Friendship Weekend Centenary Celebrations. After which they will be given to the Motorway Police who will give one as a comfort to any child involved in a road accident. Together with the Bears already knitted by SI Bristol members, this bolus of Bears means we are well on our way to reaching our target of 100 Bears by May 2020. Thank you all so much, keep knitting!

Packing Shoe Boxes for UNSEEN

Packing Shoe Boxes for UNSEEN

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On Tuesday 18th December, a team of PA committee members (Liz N, Marion R, Sue P, Yvonne M) worked for 3 hours wrapped items to be given to people spending Christmas in an UNSEEN Safe House. Nine items were wrapped in Christmassy paper and placed in shoe boxes (8 for women, 5 for men, and 2 for children).  The shoe boxes and their lids were wrapped separately in gift paper, giving a festive look.  That means 250 items were wrapped!  Thank you to all the SIB members who contributed the gift items.  

Railing Against Abuse

Railing Against Abuse

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On Sunday 25th November, seven members from SI Bristol and Soroptimists from throughout the southwest joined the SI Weston-super-Mare Club in their initiative to raise awareness and support the United Nations annual “Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women”. Soroptomists travelled by train (hence “railing”) to Western-super-Mare station to join members of the local Club. Most were adorned in distinctive orange clothing (including wigs) because that is the colour designated by the UN for that day. The group walked in an orderly fashion from the station, via the sea front, shopping precinct and park, to the Commemorative Garden. Many carried banners highlighting abuse against women (again hence “railing”). During the walk, “Loves me /Loves me not” bookmarks were enthusiastically given to members of the public. This publicity material has been carefully produced to define in clear and simple terms the difference between a good

Reducing the Use of Plastics (updated 8 November 2018)

Reducing the Use of Plastics (updated 8 November 2018)

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SI Bristol is concerned about the amount of single-use plastics and disposal of goods containing plastic have on the environment – air, land, rivers, seas and oceans. In order to learn more about what happens in our area, various institutions and companies were asked how they were dealing with this issue. Articles from the press, magazines and social media were collected to give members a sound understanding of the dangers of plastic waste and how it can be reduced and cleared from the environment. The responses received were mainly encouraging but often slow to make an immediate impact. Some companies were making positive changes, e.g., Only using non-disposable plastic cups, using non-plastic cups, and encouraging customers to bring their own cups, containers or bags. Taking plastic out of tea bags Reducing packaging Using non-plastic, vegetable-based  compostable envelopes for mass mailings. Junior and senior schools were

Recycling & Reduction of Use of Disposable Plastics

Recycling & Reduction of Use of Disposable Plastics

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Programme Action has developed a list of information related to recycling and reduced use of plastic. The idea is to support places and shops that make an effort to reduce the use of plastic and to take individual responsibility for recycling and being aware of using plastics. Hopefully, this list is just a beginning and Liz N encourages anyone with further knowledge to contact her so the list may be kept up-to-date and relevant. Good Practice – National Trust now uses biodegradable wrapping for their magazine. They are made from potato starch. – City Hall sells reusable cups in their canteen. – Waitrose to plan to get rid of plastic cups by Autumn 2018. – A Swindon firm ‘Recycling Technology’ has developed a process to recycle previously non-recyclable plastic items. – Ann Garvie is producing a document “Sustainable Development Goals – What we can do”.

Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Children Appeal: Bag Packing 2018 (Updated 3 November 2018)

Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Children Appeal: Bag Packing 2018 (Updated 3 November 2018)

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On 17th March Marion and Yvonne, and on 23rd June Liz N and Marion helped to raise money for the Lord Mayor of Bristol Children’s fund by packing bags at food counters at Marks and Spencer, Broadmead. Respectively, the amount collected was £180.88 and £362.86. The amount collected in March was low because there were only enough volunteers to cover four hours. In June, Barclays Bank supported the activity by matching the amount collected via their £4£ scheme. Thus, as a result of these two events, a total of £806.60 was raised for this appeal. The Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Children Appeal helps disadvantaged children under the age of 16 (or 18 if disabled) who reside within the Bristol city boundary to have a better Christmas by providing vouchers that can be exchanged for food, clothes and toys. Recipients are nominated by the Children and

SI Bristol Supports Skirting Science

SI Bristol Supports Skirting Science

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On Thursday 28th June, SI Western-Super-Mare organised their 10th ‘Skirting Science’ where three helpers from SI Bristol (SIB) attended. For the second time, it was held at Churchill Academy and Sixth Form. The event was attended by nearly 240 year 9 girls from 15 area schools. There were 14 workshops addressing various aspects of science, including interpreting the showing how the five senses affect the way we taste food and drink; designing a cabin in an aircraft; using an infra-red camera to look at changes in temperature and how it can be applied in the real world; and interpreting the genetic code to make a ‘Pro-Bot’ from Lego and learning how the 100,000 Genomes Project is being used to identify rare genetic diseases. Each participant attended three workshops. Sue P, SIGBI Vice President Barbara Dixon, Di and Marion  the three members  from SIB The event

Recycling and Reduction of Use of Disposable Plastics

Recycling and Reduction of Use of Disposable Plastics

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Programme Action has developed a list of information related to recycling and reduced use of plastic. The idea is to support places and shops that make an effort to reduce the use of plastic and to take individual responsibility for recycling and being aware of using plastics. Hopefully, this list is just a beginning and Liz N encourages anyone with further knowledge to contact her so the list may be kept up-to-date and relevant. Good Practice – National Trust now uses biodegradable wrapping for their magazine. They are made from potato starch. – City Hall sells reusable cups in their canteen. – Waitrose to plan to get rid of plastic cups by Autumn 2018. – A Swindon firm ‘Recycling Technology’ has developed a process to recycle previously non-recyclable plastic items. – Ann Garvie is producing a document “Sustainable Development Goals – What we can do”.

Survey on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery

Survey on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery

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SI Bristol responded to the request by SIGBI to conduct a survey. The purpose was to obtain data about the level of understanding the public has regarding human trafficking and modern slavery. The survey was conducted by SI Clubs throughout UK. Club members encouraged people to complete the survey (online or on paper) between 1st and 7th October 2017. On 7th October, a team of SI Bristol volunteers (Carol, Liz N, Lizzie, Helen, Hilary B, Pat I, Sue P and Yvonne) conducted surveys at Southmead Hospital lobby.  The number of online submissions is unknown; 111 paper surveys were submitted (80 from Southmead Hospital and 31 others) from a diverse range of respondents. A total of 552 Forms were submitted from SIGBI (which consists of 17 Clubs). This means that SI Bristol’s activity contributed a fifth of the paper surveys. Responses provided valuable information to the