
Speaker Meeting 13th January 2025: Irene Hockin SI Barnstaple and District – Stamp Out Spiking and Welcome to Sue G
At our Speaker and Supper Meeting on Monday 13th January we welcomed Irene Hockin from Soroptimist International of Barnstaple and District who spoke about their brilliant project on Spiking. The project won their a well deserved award at the Soroptimist Conference in London in 2023. A mention of their work on this project was given in the House of Commons by their local MP recently. The Barnstaple club has dedicated much time to research and develop a strategy in conjunction with the local police licensing officer and a charitable organisation called Stamp Out Spiking. Irene explained how they started the project in their area and the making of the packs they put together containing Spikeys and StopTopps (drink covers) that are distributed to nightclubs, pubs festivals and other venues where women might be at risk of drink spiking. However, we also learned that it is