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Annual visit to London February 2018

Annual visit to London February 2018

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Our annual visit to stay at Number 63 Bayswater Road at our very own Soroptimist boutique hotel was attended by 13 Soroptimists and 3 Soroptimisters, As usual the first evening was spent in the usual Italian Restaurant that is very close to Number 63.  However, the second day did not go without a hitch and some of us spent the afternoon and evening at two of the major London hospitals as you will see from the splendid arm sling on one of our faithful members in the front of the picture.   The rest of our group enjoyed the energy and talent of the major new production of the Olivier award-winning, smash-hit West End and Broadway musical Five Guys Named Moe in the new Marble Arch Theatre. Many thanks to Jeanette and Ruth for making it happen.

Act of Remembrance organised by Churches Together in Clifton, Cotham and Redland

Act of Remembrance organised by Churches Together in Clifton, Cotham and Redland

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On the 10th November at Whiteladies Road Lizzie C laid a wreath on behalf of SI Bristol. This is the 5th year we have joined the local schools, the armed forces, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and other local groups to remember those who have laid down their lives for us. This year, following the merger of Redland High School and The Redmaids’ School, we were delighted to see the girls from the new Redmaids’ High School providing the music for us.

Postcard from Cardiff – SIGBI Cardiff Conference 2017

Postcard from Cardiff – SIGBI Cardiff Conference 2017

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This was the 83rd Federation Conference held at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff from the 26-28 October 2017. Nine members of SI Bristol attended for some or all of the time which was excellent and these are a few highlights relating to SI Bristol at the conference (for the full report see SIGB website www.sigbi.org). The Opening Ceremony, paraded the flags from the countries represented by SIGBI, the Soroptimist International flag and the United Nations flag. SI Bristol had a mention right at the beginning as being the first formed Club in the UK. Friday morning the programme began proper with the first keynote speaker, Michael Kaufman, who co-founded the White Ribbon Campaign. Following his presentation, four Clubs showcased what they had done over the past year which related to Violence Against Women. We were very pleased that this year SI Bristol was invited to

Caring in Bristol and our Christmas Party

Caring in Bristol and our Christmas Party

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On 4th December, 2017, we enjoyed our Christmas. After a delicious meal, our gratitude of the kitchen staff at the Golf Club was shown. This was followed by two activities: one a quiz to work out the associated place name from a clue and the other to identify people from photos posted around the room. Money was collected for Caring in Bristol, a charity that strives to create a society where everyone has a home, has hope, and is part of their community. They deliver projects around homelessness that include the 365 Shelter, Caring at Christmas, Bristol Nightstop, and the Survival Handbook publication. The evening concluded with carols sung by The Owls of Pill. We were encouraged to sing along and we proved to be in fine voice. The Owls are a group of all-male singers, garbed in Dickensian costumes. They took a collection from

Railing Against Abuse 25th November

Railing Against Abuse 25th November

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On 25th November Soroptomists from throughout the southwest joined the SI Weston-Super-Mare Club in their initiative to raise awareness and support the United Nations “Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women”. Soroptomists from Barnstable, Bath, Bridgewater, Cirencester, Plymouth, Swindon, Taunton, Tiverton and Western-Super-Mare travelled by train (“railing”) to Bristol Temple Meads station to join members of the Bristol Club. Most were adorned in distinctive orange clothing (including wigs). The main group walked, in a very orderly fashion, with banners and a loudhailer from Temple Meads Station to the Lord Mayor’s Chapel at the bottom of Park Street. A small group, including Tara Arkle, took the bus to College Green. During their “railing”, Soroptimists distributed “Loves me /Loves me not” bookmarks and cards to other passengers. This publicity material has been carefully produced to define in clear and simple terms the difference between good and

A Visit to the Opera

A Visit to the Opera

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On the afternoon of Friday 13th October a group of 30 Soroptomists, their partners and friends , boarded a coach on the Downs to travel to the Cardiff Millennium Theatre, to see a performance of Eugene Oneygin by the W. N. O. Unfortunately the coach broke down on the M4 in Wales , so our arrival in Cardiff was somewhat delayed. However we were able to have some supper prior to the performance, perhaps a little more speedily than we had planned! This delay was soon forgotten on entering the magnificent theatre auditorium, with its wonderful acoustic and an excellent performance by the W.N.O. Our circle seats provided comfort and a good stage view, and the subtitles provided a clear explanation for those of us unfamiliar with the story. Our journey home was speedy and uneventful. Very many thanks are due to Ruth whose efficient

Growing our Brand in the Local Community Workshop

Growing our Brand in the Local Community Workshop

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On the 5th August Lizzie attended the first of two workshops “Growing our Brand in the Local Community” held at the Holiday Inn, Taunton and sponsored by SIGBI.  The purpose of the day was to provide us with ideas, inspiration, tools and techniques to help us attract new members.  It was an excellent day headed by Andrew Dewhurst and assisted by Anya Rigby (Anya is also a member of SI Amounderness in Lancashire, the youngest Soroptimist club in the UK, chartered on 4th July 2017). Andrew covered attitudes, growth tool kits, strategy planning and marketing communication plans.  He showed us the value of traditional marketing using flyers, posters and banners and how they can be effective by ongoing distribution and not just a “one off”.  He moved on to digital marketing demonstrating how we can advertise using Google, Facebook and Linkedin and showing us examples

Sausage Sizzle in aid of Unseen and the Meru Women’s Garden Project

Sausage Sizzle in aid of Unseen and the Meru Women’s Garden Project

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On Saturday 22nd July we were treated to a most enjoyable afternoon at Vyv’s lovely home.  We were warmly greeted by Denise, Anne and manged the bar, Ruth had been helping all day with cooking the delicious sausages and Duncan, with his health and safety hat on, made sure that we were able to admire the beautiful garden without any mishaps.  We raised £315 for Unseen. We had a stand with our Programme Action activities including highlighting SIGB’s Meru Women’s Garden Project.  We raised awareness and sold produce from our gardens including jam and the amount collected will go towards our next year’s donation towards the project.  It was a very happy gathering of members, husbands, partners and friends and family and an opportunity to enjoy a summer garden party whilst raising funds for this year’s club charity.