Our Danish Soroptimist friends joined us for our February zoom meeting and it was lovely to see them. Following Jo and Sue’s welcome to the members of SI Kerteminde, President Kirsten, Ulla and Birte told us about the activities and events they had been able to do last year and their hopes for the coming year. Memories were shared of past visits to Buxton and Denmark!  

CHRISTMAS TREE The Mayor of High Peak has treated us to a Christmas tree to be used in the Pavilion and we were delighted to accept the gift. Part of the Pavilion has now reopened and Anne and Jo have decorated the tree so, if you have a moment to spare, do pop along and have a look.  The tree is in the entrance close to the Octagon. FUND-RAISING CALENDAR  The twelve Soroptimist Clubs of Midland East Region have produced a calendar for 2021.  Copies have been sold throughout the Region to raise funds for our Federation project “Empowering Girls in Nepal“. The twelve Clubs are Amber Valley, Buxton & District, Chesterfield & District, Derby, The Dukeries, Kettering & District, Leicester, Lincoln & District, Loughborough, Mansfield & District, Nottingham and Peterborough. We are February!!  The central photo  features the iconic Buxton Opera House in the

Buxton Soroptimists have an ongoing Programme Action project for the Period Poverty campaign. President Jo received a donation of products from Lillets recently and passed them on to Club member Elaine for Crossroads Derbyshire to use.  Our photograph shows Elaine handing the items over to Vicky Bunnage, Chief Executive of Crossroads Derbyshire.  Vicky was very pleased to receive them and commented "we had one family with three teenage girls who were struggling financially and the cost of menstrual products each month was crippling!" Elaine, Chair of the Trustees, has written to the donors, Lillets, to thank them.

    Buxton Soroptimists held their September meeting via Zoom, and a great meeting it proved to be. Joint Presidents Sue Barber and Jo Holdway welcomed Jasmit Phull, Region President who gave a fascinating, informative, heart warming and very personal talk about her arranged marriage.  At the end of the talk Jasmit stressed that arranged marriages such as hers are  far removed from forced marriages, which Soroptimists worldwide are fighting against.        

 

The members of Soroptimist International, Buxton & District have been busy during the COVID19 lockdown.  Some have been helping elderly, sick or vulnerable people by doing errands. Many have contributed, sewn and provided aprons, laundry bags and fabric facemasks.   Joint President Jo is modelling one of the aprons and 40 of these have been donated to the local Scrub Hub charity, who will distribute them to local carers. Joint President Sue and her husband have been growing and selling vegetable plants to local people in Tideswell.   So far they have donated £90 to Tideswell First Responders, £30 to Chesterfield Hospital (Calow), £60 to Tideswell Surgery and have £70 to donate to Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital shortly. Rules on social distancing have been followed at all times.

  Great news for the Club, President Jo welcomed Anne and Marion as members of SI Buxton