Last week, SI Cannock & District welcomed Helen Fisher – recently retired Staffordshire Deputy Commissioner for Police, Fire Rescue and Crime – to their meeting. Born locally, Helen has served her community for many years as a Town, District and County Councillor before she took up the role of Deputy Commissioner in 2021. Helen recounted the different phases of her life; as a teenager her musical prowess on keyboards lead to her performing in local venues and working in the musical instruments department in a local department store. She later taught music at home before setting up a successful car repairs business with her then husband that is still trading. Always interested in politics and inspired by Margaret Thatcher’s election as Prime Minister, Helen joined the local Conservative party in the late 90s and in 2007 was elected to Burntwood Town Council where she served

Cannock and District Soroptimists held their Annual Charter Dinner this month at the Moat House Hotel, Acton Trussel. This year was particularly special as the club was celebrating its 70th Birthday.  Guests enjoyed a wonderful meal in beautiful surroundings, followed by entertainment provided by the fabulous Lola Lamour. Club President Carole Holdcroft welcomed guests from other clubs within the S I Midland Chase Region, Cannock Rotary and Probus. She extended a special welcome to ladies who had travelled from S I Port Talbot with whom Cannock has strong friendship links. Speakers who proposed toasts to the club highlighted the dramatic changes which had taken place over those 70 years, particularly for women. In 1955 women generally stayed at home and had traditional roles and did not have the educational and career opportunities they have today. Soroptimists around the world have contributed to those social changes

Cannock and District Soroptimists enjoyed an excellent talk this month given by Jess Boyden – Juckes based on inspiring stories of women in the RAF. The meeting was organised and presided over by club President Carole Holdcroft. Jess works as a Historian on the RAF’s Centenary Project, RAF STORIES, begun in 2018. This is a digital and online project which aims to collect and share historical, contemporary and very personal experiences of real people related to the RAF. The presentation focused on the role of women in the RAF. Today there are many women carrying out a variety of roles within the RAF including piloting aircraft; but this has only been possible because of the pioneering work of the women who went before them. Jess shared the stories of three women. Katherine Du Plat Taylor volunteered for the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) aged eighteen

Each Christmas Cannock Soroptimists give gifts to women who they feel need a little boost at this time of year. This year their thoughts turned to those women who support other women at a particularly emotional and potentially vulnerable time in their lives – our wonderful midwives who are present before, during and after childbirth.   Working in partnership with two of our other clubs in Midland Chase Region, SI Bilston and SI Wolverhampton, gifts of hand cream and lip salve were wrapped and labelled then taken to New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton and presented to the midwives, Health Care Assistants and support staff there to thank them for the care and compassion they have shown to the women of this Region this year.   Working in the delivery suite can be emotionally and physically demanding and the Soroptimists’ gifts, given to each member of the delivery suite,

Cannock and District Soroptimists were treated to a very entertaining talk by Jo Golby entitled “The Laura Ashley Story.” The evening was chaired by Club President Carole Holdcroft. Many of us may remember a time when our dress may have matched our wallpaper, which may have matched our cushions and lampshades! This was undoubtedly the influence and work of the talented Laura Ashley. Jo Golby’s talk was lively and passionate; Laura Ashley had been her hero for as long as she could remember. She related an amusing story about meeting Laura when she was a child and asking for her autograph. Jo’s talk was illustrated throughout with photographs and vintage Laura Ashley garments, Jo herself wore a lovely burgundy pinafore dress. The talk was detailed and well researched, presented in an amusing style. Laura Ashley became famous and popular for her distinctive style: pintucks, flowers,

Eight members of SI Cannock & District travelled to the beautiful city of Edinburgh to attend the annual Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI) conference at the beginning of November.  They had an amazing time! They joined more than 500 women who share a common goal – to Educate Empower and Enable women and girls across the world. Indeed, this year Educate, Empower and Enable was the conference theme. The SIGBI Federation has more than 5,000 members in over 250 clubs in 17 countries in Asia and the Caribbean as well as Great Britain and Ireland, many of them represented at the conference. It is a great opportunity to network; sharing successes and ideas and to rekindle old friendships and forge new ones. The delegates heard from a member of the Steve Sinnott Foundation an international education charity that has supported Education for

Cannock Soroptimists held their annual International Evening recently- the event when they celebrate the international aspect of Soroptimist International, lighting candles for the members and clubs in all 5 of the Federations: South East Asia Pacific, the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Great Britain and Ireland. Members, family and friends met at the Barns to enjoy a meal in each others’ company and were entertained by their speaker, actor Jennifer Rigby, introduced by President Carole Holdcroft. Jen told them she had spent some time considering what she might present for this special evening; her thinking started with Saturday night family TV when she was a child and she reminded us of the many shows we had all enjoyed. Amongst the best remembered are the comedy shows, many of which have an international reach. This reminded her of the importance of fun and laughter and Jen’s aim

Members of SI Cannock & District and their guests were treated to a fascinating peek into how the other half lives when they welcomed Lola Lamour to their meeting to talk about her time as Lord Lichfield’s maid. Before she became a professional singer Lola spent seven years working at Shugborough Hall until Lord Lichfield’s death in 2005. She told how after answering an advert in the local newspaper, she was successfully interviewed for the post by the lady of the house, Lady Annunziata Asquith and the butler. Her role was to work at the hall on the weekends when Lord Lichfield hosted shooting parties.  She was asked to work the week after her interview, reporting to the house on Friday afternoon when she met the other house staff – as         well as the butler, there was a cook, another maid and usually Lord Lichfield’s

Cannock and District Soroptimists are working with Waste Savvy Staffordshire on a project they run to re-use/ recycle bras which women no longer need. There are pink collection boxes in many parts of the county – Cannock Soroptimists now have their own!  Once the box is full the bras are taken along to Waste Savvy Staffordshire who pass them on to Action Breast Cancer [ABC].  This charity works with a specialist company who then buy them by weight.  The funds are used by ABC to fund research into Breast Cancer. The bras go mostly to African countries where they are either: sold and the money raised helps further with the work in breast cancer given to girls and women, thus giving them status and helping reduce the risk of sexual assault taken apart and the component parts recycled So every bra, no matter what its

Cannock and District Soroptimists enjoyed an excellent talk this month by Mary Bodfish, an author and local historian. The name ‘Elizabeth’ refers to HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, born 4th August, 1900. The well researched presentation gave an insight into the early life of this much loved and popular royal. Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of Strathmore, was born into the wealthy and privileged Bowes-Lyon family, and was brought up at a home in Hertfordshire as well as Glamis Castle in Scotland.  She enjoyed a happy and secure childhood, among a large family of ten children – she was the ninth – who enjoyed many outdoor pursuits as well as looking after animals and pets. Elizabeth’s education was mostly restricted to that provided by governesses. Like many families their lives were changed with the start of the Great War when her brothers went to