Action on Postpartum Psychosis [APP] is one of the charities being highlighted this year by President Val Jones, Cannock Soroptimists.  It is a small and little known charity; in fact, prior to President Val naming it only 3 members of the club had ever heard of it! The condition Postpartum Psychosis is actually as common as Down’s Syndrome and one of the aims of the charity is to raise public awareness of the condition: Postpartum Psychosis is a frightening and devastating form of postnatal mental illness. Jocelyn Ellams, a volunteer for APP and someone who suffered from the condition herself following the birth of her son, gave a most interesting, emotional and enlightening presentation to club members. APP is run by health experts and by those who have suffered from the condition, they have 700 members. Some facts about PP are: PP is the most

Cannock Soroptimists are preparing for Christmas! But not just for themselves: as in previous years, club members do what they can to provide a better Christmas for some of those who may be in some sort of need this year. They provide Christmas gifts for the women and children who will be living in a refuge run by the Pathway Project for women victims of domestic violence over the festive period.  They send along toys, games, clothing, books, toiletries, jewellery – the recipients of the gifts are always touched that there are people thinking of them at this time. Soroptimist Carole Holdcroft will coordinate the club’s preparation, cooking and serving of a Christmas Dinner in December for those who use the Soup Kitchen in Mill Street Cannock. They fund a large part of this meal too and usually serve over 50 meals, complete with all

Val Jones, President of Soroptimist International of Cannock held a cocktail party at her home; club members and friends enjoyed an evening of fellowship whilst discovering how to mix cocktails.  30 people attended, mixed mocktails and shook cocktails with a flourish, a cherry and an umbrella! The evening raised funds for the SI Emergency Fund and for one of President Val’s chosen charities: Action on Puerperal Psychosis. The International Emergency Fund ensures there are always funds available for use when disaster strikes, wherever in the world that might be. Funds are usually donated via a Soroptimist club near to such a disaster area, often used to purchase materials which are needed to help the people in distress. The raffle held on the night raised £90.00 which will be donated to this Soroptimist Fund.  Other monies raised on the night will form part of the donation to

Soroptimists from all over the UK are working to establish the public’s knowledge of Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery. From 1st to 7th October 2017 Soroptimists from SI Cannock & District, as part of their mission to inspire action and transform the lives of women and girls world-wide,  are encouraging members of the public to complete the UK wide survey undertaken by the Soroptimist United Kingdom Programme Action Committee.  Working with UK Modern Slavery Training Delivery Group, which is part of the Government’s strategy to combat trafficking/slavery, the intention is to find out the extent of public knowledge of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery. The results will help to inform and direct their work. The on-line version of the survey is accessed from www.sigbi.org/ukpac/survey/ and it is hoped that a wide range of individuals will give a few minutes of their time to log

Club member Emma Hodges, CEO of St Giles Hospice, was the speaker at the September meeting of Cannock Soroptimists. The aim of Emma’s presentation was two-fold – to explain the reasons behind the recent re-brand and to show something of the diversity of care offered by St Giles whilst the main focus of care for patient and family remains at its core: what was important 34 years ago is important still today. The new logo shows a return to the original colour of Orange used by St Giles for many years; the strap line: ‘It’s your life and that’s what matters’ demonstrates that the Hospice is about life:  Hospice care is holistic, caring for emotional, practical, spiritual and physical needs and worries for the whole family. There have been so many changes and advances in the last 34 years: 80% of Hospice care is now

Soroptimists are marking World Food Day – Monday 16th October – by collecting items of food to donate to the Cannock Food Bank, collecting at their September and October meetings.  The local food bank has recently put out an urgent plea for more food as their stocks are running very low. Soroptimists are pleased to be able to support this project – many of us are lucky enough to never have to worry about where the next meal comes from, though we know this is not the case for everyone.  Enabling a mother to feed her children, [and herself], means that they are being helped towards a safer and healthier life. The focus of the action and work undertaken by Soroptimists is to improve the lives of women and girls: making sure they are not hungry is part of that work. All food donated is

Val Jones, President of Soroptimist International of Cannock & District, was delighted Dr Dawn Pope as a member of the club; Dawn is the fourth new member to be inducted in this Soroptimist year. Dr Dawn Pope is an Environmental Auditor. She has lived locally for 20 years, and is married with a grown-up son. She was previously a member of SI Stafford and thoroughly enjoyed her membership but found juggling that with her career and family difficult.  She now feels she has the time to make a full commitment to the club and to the work of the organisation. She was introduced by Soroptimist Dr Janis Lomas, who will also be her mentor.  Dawn thanked club members for their very friendly welcome to her over the past few weeks.  She said “I have been looking again at the work of Soroptimists: educating, empowering and

Val Jones, President of Soroptimist International of Cannock & District, was delighted Dr Dawn Pope as a member of the club; Dawn is the fourth new member to be inducted in this Soroptimist year.   Dr Dawn Pope is an Environmental Auditor. She has lived locally for 20 years, and is married with a grown-up son. She was previously a member of SI Stafford and thoroughly enjoyed her membership but found juggling that with her career and family difficult.  She now feels she has the time to make a full commitment to the club and to the work of the organisation. She was introduced by Soroptimist Dr Janis Lomas, who will also be her mentor.  Dawn thanked club members for their very friendly welcome to her over the past few weeks.  She said “I have been looking again at the work of Soroptimists: educating, empowering

Soroptimist International of Cannock & District have been involved for the past few years with the collection of tents, chairs and other goods left behind at Weston Park following the annual V Festival. The collection is organised by the local District of Rotary International and takes place on the two days following the V Festival.  This year, as in previous years, so much was left behind by the those who attended the Festival which, if it can be collected, can be used by people at home and overseas.  No matter how many volunteers go along they are never able to collect all of the items left behind. This year 5 Soroptimists from SI Cannock & District went along to help with the grand ‘clear-up’ at Weston Park following another very successful, but rather muddy, V Festival.  Wearing wellies and other appropriate clothing, members set to

Val Jones, President of SI Cannock & District welcomed Amanda Milling MP as the club’s speaker in August.The President’s theme for the year is ‘Women in Power’ and the Cannock Chase MP spoke to the group about women in Politics. Amanda spoke about her life as a female MP – she became the 433rd female MP ever elected and the first female MP for the current Cannock Chase constituency. Over the last 25 years the percentage of female MPs has risen from below 10% to 32%, however if all of the female MPs ever elected were in Parliament together, there would still not be enough to fill the 650 Commons’ seats. Amanda Milling told Soroptimists and their guests that it was a pleasure to speak to them and discuss women in politics.  She told them that she has always been fascinated by politics but had