SI of Coventry currently has 24 members, who are fully committed to the aims and objectives of Soroptimism. We have members from various walks of life, including education, medicine, business, the public sector and the third sector as well as more unusual backgrounds such as funeral director, tax inspector and police inspector.
We meet at 7.00pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month (except August), usually at Hearsall Golf Club, 33 Beechwood Avenue, Coventry CV5 6DF. Our meetings alternate between business and social meetings; at the former, we progress our Action Programme and plan future activities, while the latter begin with a meal, followed usually by a presentation from an invited speaker or some other fun activity.
We are a lively group, and always welcome visitors and potential members.
Our Action Programme includes:
- supporting women’s groups e.g. women’s refuge, local food bank;
- raising funds for our charity of the year as well as other good causes;
- lobbying e.g. to end FGM and forced marriage, and other actions to improve women’s lives.
Although the causes can be serious, we have fun and share friendship in working together. One of our members is Coventry’s official Lady Godiva and we join in her activities with other women’s groups in the city.
Regionally, SI coventry belongs to the Midland Arden Region, which currently includes twelve clubs. There are regular regional meetings, to which all SI members in the region are invited.
At the national level, SI Coventry belongs to Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI), which also includes a number of overseas countries, most of which are part of the Commonwealth and have long-standing ties with the UK.