{"id":7,"date":"2011-07-07T11:50:23","date_gmt":"2011-07-07T10:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/soroptimist-gbi.org\/coventry\/?page_id=7"},"modified":"2015-03-31T08:18:36","modified_gmt":"2015-03-31T08:18:36","slug":"coventry-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/coventry\/find-out-about-us\/coventry-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Coventry Club History"},"content":{"rendered":"

HISTORY OF COVENTRY CLUB<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many women all over the world during the First World War had gained independence and freedom by using their skills and competencies in management and the professions.\u00a0 There was a growing need for the development of female Clubs where women could meet on their own ground, the like of which men had had for many years.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In 1920 women in Bristol formed a \u2018Venture Club\u2019 which had similar aims to the later Soroptimist movement, founded the following year (1921) in Oakland, California (by a man!). Coventry with 18 members\u00a0became the eleventh Venture Club in England. It was formed with the guidance of the London Venture Club, and help from Coventry Rotarians, and to this day the Presidential Badge (a gift from a member of Coventry Rotary Club) bears the word \u201cVenture\u201d.\u00a0 By 1929, however, measures were taken to amalgamate Venture Clubs with the Soroptimist movement, which had similar ideals.\u00a0 So in March 1929 Coventry received its Charter as a Soroptimist Club, becoming the 50th<\/sup> Soroptimist Club in the World.<\/p>\n

As a number of Soroptimist Clubs increased world-wide the British Clubs became \u201cThe National Union of the United Kingdom\u201d and a member of the \u201cEuropean Federation of Soroptimist Clubs\u201d. Miss Muriel Carter, a founder member and first President of Coventry Club represented them on the National Union Board of Governors.\u00a0 Miss Carter later emigrated to Australia but returned at the age of 92 to join the Coventry Club celebrations for its 60th<\/sup> Birthday in 1989.<\/p>\n

In 1934, at the International Convention in Paris the \u201cNational Union of Great Britain\u201d left the European Federation of Soroptimist Clubs to become \u201cThe Federation of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI)\u201d. The British Federation divided the country into Divisional Unions and Coventry was part of the Midland and Eastern Counties Union, becoming Midland Arden Region (MAR) in 1990 and one of thirteen Clubs that make up the Region.<\/p>\n

In 1935 Coventry formed a \u2018Daughter Club\u2019 at Leamington and Warwick and in 1938 another \u2018Daughter Club\u2019 was formed in Rugby.\u00a0 A third \u2018Daughter Club\u2019, Kenilworth and District, was chartered to celebrate Coventry\u2019s 40th<\/sup> birthday.<\/p>\n

During the second world war the C\"\"oventry members were much involved in helping with local problems especially after the Blitz on Coventry in 1940.<\/p>\n

Monetary gifts received by SI Coventry from Canadian Clubs during 1944\/45 were used to swell the already existing \u201cFlats Fund\u201d set up in 1937\/38 as a first step in providing accommodation for women of limited means.\u00a0 Property was purchased in 1945 in Dalton Road and opened as \u201cSoroptimist House\u201d the following year and this absorbed the main financial commitment of the Club for the next few years.\u00a0 Later the purchase of the adjoining house was completed, but with rising costs and maintenance of the property it was decided to donate the house to the Church Housing Association in 1981.\u00a0 Club members still keep contact with the residents of \u201cSoroptimist House\u201d and provide gifts at Easter and Christmas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Besides the early links with Canadian and later American Clubs (which sadly have ceased) Coventry over the years has forged friendship links with Deakin (Australia), Akeja (Africa), Cork (Ireland), Arnhem (Holland), Dresden (Germany) and in 2000 St Etienne (France).\u00a0 Informal links are maintained through visits and letters with other Soroptimist Clubs around the world by individual members.<\/p>\n

Coventry Club was 80 years old in 2009 and is still moving forward and working for many charities at home and abroad. We have raised money for \u201cLimbs for Life\u201d, Myton Hospice, the Acorn Trust, which provides respite for young terminally ill children, the Alzheimer\u2019s Society and Global Vision, which helps the victims of conflict.\u00a0 Many members provide ervice in all sorts of ways by visiting and leading activities in an Old People\u2019s Home, visiting the sick or doing voluntary work for their chosen charity.\u00a0 Often the service members give in the name of Soroptimism is unsung and unrecorded, but<\/strong> ask a busy women to do a job, and she just gets on and does it!<\/p>\n

Coventry Club\u2019s history records a weekend Conference held in Shrewsbury in the period 1955-56, on the theme of \u201cGracious Living\u201d, a theme very different from nowadays when we attend Conference to discuss Landmine Elimination or our Teenagers and their problems!\u00a0 For many years Coventry members always attended meeting wearing hats and gloves but in 1960\/61 it was agreed that the use of Christian names could be introduced among members and hats and gloves need not be worn.\u00a0 Fifty years on, our Club is less formal but still conforms to the Objectives of Soroptimism and places great value on the bonds of friendship within the Club, forged through working together for common goals.<\/p>\n

More recent, as well as supporting International Projects, Coventry members work locally and have provided financial help to local charities such as the NSPCC; The Boot Fund; Brain Damaged Children; The Coventry Toy Library and Language on Loan.\u00a0 We have supported Coventry Hospitals, Fords Hospital, Medical Research Unit at Warwick University, the Environment Project Brandon Woods, financial support has been given to a Coventry Health Visitor who actively promoted health education in Romania.\u00a0 We have supported three young women working on projects in Tanzania, Namibia and China.\u00a0 The Alzheimer\u2019s Association, Acorn Hospice, Dogs for the Hard of Hearing, the New Coventry Hospice, Jo Homan Homes and supported three young women in their education to name but a few.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HISTORY OF COVENTRY CLUB Many women all over the world during the First World War…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":0,"parent":117,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nCoventry Club History | SI Coventry | SIGBI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SIGBI : SI Coventry : Coventry Club History : SI Coventry is part of a worldwide organisation of women, find more information regarding the Coventry Club History here.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/coventry\/find-out-about-us\/coventry-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Coventry Club History | SI 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