A senior charge nurse for ward 2 Crieff Hospital recently asked SI Crieff members for help. "We currently have patients who have dementia and we have historically used knitted fiddle muffs to help the patient have something to touch and feel when they feel anxious. These knitted items have items attached to them such as buttons and ribbons for the patient to touch. We would welcome whether there is any volunteer ladies who could knit a few of these for the ward patients. We thought maybe around 6 would last us at least 6-12 months." Club members were happy to help and you can see the result in the photograph below.

As of today, there are only 65 days left until Christmas 2020. The club members at SI Crieff  have already started preparing and have recently donated Christmas Boxes for the Blytheswood Care shoe box appeal 2020.  SI Crieff has been supporting this project for a number of years. The shoe boxes are filled with items to bring some Christmas cheer to adults and children in Eastern Europe who face difficulties every day, through poverty, illness, disability, or other disadvantages.  Receiving a shoe box brings some joy to children and adults in these very difficult times.

Members of SI Crieff invited Strath residents to mark the United Nations International Day of Peace by “spreading compassion, kindness and hope” in the face of the Covid19 pandemic. The day is celebrated across the globe every year on 21 September and Soroptimists has been hoping to use the day to promote peace and raise awareness of climate change. Janice Wilson, programme action officer for SI Crieff explained: “The theme for 2020 is ‘Shaping Peace Together’.  Soroptimists worldwide believe that everyone must combat climate change as a way to protect and promote peace throughout the world.  We are not each other’s enemies as we found out this year – our common enemy is the virus that threatens our health, our security and our very way of life. Members of SI Crieff had hoped to hand out roses in Crieff on the International Day of Peace this

As part of SI Crieff's Programme Action for 2020/21, the club members have been collecting plastic bottle tops to be recycled by Lush https://uk.lush.com/article/what-do-plastic-bottle-tops Here we have two of our members Margaret McPhater and Katie Lang delivering plastic bottle tops to Lush for recycling.  Lush send the clean bottle tops to their Green Hub in Poole where they’re broken down into pellets ready to be sent to Storm Board - a company in Somerset that builds boards from the plastic pellets. Bottle Boards can then be made into waterproof furniture – from wall claddings to chairs and benches. They've been used to make a play area at a refugee camp in France. https://sigbi.org/ukpac/

The Covid19 lockdown has been hard for many families and individuals.  We have been unable to meet up and take part in our normal activities.  As restrictions are now beginning to ease in Scotland, a small group of SI Crieff members met up recently in McRosty Park, Crieff to give some TLC to our very overgrown SI Garden. The garden had not been tended to since the pandemic began, which was evident when we arrived.  A daunting task was before us, but with some hard work and determination our hard efforts were rewarded. We have now trimmed shrubs and removed many weeds, and we are now ready for the next stage which will be preparing for new planting which will give the garden a facelift. We look forward to a spectacular show for next season (Covid19 permitting).

SIGBI Day of Action 18 July 2020 Balsam Bashing Due to the continuing conditions, SI Crieff members  like everyone else can only hold virtual club meetings. However about a dozen members did get together one recent Saturday morning in Turretbank Wood to help clear some of the Himalyan Balsam, that attractive but invasive plant introduced to this country in 1839 to such a detrimental effect for many of our native plants.  It spreads at an amazing rate but fortunately does not have deep roots and is easily pulled out by hand and left to lie and rot so it can no longer spread its seeds.  Jim Anderson of the Community Trust showed everyone how to recognise it and after ensuring everyone had plenty protection against nettles, brambles and insects, we all spent a couple of hours doing something productive and marking the Soroptimist Day of

At what would normally have been the end of the recent school year, Crieff High School had to hold the traditional annual Awards Ceremony virtually.  So, along with all other prize winners, Samantha Ferguson who won The Soroptimist Cup for Personal Achievement and Pepper Young winner of the Soroptimist Certificate of Achievement, received their awards virtually.  It was disappointing both girls missed the opportunity to be presented with their awards in person or come along to talk about themselves to SI Crieff members but it is hoped they will be able to do so at some point in the club's coming year. If you are interested in finding out more about SI Crieff do please contact Heather, Membership Officer, on 07796 031510 or visit our website https://sigbi.org/crieff

Article from Strathearn Herald published 11 June 2020 (LYNN DUKE) Global Aims and Grassroots Projects It is a global organisation which has sought to improve the lives of women and girls throughout the world for almost 100 years. And education has always been a key driver behind the work of Soroptimist International (SI), which was founded in 1921 in Oakland, California, and began life in the UK later the same year. Advocating human rights and gender equality are at the heart of SI’s work across eight United Nations centres, within which representatives ensure female voices are heard and grassroots projects are supported to help people achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in communities. SI consists of four federations – which is shortly to become five with the formation of the African Federation. Locally, SI Crieff is a member

SI Crieff said a big THANK YOU to local District Nurses by distributing 27 pamper bags.  The bags were filled with hand creams, moisturisers and sweets/chocolate.  All items were donated by the Crieff members who wanted to show how much they appreciated the nurses' hard work during the Covid19 pandemic.