WE DID IT!! 4 of us completed a sponsored walk today in aid of Breast Cancer Now. Whilst it was a little cool when we first set off, we soon warmed up as the sun came out and we progressed round the walk. The scenery was wonderful and very therapeutic with tons of wild flowers and a cacophony of birdsong. It was also a lovely opportunity to catch up with news  and felt good to be able to be out and about with friends again. There is a Just Giving page where donations are still possible – please visit https://www.justgiving.com/team/soroptimistsagainstbreastcancer

We had an inspiring speaker at our meeting on Thursday- Zareen Ahmed. She is a local lady, who through personal tragedy has reached out to help women and girls. She set up the Halimah Trust which has built a school and college for girls in Pakistan in memory of her daughter who was tragically murdered. If you have a look at the following website it will tell you about the trust and also enable you to make a donation; https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?uniqueVmgCharityUrl=thehalimahtrust She has also been involved in the provision of free sanitary products to those in need, both here in the UK and internationally, since before the term Period Poverty was invented, and continues to do so through the Gift Wellness Foundation. They also have a social enterprise which is the trading arm of the foundation, where they sell organic sanitary products and for every pack

Our next meeting is on Thursday 1st July at 7.00pm. Our guest speaker will be Sister Shelley Brough from The Beeches Unit (often referred to as the Mother and Baby Unit), based at Royal Derby Hospital. The unit is for mothers who are experiencing psychiatric/mental health issues. We are undertaking work in the garden to assist in providing a friendly and comfortable environment for the mothers and babies to enjoy.

In preparation for World Environment Day on June 5th, why not have a go at checking out your carbon footprint? Our President, Jill, had a go and is now feeling very virtuous because her carbon footprint is less than the average in the UK !

Today (May 10th) marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week. Why should Soroptimists promote this week? www.mentalhealth.org.uk offers information regarding how women’s mental health is adversely affected – their role as main carer of children; often they have a carer role of elderly and disabled relatives; they are more likely to experience sexual violence resulting in increased PTSD;  exposure to domestic abuse can impact on a woman’s mental health; poverty and social isolation and more likely to result in depression and anxiety in women. There is also evidence that indicates how the Covid pandemic and especially the repeated lockdowns have resulted in a negative impact on more women’s then men’s mental health. According to a study  led by researchers at The University of Manchester, King’s College London and the National Centre for Social Research and the National Centre for Social Research, it is estimated

We were so impressed by the suggestion posted by SI Preston about their plan to recycle tablet blister packs that we  decided to join the scheme! From now on, we are all collecting empty blister packs from friends and families and we can take them to Superdrug in the Derbion Centre (previously Intu), where they will be collected and sent off to TerraCycle for recycling. Once collected, the empty blister packets are separated by polymer type and cleaned (if necessary). The material is then extruded into plastic pellets to make new recycled products. This programme offers 100 TerraCycle® points for each kilogram of empty medicine blister packets​ sent. Superdrug will convert points raised to provide funds for Marie Curie. For example: 500 grams = 50 TerraCycle® points 1 kilogram = 100 TerraCycle® points 2.5 kilograms = 250 TerraCycle® points

Our next meeting will be on Thursday April 1st (no joke!) at 7pm via Zoom. We will be having a session regarding Safeguarding so that we are fully informed when we are able to start getting out there and working with women and girls again. If you would like to join us, please contact us at soropsderby@gmail.com We always welcome potential new members – come along and see what you think before committing!

  The lovely Shelley, volunteer with Derby Community Parenting programme, managed to come and collect the bags that we had made up for them. Not quite as sunny and warm as last time she came, but she reported that the service remains very busy throughout the pandemic and they have had to adjust to providing a lot of services via Zoom. They have, however, been able to provide a few birth partners when required, which is brilliant support for the women involved.

We are introducing some social meetings to help build on our friendships and enable us to generate ideas and them off each other in a more social environment. Come and join our Zoom Treasure Hunt on March 23rd at 7pm!

S I Derby have been busy making bundles to help new mums who are being supported by the Derby Community Parenting Project https://www.ripplez.co.uk/Pages/Category/pregnant-25-and-under