“Historic” Reclaim The Night March in Derby will demand end to fear and violence against women An “historic” women’s march is to take place through Derby on November 27th calling for an end to “fear and violence”. Hundreds of women are expected to take part in the event, which is said to be the first of it’s kind in Derby. Organisers of the event say the rally will call for a demand to “break the silence” and “end the fear and violence” within society. Several Soroptimists are planning to join this march and offer support to Derby End Violence Against Women and Girls Coalition.

Although the weather was a bit threatening, we managed another successful fund raising session at Normanton Park Fun day. Unfortunately, at the last minute, Rosie the Pink Tuk Tuk was unable to join us, but Mary Storrie from the Rosie May Foundation came along to help us out. Our Tombola proved very popular again, as did our home made jams and chutneys. We had customers even before we had finished setting up! If you would like to join us and help us to improve the lives of women and girls, please contact us via email at: soropsderby@gmail.com. We have a face to face meeting planned for our October meeting, with Mary Storrie coming to speak to us  – more details to follow soon.

Below is the link to a video that the volunteers with the Rosie May Foundation made while we were fund raising at the Big 1 Event in Derby. It was very impromptu and they kept making me laugh so isn’t as informative as it could have been but gives you a bit of an idea about why we have chosen to work with the charity! https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=200478398712522

Here we are, proudly showing off our new SI Derby polo shirts as we manage our stall at a local summer carnival. We had support from the Rosie May Foundation, a charity that we are supporting and that we hope to raise £3000 for so that we can sponsor a pink tuk tuk. It was amazing to be able to be out amongst the crowds enjoying themselves and our tombola’s sold out by the end of the day. Two great volunteers from the Rosie May Foundation , Phil and Roy, helped with the fund raising by offering free rides on Rosie the Pink Tuk-tuk and encouraging people to offer a donation for the ride. For those of you are unfamiliar with the Rosie May Foundation, it is a charity that is working to make women and girls safer in Sri-Lanka through the provision of work

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