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Top Tip 1 for Taking Care of You from Soroptimist East London
Are you taking care of you?

Are you taking care of you?

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Are you taking care of you? Top Tip 1 Are you taking care of you? If there is just one thing we learned in 2020, it is just how important being and keeping healthy is. Yes, that means looking after you!  According to Public Health England, many women have suffered from mental distress as a result of covid and accompanying increases in workload. So, we asked Soroptimist East London wellness experts Fola and Narayani for their top tips for taking care of you (without spending lots of money or time) in 2021. We’ll be writing them up in a number of blogs. In this blog we talk with Fola and Narayani and explore their top tip 1: get outside - even if it's just out the front door! Top Tip 1: Get Outside!  Get Outside and Keep physically fit Fitness and Pilates instructor Fola Ademoye
Women on and off the Football pitch. Picture of Soroptimist East London member Becca Bolton & friend; football training in Alabama, USA circa 1988
Let them know you are there! Women on and off the Football pitch

Let them know you are there! Women on and off the Football pitch

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Let them know you are there! Women on and off the Football pitch. “Let them know you are there”, says Becca Bolton reflecting on life for women on and off the football pitch. Becca, a member of Soroptimist East London, has played football since the age of 4 and today, she plays centre-back for South London Women’s Football Club. In this blog, Becca shares her experience of the stark contrasts between life for women on and off the football pitch and her thoughts about what this means for women today. This is her blog:  Women on and off the Football pitch  Before I begin, I’d like to make the point that this is not a blog telling women to play football, or even to play sport. Instead, I want to share how I feel when I play, and how playing football altered the way I
Soroptimist East London member Alison Charles
Who is She? Alison Charles

Who is She? Alison Charles

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Who is she? Alison Charles! Alison Charles, a member of Soroptimist East London, has been celebrated as one of some hundred women who have made a difference to the lives of women and girls. We are so proud of her and what she has achieved for herself and others. So, we want to tell you all about her! Why is Alison being celebrated? Alison has been celebrated for her commitment to the mental health and well-being of others. In her professional life, Alison helps companies develop wellbeing strategies that put employees at the centre of their agenda with a focus on good mental health and stress management. And, to do that, she brings her 30 years’ of working experience with military, government, and large corporate organisations. Beyond this, Alison is a keen advocate of volunteering. Passionate about mentoring and supporting women, Alison was a volunteer
Woman wearing covid mask & Soropotimist East London logo
Volunteering at the Covid Frontline

Volunteering at the Covid Frontline

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Volunteering at the Covid Frontline, what's it like?  Could you do it?  A Soroptimist East London member has been volunteering at the Covid frontline in vaccination centres.  So far, she has worked two volunteer shifts at different Covid vaccination centres in east London.  We’re so impressed that we interviewed her about her experiences.  Read on to learn more …... "What does volunteering at a covid vaccination centre involve?  It involves being a friendly, welcoming face and being flexible!   There are so many things to do: anything from marshalling people inside or outside; asking the initial screening questionnaire to all new arrivals; registering people; making refreshments for staff and volunteers; cleaning tables and surfaces; keeping people moving from waiting area to vaccination area; answering people’s questions or referring them to medical staff; giving out vaccination cards, or looking after the recovery room. What was your first
Soroptimist East London collecting hats & gloves for Beyond the Streets
Christmas Collection

Christmas Collection

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Our Christmas Collection! Soroptimist East London is leading a Christmas collection of hats and gloves for some of the capital’s most vulnerable women. As the temperature drops, we're spearheading the appeal to help women supported by the Door of Hope project in Tower Hamlets. The Door of Hope project, run by charity Beyond The Streets, carries out outreach to women selling survival sex, many of whom are homeless, and offers support to leave prostitution. The appeal is already proving popular. We've received donations from across east London and further afield. Local community organisations including St Margaret’s House are also lending their support. Why this Christmas collection? Club President Nathalia says: “We’re delighted to help out with this appeal each year. It’s a simple and really practical way of helping local women in real need. One of our club members is training to be an outreach
Time to make women’s history visible?

Time to make women’s history visible?

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Is it time to make women's history visible?  At Soroptimist East London we think so.  We're huge fans of women's history - why? Because it's our history - the stories of all the women who have contributed to making us who we are today. So we asked Rachel Crossley, Director of the East End Women's Museum to tell us more about what they are doing to make women's history of East London visible to all. This is her guest blog.   Women’s history is just 0.5% of recorded history - we have work to do By Rachel Crossley, Museum Director, East End Women’s Museum It’s been suggested that women’s stories account for a paltry 0.5% of recorded history.[1] While it might seem almost unbelievable, there are more UK statues of goats than of Black women; more statues of pigs than of Muslim women; and more
Soroptimist East London member Mary with Sa Pune bags ironing on labels.
Empowering women – with a bag!

Empowering women – with a bag!

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Soroptimist East London has been empowering women with a bag!  It’s a simple, eco-friendly, shopping bag made of off-white cotton. And yet – this simple bag has empowered and connected women survivors of trafficking in London, marginalised Roma, Askhali, and Egyptian women in Kosovo, and members of Soroptimist East London. And, we did it during Covid-lockdown! To find out how and why Soroptimist East London empowered women through using a bag, read on ...... How did Soroptimist East London empower and connect women with a bag? Here in London SIEL members volunteer with HERA.  It’s a great organisation that supports women survivors of trafficking and/or domestic abuse. In London, HERA run a summer school for women survivors. Held at Imperial College, London the summer school teaches HERA students business skills and entrepreneurship.  On graduating from the summer school each student is paired with a mentor
Soroptimist Literary Prize Announcement
We’re standing up for BAME women authors!

We’re standing up for BAME women authors!

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Yes, it’s true, here at Soroptimist East London, we’re standing up for BAME women authors! We’re doing it by helping choose the “Readers Prize Award” for unpublished fiction written by black and Asian women living in the UK. What’s the Readers Choice Award? The 2018 Shortlisted Authors. Photo: M. Farrar The SI Leeds Literary Prize is an award for unpublished fiction by UK-based Black and Asian women, aged 18 and above. Established in 2012, it’s a loudspeaker for fresh and original literary voices and aims to help under-represented authors reach new audiences. 2020 is the fifth year of the biennial award and there are a record number of entries. It’s not surprising, since previous entrants like Mahsuda Snaith, Kit de Waal, Stella Ahmadou and others have gone on to land publishing deals, agents, and critical acclaim for their writing, including winning the “Not the Booker
Halimot with her cakes
Introducing Haliberry cakes!

Introducing Haliberry cakes!

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Who likes Haliberry cakes? Here at Soroptimist East London, we do! We’re impressed by Haliberry cakes and by Halimot, who bakes them. So, we're introducing Haliberry Cakes to you! We asked Halimot to tell us about her journey to set up a baking and catering business in east London, her cakes and what she’s doing now. This is her blog. Who is Haliberry Cakes? Hi! I am Halimot and I run Haliberry Cakes and Catering based in east London.  I also run on-line baking classes. I love cooking. When people enjoy eating my cakes or food, I feel really happy. How did I get into baking and catering? You might wonder how I got into baking and catering. The answer is: it’s been a long, long journey. When I was young I wanted to be a doctor.  I never imagined that I’d be running a