Eight members of SI Glasgow City joined over 400 women at the International Women’s Day celebration at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday 09 March 2019. The event was organised by Scottish Women’s Convention and the club members were delighted that three staff from Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow also attended the event. Attendees were welcomed to the Scottish Parliament by Deputy Presiding Officer Linda Fabiani and Agnes Tolmie, Chair of Scottish Women’s Convention. A stimulating programme of speakers engaged all the attendees. Anne, Andrea and Sharron of TWG thoroughly enjoyed the speakers as well as the surroundings as none had been in the Scottish Parliament. Some Club members enjoyed a walk in the moonlight up the Royal Mile as they headed home after a great day!  

On 5 December 2010, the day SI Glasgow City was Chartered, members attended a dinner at the Grand Central Hotel to celebrate this special event. SI Glasgow Central and SI Glasgow West had amalgamated, and were subsequently to be joined by former SI Glasgow South members. The Club has since then gone from strength to strength. To mark its 8th anniversary, members gathered on 5 December at Lok’s Bar and Kitchen in Glasgow to enjoy a Christmas meal, a slice of specially baked ‘Charter’ cake and of course a visit from Santa!     Two long standing members, Elizabeth McClure and Heather Thomas, whose dedicated hard work had helped to establish SI Glasgow City, were presented with flowers and Certificates of Honorary Life Membership of the Club by President Myrtle. A good time was had by all!

Following receipt of some funding from the Soroptimist 3S Fund, Rhona travelled to Nepal earlier in 2018 with Raleigh International, where Rhona and fellow students were responsible for digging and creating new latrines for a remote mountain village. Rhona now classes as ‘digging’ as an accomplished skill!! The students also taught the villagers about general hygiene, while Rhona and the other female students taught the women and girls about hygiene during menstruation including the making of re-useable sanitary pads.   The second part of the trip was a trek through the Nepalese Himalyas. Rhona found the whole experience extremely rewarding and humbling. The villagers in Nepal had little choice in what food they could eat, the clothes they could wear and what work they would undertake. When Rhona returned home to Scotland she was overwhelmed with all the choices in her day to day life,

Aileen spoke with members about Cahira House, a safe refuge for women who have experienced sexual exploitation. The charity is based in the Central Belt of Scotland and provides residential accommodation for around 6 women, along with support services such as counselling.   Cahira is an Irish word meaning ‘warrior’, which is how the staff and volunteers view the women who live at Cahira House as they have had to ‘fight’ to survive. The organisation receives no government funding and is supported mainly by donations.

Some members of SI Glasgow City recently attended the Lord Provost of Glasgow’s coffee morning to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. The September event, which is the month that Macmillan Cancer Support encourage us to support the ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ was held in the awe inspiring Glasgow City Chambers. Club members and other attendees were entertained by the Byres Road Big Band and a fashion show by Marks and Spencer while enjoying beverages, scones and cakes. Two members were successful in the raffle, receiving a bouquet of flowers and a voucher for John Lewis. At the end of the event the Lord Provost, Councillor Eva Bolander announced that £4500 had been raised.