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President’s Message

A message from President Sandra.

It is an honour to be asked to be SI Hallamshire’s President for a third term.

SI Hallamshire is a club of active and enthusiastic women who want to make a difference to the lives of women and girls locally and worldwide We are a small club but our members enthusiasm, talents and skills make up for this. We aim we to make a difference by empowering, enabling and supporting the education of women and girls.

Our President’s Charity                                                                                                                                                                             This year I am continuing with ‘Baby Basics’ as my charity. During the last year we have built a close relationship with Baby Basics and their staff in Sheffield. Everyone of our members has provided tangible support for the charity.

Baby basics provides essential items and equipment to mothers and families who are unable to buy these items for themselves. The recipients include teenage mothers, asylum seekers, and women who are victims of domestic abuse and trafficking. Baby Basics works with directly with health workers, midwives, social services and other professional groups who are supporting these mothers.

Initially Baby Basics provides a ‘Moses Basket’ containing clothing, toiletries and essential baby equipment. We  support them by knitting and sewing items for baby equipment and clothes, providing toiletries for young Mums. We fundraise for some larger items which have to be bought. This year we have also made a donation for pushchairs and prams and have provided Christmas presents and Easter eggs for the families supported by Baby Basics

We meet twice a month with a business meeting and a social programme of events for our second meeting.

Our Programme Action                                                                                                                                                                                   Programme Action is the key focus of our work. Club members used their skills to support charities and fundraising events including a coffee morning and a barbecue.

We work with Sheffield College to make an annual award to a catering student who has overcome difficulties during  their course. This includes a grant to help them achieve the next stage of their career. This is funded from the Rosemary Skerritt legacy.

During the last year we have made cot quilts for Sheffield Children’s Hospital. We have knitted hats to raise money for cancer research.  We have donated clothing to the Archer Project and the Salvation Army.

We have made donations to charities from the Rosemary Skerritt legacy. These include local charities Snowdrop, Roundabout, Young Women’s Housing Project, SAVTE and Sheffield Children’s Hospital. We have supported Parkinson’s UK and Guide Dogs for the Blind nationally. We have donated to DEC (Turkish Earthquake Appeal) and WaterAid.

Our Friendship Link                                                                                                                                                                                   We have a Friendship link with SI Sutton Coldfield club. This year we met socially at the National Arboretum  and we attended each other’s Charter Event. We also support each other’s Programme Action projects.

Our Region                                                                                                                                                                                                       Our club is a member of the Yorkshire region which has 21 clubs, and meets as a region four times a year. Members from other Soroptimist clubs often join us for social events and speaker meetings.

We welcome new members to come and join us, we have fun and laughter while often educating ourselves with interesting speakers and undertaking projects together to make a difference to women and girls.