President’s BLOG – JULY 2024
What glorious weather we experienced at the end of July and especially for the Club’s summer recess period. I hope you all joined me in getting out an about enjoying the warmth and sunshine..
So what have I been up to?
At the end of June, it was a privilege to be at the Wesley Chapel with Heather and Sandra J. for the ordination of our fellow member Sarah, who is now the Revd. Sarah Caddell.
Sarah, many congratulations from all of us and we wish you all the very best with the move to your new home and as you begin your role as presbyter in the Ripon and Lower Dales Methodist Circuit. I am sure you are going to be kept very busy.
Clothes Swap
I so enjoyed going to my 1st clothes swap evening, it was meticulously organised by Trisha, Sandra J and Denise and a wonderful fun way of raising funds for the Ukraine Generator Project. These events are a fantastic way to recycle clothes by giving them a new lease of life and a brilliant way to declutter your wardrobe. I personally have worn most of my swapped items (see if you can spot them in this month’s photos)!. A huge thank you to Trisha, Sandra and Denise, to those who donated items and everyone who attended the evening.
Sharing our Skills
It gave me immense pleasure to present our Sharing our Skills Students Alice and Leila, students at Rossett School, with their certificates for successfully taking part and completing the project. This project truly demonstrated how sharing our skills can be a productive 2-way process. A huge thank you to you both for your commitment and enthusiasm throughout the project. We wish you both all the success in the future. It was also wonderful to see Pinky and sorry Poppy was unable to attend, but again girls we send you all our best wishes for the future. And please keep in touch!
July Speaker Meeting
Our Guest Speaker, John Harris from Harrogate and Knaresborough District of Sanctuary delivered an emotional and heart-felt talk about the work their Organisation is involved in.
Their work involves, supporting over 30 Resettlement Families and between 250/300 people fleeing from war-torn Ukraine into the District.
Those families seeking resettlement have come from Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Iran and Iraq. The support work includes, providing Befrienders from the local area, language classes and networking opportunities to help families integrate and meet others from similar backgrounds. The Organisation is fully involved in helping the families with having the stability and knowledge to gain British Citizenship
The Ukrainian families are generally 1 parent families as the men have stayed behind to fight in the war. Their support work involves English language lessons, organised social events and networking opportunities. The families have quickly become self-sufficient in organising events and providing community support.
There are ways we can help Harrogate and Knaresborough District of Sanctuary by:
- Becoming a member
- Becoming a volunteer (especially a Befriender)
- Make a donation.
Emotional Health and Well-Being Project
A fun filled and quite competitive evening was had by all who attended the Beetle Drive at Kettlesing. I wasn’t surprised at the enthusiasm and volume of noise created by all participants, trying to draw a beetle! I did manage to win a couple of games, but Meg was triumphant and took the Beetle Drive Crown!
In excess of £400 was raised for our Emotional Health and Well-being project. Fantastic effort by Sheila and her team, another huge thank you for a very enjoyable, friendly and fun evening.
Stop Food Poverty – Car Boot Sale
To round off the month, we had a glorious sunny and warm day for our car boot sale at Minskip. Another way to declutter the house, or in my case the garage! I had kept quite a few things from the sale of my parent’s bungalow, so it was quite special to see these going to new homes. At the end of the day we had raised nearly £200, with some of the leftover items being taken to Thompsons Auctioneers. The final fundraising amount for our Food Poverty project is still to be confirmed. The other items were donated to St Michael’s charity shop, so another beneficiary from our unwanted goods! Thank you so much Penny for once again organising this car boot sale, to lending us Mike who helped on the day and took the boxes to Thompson s Auctioneers. Thank you to Val, Maureen and Denise too for the fun and your friendship last Sunda
Charter Lunch at the Bridge Inn
Lesley, Maureen, Sheila, Janet M. and I visited the Bridge Inn, at Walshford to confirm the room layout and arrangements for our charter lunch. Invitations have now been sent out and these are now coming back thick and fast to Lesley. look forward to seeing as many of you and your partners / friends as possible to mark our 91st year of service in October.
90th Birthday Celebrations
On a personal note, I thought I would share with you a photo of my Dad celebrating his 90th birthday earlier this month. I spoke last month about my fondness and personal connection with Ripon Walled Garden in relation to my Mum, so we thought to mark my Dad’s amazing milestone, we would also order Dad a plaque to go with Mum’s.
This will now become their tree at Ripon Walled Garden, so if you are ever visiting, go and have a look, it is just down to the left of the Soroptimist’s memorial pear tree!
Save the Date
And finally ….. a date for your diary. Next February – 22nd to be precise, I will be holding my President’s charity event, a Ceilidh at the Masonic Hall, Harrogate for Dementia Forward, a charity very close to my heart. It will be the only time during my Presidential year I will be asking for your support with raising funds for my personal chosen charity. Planning will start in September. Have a wonderful summer break and see you in September.