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Wetherby Christmas Market raises nearly £400

Wetherby Christmas Market raises nearly £400

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Fantastic news. The Club stall at The Wetherby Christmas Market raised £250 on the day plus £120 taken for pre orders of the fabulous knitted pillar boxes and chocolate orange hats created by our own Maureen Ingleton. That’s a grand total of £370 for Club charities. This is after we paid for the stall that enables Wetherby Lions provide a NewYear Lunch and entertainment for Senior Citizens in the Wetherby area. #WetherbyLions #WelcometoWetherby #SIGBI #Soroptimist @soroptimist80 @SIGBI1 #SoroptimistInternationalofHarrogateandDistrict  

Wetherby Winners in Charity Shop Competition

Wetherby Winners in Charity Shop Competition

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St Gemma’s Hospice Charity Shop  was the worthy winner of the  Gill Smith Memorial Cup for the best dressed Charity shop Christmas window in Wetherby. Cancer Research UK was also Highly Commended. The judging panel organised by Club members who live in Wetherby included The Mayor of Wetherby, Cllr. Galan Moss and Cllr. Cindy Bentley.  The Mayor of Wetherby and Club President Elsie Johnston presented the awards at the event organised by Welcome to Wetherby that took place at the Town Hall on 13th December. President Elsie Johnston said, ‘The judges were impressed by the innovation, impact and the spirit of Christmas that the shops displayed. We recognise that the shops have limited resources. The managers and  volunteers who work in them do a fantastic job in dressing  their Christmas Shop Windows.  Charity shops play a crucial role in ensuring the organisations they represent have

The Results are in – Harrogate Borough Charity Shop Christmas Window Competition

The Results are in – Harrogate Borough Charity Shop Christmas Window Competition

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Harrogate and District Soroptimist’s are delighted to recognise the resourcefulness and imagination of the managers and volunteers who run the charity shops in some of the main shopping areas of Harrogate Borough namely Harrogate Town, Ripon and Boroughbridge, and Knaresborough with Starbeck. We first presented the Soroptimist Cup for the Best Dressed window back in 2004 as part of our five year project to Light up Harrogate. In 2010 we were delighted to be invited by Harrogate at Christmas to run the Harrogate Christmas Shop Window Competition. Three years ago we narrowed our focus to concentrate on the Charity Shops but broadened our reach to include the neighbouring towns and areas to reflect where our members come from. Harrogate Rotary Club took up the mantle and have done at fantastic job in running the Commercial Shop Competition since then. Soroptimist International seeks to improve the lives

Gill Smith Memorial Trophy for Best Girl Improver at Harrogate Spa Tennis Club

Gill Smith Memorial Trophy for Best Girl Improver at Harrogate Spa Tennis Club

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The Club established the Gill Smith Memorial Trophy for Best Girl Improver at Harrogate Spa Tennis Club in 2017 in memory of a former Honorary Soroptimist member. Gill was an enthusiastic tennis player following in her father’s footsteps as a Cambridge blue who played at Wimbledon.  Club President’s, Elsie Johnston and Hilary Waddington were delighted to present this year’s award to Beth Abbott aged 12 who has been playing for the past four years with constant improvement and enthusiasm. The Harrogate Spa Tennis Centre Originally formed in 1947 is based at Claro Park on Claro Road and has 6 courts with floodlights. The aim, with funding, is to develop the site to provide four indoor courts and a clubhouse. All ages, abilities and disabilities are catered for. Matt McTurk, Head Coach at the Harrogate Spa Tennis Centre, said Beth full deserved this year’s award due

Knaresborough Lions support our Library Campaign to improve Literacy

Knaresborough Lions support our Library Campaign to improve Literacy

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Knaresborough Lions have joined the Harrogate and District Soroptimist’s Campaign to support local libraries by providing toys, dressing up clothes for story time and huge quantities of craft materials to use during children’s activity sessions. These popular activity sessions encourage young children to attend local community libraries and begin to enjoy reading books. Knaresborough Library was delighted to receive £400 From Knaresborough Lions President, Bob Godsell. It has made a huge difference to their current resources and Jaime Berry, aged 8, could not wait to open the new toys and crafts. The photograph also shows Soroptimist International Harrogate & District’s President’s Hilary Waddington and Elsie Johnston, members Sue Williams, Pat Shore & Sandra Jowett. Together with Knaresborough Lions President Bob Godsell and his wife Pamela and library staff member Maria Burley and volunteers Ged Williams and Keith Harmer. For more information about the Harrogate &

Celebrating 100 Years of Votes for Women

Celebrating 100 Years of Votes for Women

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Members of Soroptimist International of Harrogate and District  joined the march on 6 February to recognise the important role the women’s suffrage movement played in gaining the right for women to vote in 1918 – though it would be another 10 years before all women over the age of 21 were able to vote in all elections. Since then women have taken an active role in the House of Commons although it took until 1958 for women to be allowed to sit in the House of Lords. We have had two female Prime Ministers, and hard fought legislation has been passed that has given women equal rights in the workplace and in the home. Following the first world war, many women held important jobs for the first time and started to access professional and business education. Clubs formed exclusively for women throughout the world, enabled

Hand made quilt raffle raises £700 for Meru Women Project

Hand made quilt raffle raises £700 for Meru Women Project

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Harrogate & District Soroptimists have raised over £700 towards the Meru Women’s Garden Project in Kenya, from a raffle of three magnificent hand made patchwork quilts. The Club is now well on target to raise the £3000 by the end 2018 to enable, empower and educate women and girls in Meru, Kenya. The Meru Women’s Garden project is a 3 year Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI)  project, launched on International Women’s Day on the 8 March 2016 in partnership with Child.org. The project  aims to develop the well being and status of women living in Meru by helping them to develop the land (garden) around their houses, so that they can both feed themselves better and have additional vegetables, fruit and herbs to sell to provide an income. . This is combined with an education programme for girls to reduce the rate of

Honorary Member Pat Shore receives an MBE for Services to the Community

Honorary Member Pat Shore receives an MBE for Services to the Community

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Soroptimist International of Harrogate and District are very proud that our Honorary Member and Immediate Past President Pat Shore, one of our most active and committed members has been named in the Queen’s New Year’s honours list and awarded an MBE for service to the Community. Congratulations Pat – you really have helped make a difference to the lives of others through your work in the Community, particularly the CAB,  to Soroptimist International at Club, Region and Federation Level and to Nursing and patient care.

Wetherby Dickensian Christmas Market stall raises £300 for Club Charities

Wetherby Dickensian Christmas Market stall raises £300 for Club Charities

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It was a very cold day with the forecast for snow but that didn’t deter Club members from setting up their stall at the Wetherby Lions Dickensian Christmas Market. Nor did it deter the families who turned out to see Father Christmas and the reindeer. The children hoped to win Chris the moose by guessing his name. The chocolate oranges with their pudding, snow man and Santa hat covers sold out and we raised £300 for Club charities on the stall and over £100  from pre orders of chocolate orange covers (well done champion knitter Maureen Ingleton). Our stall looked very Christmassy too.