Ruth’s year as President really has got off to a flying start with a fantastic selection of Guest Speakers and entertainment.
As our first speaker of the year we were privileged to host Holly Skyrme from the Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum. Holly gave us a compelling talk at our meeting, not only about her job and the fantastic way girls are being encouraged into STEM related careers in Pembrokeshire but also her passion for surfing.
Holly is the founder of Shaka Surf, ( https://www.shakasurfwomen.com) which is an entirely women-owned surf school, exclusively for women. The ethos is about inclusivity, encouragement and community and since establishing in 2022, it has taken off in a magnificent way. Thank you Holly, it was thoroughly enjoyable and fabulous to hear what you are doing to empower women.
Holly is seen here with our President Ruth.
Our next meeting took on a slightly different format. We went to Cwtch Haus’ new showroom in Snowdrop Lane where they have the most amazing community space for the public to use.
Adam from Cwtch Haus said: “Our vision is to be more than just a company that sells kitchens and bathrooms; just as the kitchen is the heart of the home, we aspire to be at the heart of our community.”
President Ruth arranged for her guests and friends Drs Thomas and Agnes Odejide to come along with former midwife and trustee Gwyneth Sanders to talk to us about their foundation Living Hope Hospital (LHH). Ruth has chosen to support this charity in her year.
Living Hope Hospital was commissioned with the vision to prevent maternal mortality.
Their care focus is:
- Women need not die giving birth
- Advancement of health and saving of lives
- Health education of women and traditional birth attendants.
- Prevention and relief of poverty
- Never to refuse treatment because of the inability of the patients to pay
- Christian activities.
Club members rallied together and brought a spread fit for royalty! And it was all fabulous. Club at its best.
In the photo we see President Ruth, Drs Thomas and Agnes Odejide and Gwyneth Sanders.
Continuing with a speaker from another of Ruth’s chosen charities for her year, Annette Peter, along with her beautiful Guide Dog Beaulah were special guests at our May Dinner meeting. Annette gave us an interesting and insightful talk on Guide Dogs, from the history of the organisation to telling us about how life with a Guide Dog brings independence. She told us heartwarming stories about dogs she has known, and described the process of breeding, training and partnering the dogs. Beaulah, as you’d expect, behaved perfectly, and as Annette described her enthusiasm and willingness to work we all thought she’d make an ideal Soroptimist! Thank you Annette for such a wonderful talk and for allowing us to meet Beaulah.
Supporting a Guide Dog, from breeding, raising, training and lifelong care costs £50,000 and the organisation is reliant on fundraising, donations and the work of volunteers.
There are around 5000 Guide Dogs in partnership in the U.K., and there is a waiting list for trained dogs.
President Ruth, pictured with Annette and Beaulah
Ruth has chosen Guide Dogs as one of the organisations to support this year. Look out for news of our special dog themed event at Scolton Manor on June 8th.
We also had a speaker at the May Business Meeting, Sarah Griffiths, who is a local tour guide. Pembrokeshire born and bred, Sarah has worked and travelled all over, and she kept us all entertained with her travel tales and of how she got to where she is now, earning her Green and then blue badge in tourism. A Blue Badge Tourist Guide is a recognized professional in the UK tourism industry, holding the highest qualification for tourist guiding. They are known for their expertise in guiding tours, both walking and vehicle-based, and possess in-depth knowledge of the UK and its regions. Sarah definitely stirred some wanderlust amongst members!
Sarah pictured at the meeting.
Concluding our in house entertainment for this period we all enjoyed our very own “Desert Island Discs”. Hosted by Pat Barker and featuring a recently retired member Sue Thomas we were all treated to many of Sue’s wonderful memories from childhood, teenage years and working life all linked together magically through the medium of music. There was a lot of foot tapping and singing along and a good time was definitely had by all!
Pat and Sue are seen here looking far more serious than they really were that evening!
Our entertainment leading up to the Summer break will conclude with a visit to the Torch Theatre to see one of our members perform in a play “Just The Ticket” and we look forward to a busy timetable for the Autumn season. Ruth is certainly keeping us all on our toes.