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03 May 2021 Gypsy and Traveller Empowerment (GATE)

03 May 2021 Gypsy and Traveller Empowerment (GATE)

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Spring had thought better of it on the cold windy evening of May 3rd when we welcomed Josie O’Driscoll, CEO of GATE Herts, the membership organisation for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) people across Hertfordshire. Home | Gate Herts Josie, an Irish Traveller herself, lived a nomadic life in Britain before settling in Hertfordshire in the 90s and has wide experience in GRT matters across Europe, including Gate’s partnership project on the Roma Holocaust memorial in Berlin. She and Kate Belinis, Hertford Soroptimists’ current president, worked together on the pre-schoolers Playbus before GATE was set up in 2010, so they go back some time. Josie described how there are several different communities of gypsies and travellers: Romany Gypsies, who include English, Welsh and Scottish Gypsies; Irish Travellers, Barge Travellers who live on the canals, as well as New Age Travellers. Romany Gypsies originate in North

01 March 2021 Coping with the Pandemic

01 March 2021 Coping with the Pandemic

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Coping with the Pandemic                                         01 March 2021 Speaker: Vivien Philps-Tate The subject of the speaker meeting on 1 March 2021 was coping with the symptoms and worries we had had during the pandemic. Vivien Philps-Tate worked as a psychotherapist in the corporate world for a number of years and has also helped children with psychological difficulties. She began by looking at people’s behaviour in big organisations and ways of encouraging them to change. About 14 years ago she noticed that their behaviour was affected not by their adult reactions but by reactions deriving from their childhoods, so she decided to qualify as a counsellor and now treats children and teenagers as well as adults. Since much of her work is with police and frontline staff, she specialises in trauma. This is triggered by situations which remind people of when it first occurred and has happened

01 February 2021 Hertfood: Feeding Hertford during the Pandemic

01 February 2021 Hertfood: Feeding Hertford during the Pandemic

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HertFood: Feeding Hertford during the Pandemic       01 February 2021 Speaker: Debs Bonfield Despite appearances, not all Hertford is well off and the coronavirus pandemic has accentuated this, especially among families with children whose parents need to go out to work, whatever the risks. Debs Bonfield has run Manic Ceramics in Port Vale, Hertford, for the past 17 years. Manic Ceramics describes itself as a paint your own pottery studio but that is only the half of it. It runs art and craft workshops for toddlers to Junior Manics (no doubt an apt description) to adults, as well as teddy bear picnic parties and create at home kits. But when the pandemic struck in early 2020, manic is the only way to describe Debs’ enormous efforts on behalf of the community. First, she volunteered as an emergency responder within the existing St John’s Ambulance and Red

04 January 2021 Walking to All England’s Cathedrals

04 January 2021 Walking to All England’s Cathedrals

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Walking to All England’s Cathedrals                          4 January 2021 Speaker: Barbara Foster As part of coming to terms with the loss of her husband Richard in 2007, Barbara Foster decided to do something they had always enjoyed together and took up long distance walking. First some ‘easy’ walks: 50 miles along the Lea Valley; then the Thames Path, 184 miles from its source to the Thames Barrier, including a visit to Kelmscott, the home of William Morris, who rode upstream all the way from London. Next came the Norfolk Coast Path, the Dales Way, Wainwright’s Way from Lancashire to the Lake District, and Hadrian’s Wall. By 2014 Barbara was looking for something bigger. She had already visited five cathedrals: St Paul’s, Southwark, Oxford, Carlisle, Durham and Newcastle (located appropriately enough in Amen Corner) then that spring she was inspired by a TV programme on

05 November 2020 HDSG: Adapting to Covid-19, lockdown and managing self-isolation. 

05 November 2020 HDSG: Adapting to Covid-19, lockdown and managing self-isolation. 

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HDSG: Adapting to Covid-19, lockdown and managing self-isolation.  Speaker Alison Warn On 2 November it was the turn of Alison Warn, a new member of the Club and a trustee of Hertford Disability Support Group (HDSG), to give a very insightful talk into how HDSG’s members have coped during the Covid-19 pandemic and adapted to lockdown and self-isolation. Alison began by thanking the Club for its support over many years (Ann-Marie Parker is a member of HDSG and Pam Robertson a trustee – both Soroptimists). HDSG was started over 40 years ago by Peggy Melville to support local residents with disabilities. It has no headquarters and only the use of a wheelchair accessible minibus for outings and socials. In normal circumstances nine social events, mostly involving light entertainment, are held each year and are principally a chance to socialise. These and the occasional outings –

05 October 2020 Speaker Empowering Girls in Nepal

05 October 2020 Speaker Empowering Girls in Nepal

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Empowering Girls in Nepal 5 October 2020 Speaker: Pauline Panter On 5 October 2020 Pauline Panter from Bedford Club spoke to us about Empowering Girls in Nepal, for which she is an ambassador. This collaboration between ChoraChori and Sigbi is the Federation’s charity project for 2019-22. Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, is a patriarchal society: girls are regarded as worthless; once married, women must stay at home; old women are left to starve. Conditions are really hard for children, especially girls. If parents go to prison, the children go too. There is much exploitation, drugs and abuse. Families are so poor that many children are sold to India and China to work as circus acrobats and trafficking is rife. Empowering Girls in Nepal was started in about 2012 by Philip Holmes, who spent time in Nepal as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the

15th April 2019 – Annual General Meeting

15th April 2019 – Annual General Meeting

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Our AGM was held on 15th April.  It was not quite like our usual AGMs as our President for most of the year, Sarah, had resigned earlier as she moved home and we couldn’t expect her to keep up her responsibilities from a distance.  Pam Robertson valiantly stepped into the role.  However, there was no change of insignia as we do not have a President for 2019/20.  The Club’s Executive will carry out the President’s role.  The club officers gave their various reports and Members were pleased to see the new programme with a full complement of Speakers and our usual social gatherings.  Jenny Cobb has offered to serve as President for 2020/21 and so becomes our President Elect.  Other officers remain as for 2018/19.

Speaker Meeting 7th May 2018 – “My life with the Princes” Graham Craker

Speaker Meeting 7th May 2018 – “My life with the Princes” Graham Craker

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My Life with the Princes On Monday 7th May, our club was treated to an insight into the young William and Harry. Our speaker, Graham Craker, had been one of the Princes’ protection officers and shared with us some of his experiences. We heard how Harry had been the mischievous one, hiding from the officers just long enough for them to start to get worried, then appearing in front of them, laughing. Graham explained that Charles and Diana had wanted the boys to experience normal activities and not grow up too sheltered; Graham’s job was to help ensure this balance between real life and protection. It was clear that Graham still feels a lot of fondness for the boys. He also spoke about the death of Diana and how he felt that the press did not really understand all that went on in the family