February might be the shortest month of the year but we haven’t been short on action!

And as another month rolls round during Lockdown 3, we’ve been women of action as usual.   Supporting the NSPCC, the NHS and celebrating our connection to Malawi.   And not least of all, each other, at home and abroad with our Friendship Links.

Eat In to Help Out

Valentine’s Day provided the perfect excuse to eat in and help out to support our local NSPCC group.   Several Club members are involved with the local group and they alerted us to an amazing meal deal  Sean, mine host, at The Anchor in Leek Wootton was offering.   All we had to do was choose two courses, book a collection slot, pay and provide our own beverages.    The NSPCC left envelopes so we could make our donations with Gift Aid.   What was not to like?!!!

The feedback from Club members was great –

The meal was excellent, large portions, piping hot mains despite travelling on a bitterly cold night and delicious cold pudding to follow. Just had to add a couple of glasses of wine to complete the evening.

Glad the NSPCC did so well and The Anchor was happy.

That was a wonderful meal from The Anchor on Saturday.   Great to have good food prepared by someone else, for a change!   Good to know that our donations are continuing to support the work of the NSPCC.

Supporting our marvellous NHS

Clapping on a Thursday may have stopped but Club members are still doing their bit.

Some of us have been volunteering at the local Covid Mass Testing Centre, and will be helping out with the local schools when they go back in March.   You can see us practicing our ‘smileyes’ behind the masks!

Other Club members have been involved with Warwickshire appeal ‘We Need Your Unused Equipment’.   This to to get unused community equipment back into the system.   There’s a shortage at the moment.   Anything from crutches, walking sticks, leg braces, a bath step and zimmer frames.

Our link to the Queen!

Well Queen Dube – a wonderful woman in every sense of the word.   Queen until very recently was the Clinical Head of Paediatrics at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, in Malawi.   She has just been appointed Malawi Director of Health Services by the President of Malawi!

If ever there was an outstanding example of a woman rising to the top against perhaps greater challenges around her than any woman in ‘the West’ it is Queen.

And we are proud of our Club’s association through Friends of Sick Children in Malawi with the work that she and her team do.   With our very own Elaine as current President of Midland Arden Region, at the December meeting we raised another £650!

Queen was invited to give a TedMed speech in 2019.   Its well worth 15 minutes of your time to listen to this powerful and passionate presentation.   And how innovation in the worst of circumstances can triumph.   The link comes with a tissue alert warning, infant mortality in Malawi is very different from the UK. 🙁

Friends across the water.

Georgie organised another very successful Zoom meeting with our Sisters in Remscheid and Arnhem Oost.   We really miss meeting up with our European Sisters.   Usually one of the groups manages to be celebrating something during a year that we can attend.   They are always such fun.   However Zoom meetings every few months has provided a great way to keep in touch.   It’s interesting to hear how the other Clubs are managing to support Club members, and still be women of action. 

If any of these events have sparked your interest in your joining our Club, do email us  – you’ll be assured of a very warm welcome.   Just click on Contact Us | SI Kenilworth and District | SIGBI