At July’s business meeting we welcomed Dr Tara Morton to talk about her project “Mapping Women’s Suffrage” . Tara has researched women’s activism beyond what took place, and is well documented, in cities as in Manchester and London. Her resarch has taken her into the village halls and round the kitchen tables of women living in small towns and villages. This research drills down into the lives of individual women and men who campaigned for votes for women with a particular focus on the detail to be found in the census of 1911. It is easy to see the appeal of this research with its focus on the detail of individuals’ lives and where they lived, and we were all gripped by the stories of local women whose addresses were so familiar to us. www.mappingwomenssuffrage.org.uk is the link . Thanks Tara for a glimpse into

Club was given a compelling presentation, supported by audiovisual materials, on the topic of women in prison and the work of Anawim, Anawim – Birmingham’s Centre for Women  a Birmingham-based charity supporting vulnerable women. She highlighted that Anawim’s services are available to all women, regardless of whether they have been in prison, and that no woman is ever turned away. The presentation featured staff members and volunteers who shared insights into their work with women who have often experienced trauma, abuse or challenging life circumstances. Anawim aims to help these women build safer, more independent lives by offering a wide range of services, including counselling, advocacy and practical assistance. The goal is to help women develop the confidence and skills to overcome difficulties and improve their circumstances. We were told some startling statistics. For instance, while women make up only 3.9% of the prison population,

A great fundraiser for our club is marshalling for the Two Castles Run. This involves being there for any runners who need help, offering drinks as they go past and generally admiring and encouraging them all. It’s a good way to spend a morning!

A glorious day in Abbey Fields was the culmination of many months work, nurturing seedlings and cuttings, ready for the Plant Stall at the Kenilworth Lions Grand Show on June 14th ’25. The early shift turned up at 8.30am to set up, alongside the many other organisations who were fundraising and promoting their work for Kenilworth’s lovely and lively community. Selling started long before the official 12.30 opening when more volunteers came on duty, and it carried on steadily throughout the afternoon in wonderful sunshine. Entertainment was going on all this time in the arena and on the stage. There were games for children of all ages and refreshments for anyone who needed them. The event went on well into the evening with great music from the stage and a chance to let your hair down with friends and neighbours. A happy day. Watch out

We were delighted to welcome Lulu to SI Kenilworth at the May Business meeting. There’s little doubt that she brings much to the Club and it’s an exciting time to be a new member with a raft of new projects to engage with. Jean talked to us about the plans for the next few months. She also  talked us through the Charitable Goals of Soroptimism and the UN Sustainable Development Goals that give a focus and authority to the work we do. With our growing number of members over recent years this was a timely and interesting review of why we choose to work on the particular projects we do. Read the Programme Action blog for more details of past and upcoming projects.

The answer is closer than you might think – our own Stoneleigh Abbey! What a fascinating afternoon we had at Stoneleigh Abbey. It is so close by for most of us and yet so few of us had visited before. Paul, our guide, had many interesting stories to tell, ranging from the years when there actually was a religious house on the land, to the stewardship of the land owners, the Leigh family, across the centuries. So many links with famous names from history and other wealthy English families. And the cream tea went down very well too Thanks to the staff at Stoneleigh Abbey for looking after us so well and to Ann and the events team for the work you put into organising our visit.

  The Commission opens at the UN in New York on March 10th with Lindsay Greene leading the SIGBI delegation. There is a wealth of information on CSW on the Hub. Library / Resources and Materials / Live campaigns / CSW.