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.

At our February meeting we were delighted to welcome Pauline and Gill to SI Kenilworth and District. From their introductory speeches it was clear that they both bring a wealth of skills and enthusiasms with them. Whether they dive straight in or take their time to find their niche in the Club, there are so many ways to contribute, they are bound to find something that is just up their street.