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Certificate of appreciation
How do you have a Grand Day Out?

How do you have a Grand Day Out?

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By running a plant stall at the Kenilworth Lions Grand Show of course!   It's been 4 years since Lions could hold their annual Grand Show so this year's was eagerly anticipated.   And a thoroughly Grand Day out it turned out to be :) The Fun-draising team swung into action.   Plugs were bought and planted, seeds sown, and gardens raided by many members of Club.   And thanks to Ann B who contacted Bordon Hill Nurseries, 18 trays of top quality plug plants collected. But how to keep our green credentials?  The Bordon Hill plants urgently needed potting on as we had collected them 2 weeks before the Grand Day.   Sharon's tomato seedlings were beginning to look like the Day of the Triffids!    Thankfully, the head gardener at Kenilworth Castle was kind enough to let Amanda collect various pots and trays.   More pots were collected from
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Tissue alert!

Tissue alert!

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News from our sister Soroptimists in Krakow.    As we reported in March when war broke out, our Club rallied round with other Clubs to send monies directly to SI Krakow.     To date, our own members have raised almost £2000 with a special shout out to Dishi for her fund raising efforts. Do read this report from SI Krakow about how the money is being used to directly help the women and children fleeing the war in Ukraine.   The email from Anna makes incredibly moving reading so be prepared to have the tissues handy, especially when you see the names of women and how they’ve been helped.   Her simple list of expenditure and activities shows so well how Soroptimists stand up for women.   The war is now more than 100 days old and is clearly not going away.   However not only have SI Krakow

Lifesize cardboard image of Queen Elizabeth II
How to host a Platinum Jubilee Party!

How to host a Platinum Jubilee Party!

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Well the first thing you do is invite the Queen!!! Or at least a replica to grace your Platinum Jubilee Party.   Then you put Ann P and her team in charge of platinum standard catering, complete with the new Jubilee desert. Thanks to the efforts of the Social events group, we had a fabulous garden party where the chat and laughter flowed in equal measure.   Covid has certainly changed our attitudes.   We're a lot hardier about gathering outdoors!   Despite a rather chilly Sunday we simply put our jackets on and thoroughly enjoyed each others company.   Not sure how many of us had sampled the Jubilee Trifle but it judging from the empty plates it was definitely a winner with all of our Club members and their partners. jemmas-lemon-swiss-roll-amarettii-trifle   Ann and team used this recipe but admitted to using ready made amoretti biscuits, jelly and lemon
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A change is as good as a rest they say!

A change is as good as a rest they say!

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Well as a Club we certainly embrace change so we must be resting.   However a look back over this past year under the leadership of President Julie, we seem to have rested in a very lively way!   And although we haven’t got a president this year, the calendar of events looks no less active. President Julie should certainly be allowed to rest on her laurels. Amanda will take over as President in 2023.   In the meantime Club has responded by changing the way we will be organising some things. Programme Action have certainly set us up with a great set of projects and activities to get on with in 2022-23.   Some of these are well established  such as the Refuge, Lend with Care, Joan’s garden, Friends of Sick Children in Malawi.    Others include looking at Town Toilet Twinning, Compassionate Kenilworth and Modern Slavery and

Blackboard in the shape of a house
How do we to open doors for a bright future?

How do we to open doors for a bright future?

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Well one way our Club opens doors is by supporting women and children escaping domestic violence.   For many years now, our Club has helped the Refuges in Warwickshire, so that they can keep their doors open. At a recent dinner meeting we were delighted to be updated about how we are making life just a little easier using our contacts and partnerships. By teaming up with Kenilworth Lions, we have continued with our 'Wellbeing Fund'.   The women and children are able to access funding for counselling, but as the staff pointed out we have helped in so many other ways.   And sometimes its the little things in life that can make all the difference to a woman or a child's self esteem. So what has it provided?  A family to have some spending money to enjoy their first ever holiday children could go to the
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Marching On Celebrating our Support for Women and Children

Marching On Celebrating our Support for Women and Children

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Read on to see how we’ve Marched this month!   #westandupforwomen#openingdoorsforabrighttomorrow Back in the days of total Zoom, we had a presentation from Elaine of the Parenting Project. Happily now we could enjoy meeting Elaine Johnston in person to present her with a fabulous cheque for a magnificent £1500. Elaine gave members an update on the work of the charity.   These include providing a pathway of services to parents, including counselling, family wellbeing support, mentoring, and group therapy work. Their policy is not to turn anyone away.   However legislation prevents them from providing their services to adoptors/adoptees, so they have recently established a partnership with Barnardos to give this service. Our £1500 funds raised this year will enable the charity to fund training for one counsellor (at a cost of £1080).  And therefore begin to provide the support through this link with Barnardos. Elaine thanked  Club

Bench decorated for Ukraine by two women
Can you have too much purple in the park?

Can you have too much purple in the park?

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Well clearly not for the 8th March, International Women’s Day 2022!   Thanks to Richard Dickson on the Town Council, we got the ‘go ahead’ from Warwick District Council to Purple the Park benches in Abbey Fields.   We’re not sure that the park benches have ever looked so amazing! It’s safe to say that for one day only, Kenilworth woke up to a thoroughly ‘Soroptimised’ Abbey Fields.   Purple park benches with powerful prose from inspirational women.

Soroptimist and a Lion standing outside a van full of furniture
So just how do we support Women and Girls?

So just how do we support Women and Girls?

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Let me count the ways!   At the heart of our Club is our desire to stand up for women and girls.   By inspiring action and transforming lives we want to open doors to a bright future for them.    Our Club works to support women on so many levels and in so many ways including partnership with the local Lions So let’s have a look  at just what have we achieved recently with our Programme Action and Fundraising :- World wide Club members enjoyed ‘Afternoon Tea’  where we could mix business with pleasure.   We bought second hand books and gifts made by Friends of Sick Children in Malawi.   Although limited to Soroptimists due to Covid we have still managed to raise over £500 at two sociable events.   This will be pay for the education of a nurse to work in the paediatric department at Queen

What a year it’s been for our Club!

What a year it’s been for our Club!

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Talk about a ‘Bright Past -Brilliant Future’ our motto for our Centennial year. This year we’ve met, we’ve zoomed, we’ve raised money, we’ve raised awareness, we’ve cared, we’ve shared.   You name it, we’ve had a go, all in the name of #westandupforwomen. Soroptimists are nothing if not flexible! We have a lot to be proud of as our members have adapted to what ever has been asked of them.   Covid has continued to affect all our lives this year.   And yet our Club has still held a full programme of events.   When our meeting place became a quarantine hotel we found an alternative.   When those arrangements had to change, we quickly adapted back to Zoom.   Bad weather thwarted our tombola stall at the Kenilworth Christmas lighting up event, so we simply sorted another date and venue.   Club has found a positive way to respond to

Dynamic S sculture
What colour do you associate with caring?

What colour do you associate with caring?

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You can take your pick of colours.  November has definitely been a month that we Soroptimists and our Club have shown that we care.   Not just locally but nationally and internationally.    We continue to demonstrate that #westandupforwomen in many ways and varied colours The colour red - for Poppy Day Lots of us joined President Julie as she lay our wreath at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony, along with many other service Clubs in Kenilworth. In Julie's words - Upwards of 500 people gathered at the war memorial in Kenilworth for the Remembrance Sunday service. It was a solemn, dignified and moving ceremony and I felt the  privilege of representing SI Kenilworth and District in laying our wreath. Our own Rachel was among the ministers leading the ceremony and it was lovely to be able to see her in her work, as well as in