These 17 goals having been established by the United Nations, have been adopted by Soroptimist International, SIGBI and thus by SI Kenilworth and District. They underpin the Club’s Programme Action, i.e. the projects undertaken by the Club.
Federation Programme Webinar held on 18th January 2025
The focus was Education and presentations were made of Club Education Projects across the Federation which weren’t short listed for Best Practice Awards last year. The recording of the webinar is available to view on the Hub.
| What did your Club/Region/NA/Network do? | We ran a plant stall at the annual Grand Show in Kenilworth which is run by the Lions. The Show attracts thousands of visitors, especially if the sun shine. |
| Why did your Club/Region/NA/Network choose this project? What issue did you tackle with this project? Was the club approached to help with the issue? | This event provides us with a major fund raising opportunity during the summer. We also take the opportunity to provide members of the public with information about our organisation, the work we do with women and girls locally and also our advocacy work on VAWG. |
| How did you carry out the project? Who was involved in the project? What did they do? | In previous years plants for our stall were donated by a local Garden Nursery where one of our members worked, as these were not available this year club members set about providing our own. From spring onwards plants were grown from seeds and plugs in members’ gardens, greenhouses and window sills. All were transported to the Show on the Saturday morning and we discovered our pitch wasn’t large enough for the large number collected. After a wet morning the sun came out as did the visitors who liked and purchased our plants. We nearly sold out! |
| What was the outcome of this project? | In total £1045.81 was raised by the Plant Sale. This will donated to the organisations working with women and girls locally who we support such as Refuge, Flourish, Women’s Centre, Food Bank etc. We also again raised the profile of Soroptimism in Kenilworth and demonstrated to the general public as well as local politicians who visited the stall our ongoing commitment to ending VAWG. |
Kenilworth Theatre Fundraiser for Baby Basics
| What did your Club/Region/NA/Network do? | Our local theatre in Kenilworth gave us the opportunity to takeover the 120 seated theatre for one night during their 6 day run of Bill Bryson’s ‘Notes from a Small Island. We paid them for the tickets and were then responsible for selling all of them. The ticket money plus raffle raised over £1500 for a local charity ‘Baby Basics’ who provide a moses basket and essential items for new born babies to vulnerable families. |
| Why did your Club/Region/NA/Network choose this project? What issue did you tackle with this project? Was the club approached to help with the issue? | We became aware of the work of Baby Basics a local charity that provides a baby bank for vulnerable families. Following a talk by Baby Basics manager we became even more aware that the cost of living crisis has made it more difficult for some families to provide essential items for their new born babies and grants available are very limited, thus increasing the risk of very young children experiencing poverty. |
| How did you carry out the project? Who was involved in the project? What did they do? | We already have contacts with our local theatre and they happily gave us the opportunity to hold a charity night at the end of June. Club members sold tickets to friends, family and other groups and organisations in town. Social Media was used to publicise the event. Raffle prizes were sought from members, friends and businesses in town. These were themed to the geographical areas covered in the play such as Yorkshire, Scotland, South coast, France. Raffle tickets were sold on the night. Representatives from Baby Basics came along to talk to the audience during the break and to show the items that our fundraising would provide. |
| What was the outcome of this project? | The theatre was sold out on the night. We raised over £1500 for the charity who would use it to buy items for 11 families. For each family these were Moses basket, stand and bedding pack, baby bouncy chair, baby activity gym, newborn sling/baby carrier. We raised the awareness locally of the charity and the needs of new young families. We also demonstrated again the work that we do as Soroptimists to support women and their families in our local community. |
| What did your Club/Region/NA/Network do? | For our Saturday of Service / Action (July 25) under the theme of poverty we decided to set up a Period Poverty project. The event was held on Saturday morning at a cafe, owned by one of our members in Kenilworth. Social Media was used to publicise the event and to invite the public, other women’s groups + friends and family of members to ‘drop in’ and either donate period products or to make a cash donation. The products have then been distributed to various local organisations such as Refuge, Women’s Centre, Community Centre and Schools. Also they filled a large suitcase to be taken to Ukraine for displaced women and girls. |
| Why did your Club/Region/NA/Network choose this project? What issue did you tackle with this project? Was the club approached to help with the issue? | We were all aware of the existence of period poverty exacerbated by the current cost of living crisis. We undertook some research and were made even more aware of the hidden nature of period poverty. 14% women have missed work and 13% girls have missed school. In UK 1 in 10 women say they can’t afford period products. |
| How did you carry out the project? Who was involved in the project? What did they do? | Farida very generously said that she would be happy to use her cafe as the venue and drop off point for our event. Our communications team devised a poster and used social media to advertise the event, give information about the issue and to invite anyone who wished to ‘drop in’ at the cafe on the Saturday morning to donate period products or to make a cash donation which we would then use to buy period products. Prior to the event we had contacted local organisations working with women and girls to find out their need for period products and to tell them about the event. Following the event members distributed the products to the various origanisaations. |
| What was the outcome of this project? | We were overwhelmed by the response from women locally and by lunch time we had two tables full of period products and £190 donated in cash. Even two of the local supermarkets got involved as a member of staff from a local health centre bravely went in, told them what we were doing and asked them to donate products for free. She came away with two full bags – we think a potential new member. Again through our social media work and holding the event in the center of town we publicised Soroptimism and demonstrated our aims and the work we do to support women and girls.
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Extract from PA Officer Report to Club AGM April 25.
Fresh Thoughts Booklet (PRF 64410) – The information booklet for women fleeing domestic abuse had been produced by SI Poole & Purbeck in early 2024 and was made available to other clubs to adapt it for use in their area. We worked with our local Refuge team, Warwickshire County Council DA Commissioner & Warwickshire Police to change the content to suit Warwickshire. Our Warwickshire version both in Pdf format and printed was available for use from November 2024. It is being used throughout the county and we plan to have a launch event later this year.
16 Days of Activism to Eliminate Violence Against Women & Girls (25th November to 10th December) (PRFs 65714 & 65717) – this was an important focus of our Programme Action work again this year. Our 16 Days were launched by an event at Milk & Mocha attended by members, local dignatories and representatives from other organisations. As well as the daily social media posts about VAWAG issues, we had an orange wreath at Kenilworth Castle, we decorated our Christmas Tree at St Nicholas in orange, we decorated the benches in Abbey Fields orange, on the 25th the public were asked to sign the White Ribbon pledge, we had a VAWAG information display in the library and decorated the railings outside orange, we collected orange food for Anawim Food Bank and we made up Christmas boxes of gifts bought with money raised at the town Christmas Tombola for the women at Anawim. It was a very busy 16 Days with many activities involving all members.
Refuge – we have continued to support our local Refuge with money from our Refuge Well Being Fund being used in a variety of ways to support individual women and families both in the refuge, dispersed accommodation and when they are leaving. Members have also generously responded to specific requests for goods for women and children throughout the year. Lend with Care – this project led by Gill S. and her team has continued during the year. Money is lent to women entrepreneurs around the world via Lend with Care most of which is from repaid loans. International Women’s Day 2025 – Purpling the Park – we celebrated IWD on March 8th again this year by decorating the benches in Abbey Fields in purple decorations with quotes from inspirational women.
Gordon Cowie from Friends of Sick Children in Malawi – who came to update us on work at the hospital in Malawi. Kate Wilson from Medics to Medics – came to update us on her impressive and very dangerous work taking much needed medical supplies and aid to Ukraine. Paul Street, Project Manager for ‘Safe and Sound’ at Colmore BID in Birmingham following our involvement in the ‘Walk in Her Shoes’ event came to talk to us about their work to make the Colmore area of Birmingham safer for women Refuge – Mel Jones and Anne Derbyshire provided us with an annual update of Refuge work locally and how our Well Being Fund had been used. Kate Steventon – came to tell us about the Family Learning Service where she works with families to encourage parents to read with their children.
Small groups of members also took part in the following PA related events – ‘Walk in Her Shoes’ in Birmingham in June 2024. ‘Hope’ – Celebrating Political Women in Coventry & Warwickshire at Warwick University in February 2025.
We have also continued our Advocacy work by – Police & Crime Commissioner Elections May 2025 – we contacted each of the 3 candidates explaining our commitment to the elimination of violence against women and girls and asking them for their plans to tackling VAWAG in Warwickshire. Writing to our MP’s in Kenilworth, Balsall Common, Coleshill and Leamington about matters as requested by SIGBI. Signing petitions for example for Refuge, Women’s Aid, Greenpeace, Plastic Count |
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These have been established by the United nations and adopted by Soroptimist International, SIGBI and thus also by SI kenilworth and District. They underpin the Programme Action, i.e. the projects undertaken by the Club.
