On another very warm evening on 18th June Soroptimist International of King’s Lynn was very pleased to host at The College of West Anglia the Fifteenth Public Speaking Competition for Primary Schools in King’s Lynn and surrounding area. We were delighted to welcome teams from 12 schools in the area. The teams had to choose from a list of a 6 topics to speak on: – With all the information we need on our phones/tablets/computers, do we still need libraries, such as the new one built in King’s Lynn? In Scotland the voting age has been lowered from 18 to 16. Are children really mature enough at that age to take on this responsibility? King’s Lynn is often seen as dull and uninteresting. How would you improve the town’s image? “I love you to the moon and back” became literally true for the family of

The club members were pleased to welcome Angela George from Healthwatch Norfolk to their May meeting, whose first question to the members was to ask how many people had heard of Healthwatch Norfolk. Unfortunately, only those who had experienced difficulties in accessing healthcare may be aware of them. Healthwatch Norfolk is the local health and social care champion for the County. They ensure that NHS leaders and other decision makers hear the patient’s voice and use patient, carer and community feedback to improve care. They can also help people to find reliable and trustworthy information and advice. Healthwatch Norfolk is an independent body. Feedback is used to ensure the patients point of view is heard. Feedback can be left via the website, links on associate sites, by letter, by email or by phone. Feedback can be anonymous. Angela explained that they have a team of

In May three boxes of books donated by members of SIKL as part of the 50 for 50 (50 things to commemorate 50 years of existence) initiative were delivered by member Dr Pallavi Devulapalli to West Norfolk Deaf Association.  The books covered a cross section of reading material from novels to biography and a wide range of non-fiction. The books were gratefully received by Sarah Cox, manager at WNDA’s bookshop, No 8, in Downham Market.

On a very hot Saturday morning 6 members from Soroptimist International of King’s Lynn joined with Harding’s Pits volunteers to carry out a litter pick and weeding to create more space for young plants to flourish. Following consultation with residents the area was developed in 2004 based on a strong feeling that the community wanted to have a ‘wild’ area and not a manicured ‘park’. The proposals included new paths, meadow areas, tree planting and the retention of bramble thickets that had already grown on some parts of the site. The initial work was undertaken in late 2004, culminating in volunteers planting more than 400 trees on a December Saturday. Since then, the Harding’s Pits Community Association have worked to develop the site, which now covers 10 acres and includes a recently added community orchard and the Beuys Acorns oak circle. (For more information on

The Club in April 2026 held the 51st AGM at Marriotts Warehouse. It had been the club’s 50th Anniversary in 2025/26 and rather than have one President for the year, events were supported by various Past Presidents. The chair for the AGM was member Kim Bramham who is also the President for the SI London Anglia Region. The year had been very busy as well as successful. The events included the celebrations for the 50th anniversary, as well as over £1,000 being raised for club charities. Fundraising events included a Literary Lunch, together with stalls at Norton Light Railway and Dersingham Christmas Fayre. During the meeting cheque presentations were made to the charities for which funds were raised during the year: – Home-Start £500– Liz Cross; 19th Reffley Guides £250 – Pat Pinnington on behalf of Ranger Lily who is fundraising after being selected for

Club members were pleased to welcome Councillor Alex Kemp as a guest speaker at their March meeting. Cllr Kemp has served as both a Borough and Council Councillor and her talk focused on the challenges and successes of both roles.  In 2006 she was part of a campaign for full basic state pensions for women in West Norfolk.  At that time only 12.5% of women in the area retired on a full state pension in their own right. Cllr Kemp had worked with the Fabian Women’s Network, the Fawcett Society, female MPs, and was especially pleased with the improved outcomes for women with caring roles and those who had had part time or multiple jobs. In 2010 90-95% of women were accessing a full state pension on retirement. In the past Cllr Kemp had been pleased to collaborate with SI King’s Lynn members on the

The Sandringham Parkrun volunteer team were joined by 10 members of Soroptimist International club King’s Lynn, on 7th March to celebrate International Women’s Day 2026. Club member and Soroptimist Regional President Kim Bramham said: Soroptimist International clubs across the world mark International Women’s Day every year, joining women to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality globally and to celebrate women’s achievements. The United Nations has released the official theme for International Women’s Day 2026 as ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls’, – what better way for our club to celebrate than by taking action to volunteer in key parkrun roles. Parkrun and Soroptimists make a great partnership – both are volunteer-led, inclusive and supportive, working to enable all people to achieve in a safe and supportive way.  Members were also available during the run to chat about Soroptimists and International Women’s Day. Members

Club members were pleased to welcome local author Antonia Hayes to their meeting on 2nd February. Antonia explained her lifelong love of books which led her to working in a bookshop and then a career in publishing. She had always kept a diary and after taking a short writing course produced her first book ‘Relativity’. The manuscript was sought after, attracting 6 bidders at auction. Since then, she has published a book of essays and has a new book in the pipeline (from which the members were treated to an extract). Antonia has had a varied life, being born in Australia and living in Sidney, Paris, California and London before moving to King’s Lynn with her husband and children. King’s Lynn was chosen because for Antonia the big skies made it ‘feel like home’. Antonia with her husband and a small group set up the

Every year, Soroptimists join the UN’s global 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls, held from 25 November to 10 December. This year, Soroptimist clubs around the world are focusing on preventing online violence and creating safer digital spaces for women and girls. The campaign highlights how online abuse happens and promotes practical tools to help users stay safe. We all have the power to create safer online spaces. Every interaction we have shapes digital culture. When we choose kindness and respect, we contribute to an online environment where everyone can participate without fear. Creating safety online isn’t just reactive—it’s about actively fostering positive interactions and inclusive communities For more information, please visit https://sigbi.org/2025/16-days-activism/ The colour chosen for the 16 days of activism is orange and at the recent club dinner all members wore orange in support. Members sent Christmas greetings to each other

King’s Lynn Soroptimists and their guests were delighted to welcome guest author Sophia Bennett (writing as S J Bennett) who has created a much-acclaimed series ‘Her Majesty the Queen Investigates’ to their annual literary lunch on Sunday 16th November. The series features the late Queen Elizabeth II as an inspired yet discreet solver of crimes. Having wanted to be a writer from a young age, Sophia explained about her transition from writing children’s books to murder mysteries. The idea of the Queen as a crime solver took hold and resulted in much research into the royal residences and the daily life of the Queen – weaving the fictional content into the monarch’s busy schedule. Windsor, Buckingham Palace and Sandringham House respectively provide the settings for the first 3 books of the series – the first ‘The Windsor Knot’ was written in 2019 and this resulted