Members of SI Lichfield and District were out in force on Bower Day to help count the proceeds from the Bower Procession collection. 9 Soroptimists plus 3 Soroptimisters were part of a team of 18 volunteers who counted over £3,000.00 of various coin denominations in just three hours. This represented the fastest time in recent years and some of our members rounded off the afternoon with a well earned drink!
The Bower is well known to Lichfield and is a festival held each spring on a bank holiday. It is approx 800 years old and the origins of the Bower go back to the time of Henry II. Most of the ancient features of the Bower still survive – the Court of Arraye is held in the Guildhall, when the Mayor inspects the “men-at-arms”. The procession, made up of a series of floats, is lead by the Bower Queen and her deputy, followed by the prince and princess of the Bower. The rest of the floats are manned by local firms and other charitable organisations.