Friday 22nd May saw us gathered at St Johns House Lichfield to celebrate the start of President Pat’s year in office. After a warm welcome from President Pat to sister Soroptimists from Burton (special mention to Muriel Gould) Newcastle, Tamworth, Cannock, Stafford, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Sutton Coldfield alongside the Mayor and Sherriff of Lichfield, the meal was served. It was an excellent menu and the room buzzed with conversations between new friends and those of long standing.
The toast to Soroptimist International was proposed by Cllr Andy Smith, Mayor of Lichfield for whom it was the first official engagement. The response from Region President Carol praised SI Lichfield for its passion for programme action leading to the Federation award. She praised the website that was ‘bang up to date’ and said that for a small club, we certainly get a lot done! President Pat proposed the toast to our guests and the response was made by President Gwen Evans of SI Walsall.
The speaker for the evening was Dr Neil Carr, OBE, South Staffordshire and Shropshire NHS Foundation Trust. He was asked to speak about ‘Mental Health Past and Present’ and started by saying that he was starting in 500BC and getting to the present day, decade by decade. His 15 minute talk demonstrated that he did indeed have the knowledge to do exactly that but in deference to the lateness of the hour, he shared key messages. There was no doubt of the passion that he has for improving the situation for the 1 in 4 adults who are currently experiencing difficulty and pointed to the increasing impact of dementia on present day society. He praised organisations such as ours that are the ‘community that care’ as the plan for ‘care in the community’ was difficult to achieve.
The evening was a success due to meticulous planning by President Elect Mary, the role of Mistress of Ceremonies ably handled by Carolyn and the leadership of President Pat. We look forward to an active, fun filled year where our friendships and networks continue to thrive.
Please Note: There really is no apostrophe in the name of the Boutique B&B!