It is with great sadness that I take over the role of web manager.  Bev died unexpectedly earlier this week and we have been stunned by the news.  Bev has been a member of our club for about three years when she was literally ‘picked up’ by Bev Haywood in a cafe simply because they shared the same name.  We learned that Bev had left her job as Managing Director of an international company to care for her Mum who had recently died. Bev had been a fundraiser for the World Wildlife Fund and immediately offered to take the lead in fundraising and then did so much more.  Her drive and energy produced great outcomes for our events and opportunities for service.  In the last year or so, she took the lead on press and publicity and developed the quality of our website, raised our

September  2014 has been designated “Gynaecological awareness month” by the Eve Appeal and to support their campaign, Lichfield Soroptimist Chris Corless, her friend Rosie Raybould and their respective families hosted a champagne afternoon tea at Chris’ house on Sunday 28th September. 34 guests attended the event and were treated to champagne, a wide variety of sandwiches, scones and homemade cakes with a selection of teas and coffees. Family members waited on tables bedecked with white linen tablecloths to add to the elegance of the occasion.  After tea, club member Dishi Attwood auctioned gifts which had been donated for the event.  The Eve Appeal is a charity (reg. no. 1091708) dedicated to striving for better detection and improved treatment of all five gynaecological cancers. SI Lichfield & District became aware of the charity through a colleague whose daughter, Michelle, was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the

SI Lichfield and District members joined other club members and the Three Midland Regional Presidents at the National Memorial Arboretum on Sunday 28th September 2014.   International President Ann Garvie and SIGBI Federation President Margaret Oldroyd were also in attendance to receive a plaque to commemorate 80 years of service to the women of the world by members of SIGBI 1934-2014. The commemoration ended with Margaret Oldroyd reading the peace pledge which, like the tree, stands for our continuing dedication to peace and peace-making.  This was followed by a bulb planting session in the Soroptimist garden.  

SIGBI (SI Great Britain & Ireland) was formed in 1934 as a Federation within the Global Soroptimist International organisation.  SI Lichfield & District celebrated SIGBI’s 80th Birthday with a meal meeting at a local restaurant. The evening gave members an opportunity to reflect on past achievements whilst planning future events, particularly their next major event, a Masquerade Ball in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, on Friday 17th October 2014 at Moor Hall Hotel, Sutton Coldfield. One club member baked an 80th Birthday Cake which was presented by restaurant staff at the end of the meal.  For more information about our club or future events please contact our club President, Lesley Warfield on 01543 300934.

  The global motto of Soroptimist International is “inspiring action, transforming lives” so when SI Lichfield & District were asked to assist with WaterAid’s campaign “to be a Girl” they readily agreed.  The aim of the campaign is to transform the lives of 130,000 girls by bringing clean water and sanitation to their communities.  One of their poster girls was Solo from a village in Madagascar.  This young girl walked miles every day, carrying twice her body weight in water for her family.  To make matters worse the water was dirty and dangerous to health.   Our club responded to the appeal by issuing Smartie tubes to all its members to be filled with 20p coins over our summer recess.  We knew that any monies we raised by the 9th September would be match funded by the UK Government. We raised just over £300.00 which

To mark the first birthday of the SI Lichfield & District Sewing Bee, club member Bev Billings baked a cake which included an edible rice paper picture of the now famous washing line of girl’s dresses which was “washed down” with a celebratory tipple provided by host Chris Corless. The club have made an astonishing 230 dresses, 130 have already been taken to Kenya and Burkina Faso and a further 100 will be taken to a school in Esu, Cameroon later in the year.  The sewing bees are now making 50 pairs of shorts so that the boys at the school in Esu are not left empty handed. Meeting once a month, the Sewing Bee has turned into a lovely social evening with some members bringing friends along to help.  Most of the clothes have been made from donations of old bed linen, men’s shirts

Through their friendship link SI Kaarst, SI Lichfield & District are supporting the Orisa Bilingual Nursery and Primary School, Esu, Republic of Cameroon. The school was founded five years ago by Mrs Okah Emmerencia and her husband Mr Okah Solomon to help the underprivileged children in the community. Mrs Agnes Kah, a club member of SI Kaarst, is the sister of Mrs Okah Emmerencia and visits the school regularly, often bringing donations of various items with her. Although primary school education is free, the school survives with the help of donations in the form of food, writing materials and scholarship for the bright children. Today the school has 74 girls and 46 boys ranging from 3 to 11 and has two nursery classes and years 1 to 6 after which the children will be entered for Government Examinations to further their education. Club members from

Members of SI Lichfield and District invite you to join them at a Masquerade Ball on Friday 17th October, 2014, 7.30pm to Midnight, at Moor Hotel & Spa, Sutton Coldfield, B75 6LN.  Tickets at £40.00 each are available from Kath Marks – 01543 268004 and include a drink on arrival and three course meal followed by tea or coffee.  There will be entertainment from a Beatles Tribute Band, dancing and a Grand Charity Auction. All Profits will go to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Special hotel rates at £85.00 per standard room and £105.00 per superior room are available.  Rooms should be booked direct with the hotel quoting the function and asking for function rates. We hope you can join us for this special evening.

SI Lichfield and District club members are supporting Water Aid’s National campaign “To Be a Girl” aimed at transforming the lives of 130,000 girls by bringing clean water and sanitation to those in desperate need. In so doing girls in Nepal, Pakistan, India, Ethiopia and Madagascar can then go to school and not have to fetch water. At their July Business Meeting, club members were all given a tube of smarties.  After devouring the contents the tubes will be filled with 20p coins donated by members, families and friends. All donations banked by 9 September will be match funded by the UK Government.  For more information go to the Water Aid website www.tobeagirl.org.

As the ducks bobbed happily on our hook-a-duck-pool, their water level rising by the minute, club members braved a very wet “Alrewas Show” The skies opened in the early hours of Saturday morning and continued whilst club members, gratefully aided by Soroptimister Les Wedgbury, erected their gazebo and set up their stall. The first respite came for half an hour before the show opened giving us time to grab a hot drink and bacon butty.  Unfortunately this respite was short lived and the next downpour lasted until after lunch.  In spite of the weather some families braved the elements and we raised nearly £100.00 for our local charities. As lightening lit up the sky rain finally stopped play and we packed away in the worst downpour of the day.  It really was a sterling effort by club members and Ellie Gormley, Chair of Fundraising, thanked