On Saturday 14th March Members and friends of Soroptimist International London Chilterns Region will be Celebrating International Women’s Day at the Lancaster Hall Hotel, London from 10am to 3.30pm – all are welcome!
The theme for International Women’s Day 2026 is ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls’ – click here to read more on the UN Women’s website: https://tinyurl.com/426ykexa
International Women’s Day is a key date in the Soroptimist calendar so don’t miss this event! There will be no charge for this event but booking is essential – booking information will be available soon. Guests will be warmly welcomed, to register your interest in attending please click here: https://sigbi.org/london-chilterns/contact-us/.
Click here to download the agenda: Agenda SILC IWD Meeting 14 Mar 2026 and see below for the outline agenda:
10am Arrival – tea and coffee will be available for a 10.30 start.
The keynote speakers in the morning are
Barbara Jeremiah and Kay Linnell – please see below for more information.
There will be some Region business before lunch.
12.45pm – Lunch – sandwiches and fruit will be provided – there will be plenty of time for networking.
1.45pm Speaker: Lidia Put “Resilient by Choice: Ukrainian Women and the Power of Hope”. Lidia will speak about women and children remaining in Ukraine and the difficulties they suffer. See below for more about Lidia.
2.45pm Programme Action update
3.15pm Round up, thanks, plus tea and coffee will be available at the end.
Keynote speakers – Barbara Jeremiah and Kay Linnell:
“A Hobby That Got Out of Hand : our part in getting justice for the Sub Postmasters in the scandal of the Post Office fraud.”
We are particularly delighted to welcome our first two speakers who are active Soroptimists in SI Southern Region. Barbara is a past President of SI London Chilterns Region and Kay was Treasurer for many years. These two activists used their professional expertise to play a key role in the prosecution of the infamous British Post Office Horizon Scandal case.
The British Post Office Horizon fraud, is possibly the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history, in which thousands of UK Post Office branch operators were wrongly accused of theft and fraud. Our two Soroptimists will together tell us the story of the case and their part in the fight for justice.
Please click here to read more about Barbara Jeremiah: https://www.brickkilnindustries.co.uk/
Please click here to read more about Kay Linnell: https://www.klca-forensicaccountancy.co.uk/
Please click on this link for information about the TV drama “Mr Bates vs The Post Office” and how Barbara and Kay were involved: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/the-real-people-and-cast-of-mr-bates-vs-the-post-office/
Any donations from Barbara and Kay’s talk will go to ‘Lost Chances’, the charity set up by the children of the Sub Post Masters (SPM), who are victims themselves, suffering hardship and distress as a result of the Post Office scandal.
This is how Lidia Put introduces herself: “My name is Lidia. I am Ukrainian.
In my private life, I am a partner, a mother, a daughter, and a sister. I love animals and respect nature.
Professionally, I work as an International Sales Manager and I am also a community activist. A significant part of my work is dedicated to supporting and developing the Ukrainian community in the United Kingdom. I am the Director of a Ukrainian School, the Director of United Hub Razom, and a member of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain.
Through these roles, I actively support Ukraine and help build strong connections between Ukrainians and British society. A key focus of my work is supporting women — empowering them to pursue their goals, build strong networks, and raise the next generation.
Together with both British and Ukrainian partners, we continue to stand with Ukraine, because there is nothing more devastating than losing peace, one’s home, and a sense of security, and being forced to live with constant stress and trauma. I believe in hope, and I am deeply proud to be surrounded by people with open and warm hearts.”