S I Kampala was chartered in 2023 and has just become our  tenth Friendship Link Club. We hope to be able to work with them to support two of our projects in Uganda – Act4Africa and SALVE.   Our other links are with S I Essen Victoria, S I Fort de France Alizes Sud, S I Grosse Pointe, S I Gdansk, S I Kathmandu, S I Johannesburg, S I Madurai, S I St Petersburg and S I Wichita. We keep in touch with newsletters and our annual report and meet members at conferences whenever possible.

The Pankhurst Centre celebrated the birthday of Emmeline Pankhurst by offering a fun day of activities to the public.  People could make appointments to visit and have a guided tour of the centre and all the artefacts relating to Emmeline’s work and the work of the Pankhurst family. As well as the tour, workshops were available for writing poetry or creating cards.  There were activities for children.  A highlight was a performance by an opera singer,  Elise Morton, accompanied by piano player, Alex. President Elect Fiona, Vice President Sophie and members Rose and Val helped with the day by providing refreshments for the visitors – lemon drizzle cake, blueberry cake, brownies, cookies, buns and chocolate crunch. There were many grateful compliments which made all  our efforts worthwhile. Val Jenkins Programme Action Officer

On a very warm evening in June some members enjoyed the Kargo Market on Salford Quays. As we overlooked the water, enjoying the atmosphere, we tucked into Korean, Vietnamese and good old English food which was all delicious. Thanks to Sue (and Albert) for the suggestion. Carole Swarbrick President

The recipient of the Soroptimist International Manchester Arena Award 2024 was Leigha Tandy, a musical theatre student. On a beautiful sunny afternoon Rose and myself went along to Pendleton College to present Leigha with  her certificate and cheque for £250. In addition we watched performances by the performing arts students which were dramatic and thought provoking. One snippet from the play Road, written by the Bolton born playwright Jim Cartwright set in a northern town in the 1980’s, had overtones of life today for some of the women we support and help as Soroptimists. Members may remember that in the aftermath of the horrific Manchester Arena bomb in 2017 the club decided to set up an award to a performing arts student at Pendleton College. Many young people attended the concert and were affected by the events of that terrible night. The girl student is

As President of S I Manchester it was a pleasure to attend the Junior Royal Northern College of Music Annual Prize Giving Tea. I had the company of Susan Hollick and her husband who love attending this event. The RNCM is a valued partner and members will remember the wonderful speaker at the charter lunch Karen Humphreys MBE who was about to retire as Head of Junior Programmes. It was a delight to present the Helen Latto Soroptimist Prize for singing to Charlotte Dear, a soprano who travels from West Yorkshire for tuition. During the course of the afternoon I spoke to many young people who were celebrating the end of their A levels and looking forward to the next stage of their musical journeys. Several had accepted offers at conservatoires both in the UK and abroad. My overwhelming impression was that I was made

Club members were delighted to welcome members from S I Bolton, S I Liverpool and S I Southport to  a Climate Fresk workshop on 1st June at Stretford Public Hall. This was an interactive and cooperative workshop where participants explored climate change issues together on a card based game format. This made it easier to see the interesting and often complex interactions between human activity and climate change. These workshops are delivered world-wide, often by volunteer facilitators. Our session was ably delivered by Ethar and Kennedy from Really Recycle. One attendee described the event as ‘Enlightening, thought provoking and challenging at the same time’.

Our Pancake Party is an annual fundraising event held at Fiona’s home. Although held slightly later than usual this year it was a great success and raised over £500 for our charities. There was a lovely selection – Mexican Chicken Enchiladas, Vegan Chilli Enchiladas and French Crepes with Spinach and Ricotta, followed by a variety of dessert crepes. Many thanks to Fiona and helpers.