Our Annual General Meeting – delayed because of the pandemic – was held on Zoom on 15th October. Rosemarie Marginson was installed as President. New President Rose’s address included the induction of three members – Lori, Yemi and Sarah – who joined during lockdown.
Our members took part in The Brilliant Breakfast on 13th October as part of our regular Tuesday Zoom Social meeting We enjoyed coffee, cakes, fruit, bacon sandwiches, and a good chat, all whilst raising funds for The Prince’s Trust’s Women Supporting Women campaign, for young women in the UK who have been hardest hit by Covid-19.
Barbara, our Programme Action Officer, gave a presentation to a conference entitled ‘There is no Planet B’ organised by S I Madurai, one of our Friendship Link clubs. The conference was attended by over 100 members from all five Federations. ‘S I Manchester hasn’t really focussed on environmental projects in recent years, but we have started to challenge each other to make individual changes – to reduce, reuse and recycle. However, there are bigger challenges in our area. Like many great cities around the world Greater Manchester has a strong industrial and commercial heritage, from the early days of the cotton industry, through the development of major engineering industries to the current focus on service industries and the media. But this does come at a cost – there are not enough homes close to where people work, and not enough public transport or other infrastructure
Our Programme Action Officer , Barbara, has created a scarecrow on behalf of the Club for this competition organised by Act4Africa, one of our charities, and Sale and District Lions. The proceeds will go towards helping the response to coronavirus in impoverished rural communities in Uganda through Act4Africa and in local communities through Sale and District Lions. Our scarecrow is wearing the ‘Ask me why I’m a Soroptimist’ T shirt.
When Trafford Domestic Abuse Services posted their urgent appeal for toiletries, members of SI Manchester truly rose to the challenge! Today, Programme Action Officer Barbara and Treasurer Elaine delivered our donations of essential toiletries, hand made toiletry bags and £200 of shopping vouchers. In addition, the Club donated £50 towards necessities for TDAS’s new refuge. We are looking forward to hearing more about the organisation once club meetings resume.
It is disappointing that our projects have had to be curtailed during the lockdown but we are still finding ways to help where we can, both as a club and as individuals. Manchester Women’s Aid (MWA) With families spending more time at home, the risk of domestic abuse is greatly increased – so our support for MWA is even more important now. On a positive note, three of the women that we know from the sewing project are moving into their own accommodation – a big step from the security of the refuge to an independent life. We were delighted to be able to make a donation to provide some of the furnishings needed – and a couple of members have donated curtains. We were also able to buy activity materials and gift cards for the children in the refuges. Other donations Our
As part of 16 Days of Action and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence towards Women, we took part in Dead Women Walking in Manchester city centre. We commemorated the many women who have been murdered by men that were known to them, since last year’s march. About 50 women attended and dressed in bright red, we walked in silent, single file, threading through the busy Christmas Markets, whilst the names of the women were read out. We found the experience to be extremely moving. Fortunately, it was less eventful than last year, where one of the participants was assaulted. We received a little heckling but also received many messages of support and expressions of interest. Elaine Loader As part of the 16 Days of Action against Domestic Violence, the Pankhurst Centre held an event at which 173 handbags were displayed to represent
President Elect Rose hosted a handbag evening at her home on 13th November. Karen from Antonia’s Handbags brought handbags, scarves and other accessories which helped those who attended with Christmas shopping, as well as buying handbags for themselves. As usual she gave us 10% of the proceeds which resulted in £100 for the charities we support . Thank you to Karen, to Rose for hosting the evening and to everyone who supported it.
President Rosemary, Malgorzata (our Friendship Link Co-ordinator) and Hilaria (one of our new members) visited one of our Friendship Link Clubs, S I Essen Victoria. President Rosemary wrote: On the morning of Friday 18th October we flew to Dusseldorf where we were met by Ann-Dore and then travelled to Essen to have lunch in a traditional cafe with a group of members whose warmth of welcome was amazing. After lunch we had a guided tour led by Michaela, a club member and Lutheran minister, visiting the magnificent abbey and learning of the key role powerful women had played in its history. The evening was spent in a brewery and beer keller with more Soroptimist sisters meeting us. On the Saturday morning our new friends had arranged a bus tour of Essen and the surrounding countryside. I particularly enjoyed
The Mayor of Trafford, Councillor Rob Chilton, entertained President Rosemary and six club members in his Parlour at Trafford Town Hall yesterday. Formally Stretford Town Hall, it is now a listed building. Rob explained how the Mayor is selected and his own journey to the role; he described the history of the various mayoral chains and sceptres, and showed us some of the gifts that have been received over the years. We then paid a visit to the council chamber and he talked about how council proceedings are conducted before returning to the parlour for tea and cake and an informal chat. Members attending made donations to the Mayor’s Charity Fund. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative afternoon and we are very grateful to the Mayor for inviting us. Barbara Blaber
