It was a perfect summer’s day for our annual Summer Tea which was hosted this year by Dr and Mrs Lynn Dale. Mansfield and Districts SI own Social and Hospitality team prepared and provided the delicious tea with home made bakes and favourites.  Over 60 people supported the day and spent generously at our homemade cake stall which is always very popular. A new fundraiser this year was provided by Phoenix Cards representative Margaret Dean. Every year our gardening friend Colin Etches provides a colourful plant stall and this years was exceptional and also in memory of a dearly loved member, Nancy Beecroft, who passed away earlier this year. Pam sold over 20 jigsaws and once again we had a generous raffle, prizes provided by members. A total of £863.00 was raised and this money will be divided between our international project ” Birthing in the Gambia” and Programme Action which supports local and national good causes. We

A fashion show was held in the Sherwood Welfare Hall on March 14th at  7.30 An evening of fashion with members acting as models, outfits from major high street stores as well as fashions from Italy and France were on offer. For £3.50p the audience was invited to admire the clothes show and purchase on the night, or online. Tea coffee and biscuits was included in the price. A good night was had by all those who attended, and… watch this space for our next Fashion Show.    

A coffee morning at Lynn Dales home proved a success. A choice of tasty home made cakes, mince pies and scones accompanied the coffee. A winter raffle and a Christmas cake draw help to swell the funds. Monies raised will go towards a Soroptimist appeal ‘See Solar Cook Solar’ The See Solar, Cook Solar Appeal will support Soroptimist projects all over the world that educate women about renewable energy and empower and enable opportunities for them, by providing solar lanterns and cookers. For more information about S.I Mansfield and District see our web-site. www.sigbi.org

Sunday the 10th of November Past president Eileen Stewart OBE and Kam Britland and other members of SI Mansfield and District attended the wreath laying ceremony at the Civic centre in Mansfield. The ceremony was led by Nottinghamshire’s Deputy  Lord Lieutenant, followed by the current Mayor and MP. It is the 2nd year we have joined in with the service. After the wreath laying the Dignitaries and attendees paraded to The St Peter’s Church for a service of remembrance and the 2 minute silence at 11am. We will remember them.          

This years Friendship evening was held on Bonfire night, members and friends enjoyed a traditional Bonfire feast of hotdogs, beef burgers, jacket potatoes, with salad and cheeses. Followed by fresh fruit salad. Five ladies from The Ashfield Guild of Weavers and Spinners demonstrated carding and the spinning of sheep wool. There was a display of accessories and garments which had been made and dyed from the spun wool plus a selection of different fibres. See more on our Facebook page    

As soon as the box office opens, tickets for this popular fundraising event are sold out.  Two quizzes, a monster raffle and a Pie,pea & chip supper makes this evening one of our most successful events. A total of £1,161.80p was raised,  £500 along with another donation of £150 was donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund and the remaining £661.80 went towards the Presidents Charity, Diabetes UK.

Gainsborough Old Hall is a large, late- medieval manor house built by the noble Burgh family around 1460. The house boasts an impressive Great Hall original medieval kitchen East and West ranges containing a myriad of rooms and a ghost corridor an original brick built tower Gainsborough Old Hall was not only the home of the Burgh family but also a demonstration of their wealth and importance. By 1596, however, the Burghs had fallen on hard times and the house was sold to the Hickman family. Although a number of “home improvements ” have been made over the years it remains a “textbook of medieval architecture”. Famous visitors to the Old Hall inlcude Richard III, Henry VIII, John Wesley and the Pilgrim Fathers. Gainsborough Old Hall was given to the nation in 1970 by descendants of the Hickman family. A party from SI Mansfield and District

For two years we have been raising money to send to India to help Dalit and tribal women living in Orissa, one of the poorest States in India to overcome poverty and discrimination. Women have been able join cooperatives and access a loan scheme to enable them to start small enterprises .Working as a group they earn more than they would alone. One group of women were funded to buy materials to make bricks which they were then able to sell for a profit. The project also runs training for women in organic farming and provides seeds to grow vegetables for both consumption and sale. This is only one of the practical courses open to the women. The project wants to empower women to improve their lives and so there are a large number of workshops ranging from Women’s Rights Issues like domestic violence, trafficking and child

Long serving member and past President Anne Bull hoped to inspire members and guests to have a go at flower arranging at the June dinner meeting. She arranged 5 designs using Supermarket flowers which included Roses, Lilies, Alstromeria, Geber, Spray Chrysanthemums and Gypspohylia. Roses were arranged in a glass vase, Alstromeria in a plant pot and Gebera in a flat bowl suitable for a coffee table, were some of the designs produced which also contained some garden plant material

For our Friendship evening this year it was decided to hold an Edwardian Fashion Show. Members along with invited guests attended this on the 31st March in the Ravenshead Village Hall. Knotty Hornblower who owns a costume museum in Ashbourne in Derbyshire presented the show. Refreshments were provided by our Social & Hospitality committee which include all homemade produce. A total of £696-20p  was raised £60 of this money went into the Presidents Appeal and the remainder this money went towards our Program Action commitments