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Save the Date! – 26th September 2020

Save the Date! – 26th September 2020

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The AGM Regional Meeting on 26th September will be a historic occasion as it will be held on Zoom for the first time! President Rose and the Organising Committee have taken this decision for several reasons.: Planning can now go ahead without having to worry about last-minute cancellation of the venue. There is a high probability that large group meetings will still not be allowed to take place, and many understandably would not wish to attend even if they were. It will hopefully allow greater access to those who are not normally able to travel to regional meetings.  We are hoping for record attendance! We will keep you updated with our plans as they progress, we currently hope to hold the AGM itself followed by some short presentations and a virtual raffle so please keep the morning free.

Our First ‘Virtual’ Meeting

Our First ‘Virtual’ Meeting

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  We had our first Zoom committee meeting on 29th May - a bit of a milestone in the Region's history.   The verdict was that it was a great success! President Rose would be the first to admit that she is not at all 'tech-savvy', so she was delighted that everything went smoothly.  The most important outcome was that everyone found it easy to participate in sharing views and ideas for the future. Lockdown has forced us all to adopt new technologies.   We are beginning to learn new skills and discovering it is not so scary after all! Of course, virtual meetings can never replace social gatherings.  However, there are definitely benefits in terms of cost and convenience to conducting some  business meetings 'remotely' If you would like to hold a virtual meeting but feel you need some guidance here are some handy tips to
The Big Story! – Empowering Girls in Nepal

The Big Story! – Empowering Girls in Nepal

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We Want to Hear Your Story! Sharpen your pencils all you budding authors,  because the new deadline for submitting your story is now July 31st.  Donating and submitting your story has also been made easier. Don’t forget to put “Soroptimist “ with your name to make sure your hard-earned sponsorship money goes to Empowering Girls in Nepal. Several Club Members have written and submitted their stories already.  It is not too late to have a go if you haven’t already.    https://www.thebigstory.org.uk/ There is also an  Easy Steps Flow Chart  for you to follow to help you through the process, including helping you to Sponsor a Story and Writer after it has been submitted. Read the latest update from Liz Every

Court Observations – Domestic Abuse

Court Observations – Domestic Abuse

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Dame Vera Baird QC    – Victims Commissioner for England and Wales At our March meeting, Dame Vera gave feedback on our recent work on DA court observations.  Our reports have now all been submitted, and the debrief by Police is due on 22nd June 2020. Soroptimists completed 200 questionnaires, representing 225 manhours worked.   Our region mustered 40 volunteers and carried out 70 observations.  Other regions are now becoming involved in the project. Dame Vera then told us about developments in the Northumbria region.  As Victims Commissioner, her aim is to put the victim centre stage in what is an adversarial criminal justice system.  At present, the focus is on prosecuting or defending the defendant. Victims of violent crime are often deeply traumatised by their role as a witness, but neglected once the trial is over.   Dame Vera sees her role as empowering victims to get

‘The Tipping Point’

‘The Tipping Point’

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SIGBI Growth Plan Ambassador Dishi Attwood (SI Lichfield) has been working hard with her team to develop clear, practical materials and strategies to help Clubs recruit and retain new members. She is available to visit and help any Club to accentuate their own unique brand by helping to develop their websites, social media presence, and programme action impact. During her presentation we learned how to identify our Connector, Mavens, and Salespersons!  She also gave us some tips on how to motivate ourselves and other members. More Information about The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell It is all about how to establish key partnerships and increase our profile! Our strapline for worldwide membership is ‘One million Women and Girls’. ‘Only the person not rowing has time to rock the boat.’

100 Years of Soroptimism!

100 Years of Soroptimism!

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Let’s Celebrate! Regional President-Elect Elaine Clarke gave us a sneak preview of various events that are planned for the 100 years of Soroptimism celebrations in 2021.   She also asked for ideas and contributions from clubs to mark the occasion. Bright Past, Brilliant Future! Ann Keepax gave us the exciting news that we have commissioned a sculpture to be erected in our plot at the National Memorial Arboretum.  http://www.thenma.org.uk/ The Sculptor is Graeme Mitcheson MRSS.  read more about Graeme Mitcheson here The cost will be £10,000 for this large scale, public piece of artwork.  It’s over to Clubs to start the sponsorship ball rolling!

Latest News on ‘Empowering Girls in Nepal’

Latest News on ‘Empowering Girls in Nepal’

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At the March Regional Meeting,  Liz Every of SI Bromsgrove gave us an update on the progress of the Nepal Project:- Girls at risk of trafficking in the remote rural East Nepal area are developing sewing skills and learning English. Part of their training includes designing and sewing reusable sanitary pads.  The British School in Nepal is helping them. Girls from the ‘Untouchable’ communities in South Nepal are putting their weaving, basket making, and pottery skills to good use.  By selling their wares they have raised £1600 so far. The training hostel is partly funded by Soroptimists. We are on track to achieve our aim of educating and training 45 girls each year.  Moreover, we will be providing them with a 30 bed halfway house. Empowering Girls in Nepal https://sigbi.org/what-we-do/our-projects/girlsinnepal/

“A Plethora of Purple!”

“A Plethora of Purple!”

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  We celebrated  International Women’s Day (8th  March) at our March Regional Meeting by wearing purple.  We posed for a group photo with the #EachforEqual International Women’s Day 2020 Campaign sign. Even better, every speaker at the meeting was a Soroptimists! We welcomed three new Soroptimists to their first Regional Meeting.  Sadly, our In Memoria commemorated two long-standing members who have passed away. International Women’s Day During the meeting, President Rose extended a warm invitation to all Associate members to attend Regional Meetings,  so please pass this message on to any Associate members that your Club is aware of!

A Message from Immediate Past President Rose

A Message from Immediate Past President Rose

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I cannot quite believe that my year as your President has gone by and so much in the world has changed. We should be looking forward to Conference and Change of Insignia but whilst I am still looking forward to the new format, of course, I will miss seeing you all and handing over to incoming President Elaine. History was made in September with our first ever online AGM and as a committee, we were all pleased with how it went and valued your feedback. There are of course lessons to learn and we will try to incorporate those in our next meeting on November 5th. October 3rd marked the beginning of our Centenary year and several of us were attending a Three Regions Meeting. We paused to celebrate at 12.00 with candle lighting, drinks, and of course no celebration is complete without a cake.

Empowering Girls in Nepal

Empowering Girls in Nepal

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We are thrilled to announce that national treasure Joanna Lumley OBE is the new Ambassador for our project ‘Empowering Girls In Nepal’. Here she is on the front page of the February 2020 Soroptimist magazine, which you can view online at www.sigbi.org.  Read all about the project here:  Empowering Girls in Nepal Congratulations go to  SIGBI President Isobel Smith on her fantastic initiative of enrolling Joanna to be our Ambassador.