{"id":5059,"date":"2022-05-17T14:53:51","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T13:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/?p=5059"},"modified":"2024-05-17T19:03:44","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T18:03:44","slug":"regional-conference-2022-progress-not-perfection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/2022\/05\/17\/regional-conference-2022-progress-not-perfection\/","title":{"rendered":"Regional Conference 2022: Progress Not Perfection"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After months of planning our Regional Conference 2022: Progress Not Perfection, finally took place on Saturday 14th May 2022. It was a truly beautiful spring day &#8211; warm and sunny &#8211; which showed the delightful location at Brocton Hall Golf Club to its very best advantage.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was fantastic to have a \u201cfull house\u201d of 100 attendees and so heart-warming to meet friends old and new and put bodies to Zoom-Faces. \u201cI didn\u2019t realise you were that tall. I&#8217;ve only ever seen your head!\u201d was one of the more memorable comments I got!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Judith-Carder.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5066 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Judith-Carder-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"President Judith Carder\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Judith-Carder-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Judith-Carder-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Judith-Carder.jpg 857w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Our Mistress of Ceremonies Sue McGlynn (SI Burton upon Trent &amp; District) soon had everything under control and the mood in the room was incredibly upbeat. The planning team\u2019s stress soon evaporated as we got going. <strong>President Judith Carder<\/strong> (SI Stafford) welcomed delegates and and a Roll Call of clubs was taken. Apart from members from our region\u2019s clubs, we were delighted to welcome sister-Soroptimists from Buxton, Kenilworth and Solihull.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We were very honoured that our first speaker <strong>SIGBI International President Maureen Maguire<\/strong> (SI Portadown) had joined us from her home in Northern Ireland. Her journey had been incredibly fraught, and given that her presentation was entitled \u201cFlexibility &#8211; The Key To Success\u201d it\u2019s fair to say that she\u2019d \u201cwalked the walk\u201d to get here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maureen began by presenting the prizes for the <strong>Regional Photographic Competition<\/strong> held earlier this year. The winners were:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">First: \u00a3100 SI Stafford, Second: \u00a350 SI Lichfield and District and Third: \u00a325 SI Lichfield and District. All prize monies will be going to Soroptimist activities or charities as chosen by the winners.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maureen went on to talk about flexible mindsets when dealing with change and disappointment. We\u2019ve become used to moving goalposts during the pandemic but the lessons learned will stand us in good stead for the future. Positive attitudes enable us to confront and maximise opportunities and achieve new types of success in different ways, while having a Plan B and a Plan C is always good practice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Maureen-Maguire.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5067 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Maureen-Maguire-300x254.jpg\" alt=\"International President Maureen Maguire\" width=\"300\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Maureen-Maguire-300x254.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Maureen-Maguire.jpg 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The International President\u2019s\u00a0 Appeal for 2021 &#8211; 2023 is <\/span><b>Opening Doors To A Bright Future <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and Maureen gave us a fascinating update on the projects already under way or in the planning stage. Maureen hopes to have an ODTABF project on each of the five continents (funding permitting) so look out for that\u2026in the meantime:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Cambodia<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over 2000 women will be registered on the project by late Summer 2022<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Literacy, health, business &amp; leadership training on offer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Free Access to community health services<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tuk-Tuks hired to take pregnant women to their clinic appointments<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Great cooperation from the Commune and Village chiefs<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Uganda<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Knowledge empowers through innovative technology project<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Girls and women in Kanungu District<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Health, training, literacy deliverables<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Georgia<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SKYE Tech Club &#8211; 40 women<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">9 vulnerable women-led households with children<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ultra-poor graduation programme<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Advanced English course for 5 vulnerable women<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maureen closed her presentation by encouraging us to attend the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/belfast2022\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">SIGBI Belfast Conference<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and warmly inviting us all to the 2023<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sidublin2023.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> SI Convention in Dublin<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from 27th-29th July 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Tanni-Grey-Thompson-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5073 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Tanni-Grey-Thompson-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Tanni Grey Thompson\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Tanni-Grey-Thompson-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Tanni-Grey-Thompson-2.jpg 645w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Carys Davina Grey-Thompson, Baroness Grey-Thompson, DBE, DL, better known as Tanni Grey-Thompson<\/strong>, a Welsh politician, television presenter, former wheelchair racer, and member of SI Middlesbrough was our next speaker. Tanni spoke off the cuff in a really natural, warm and witty way about her childhood, life and various careers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She got her name \u201cTanni\u201d because her elder sister Sian was disappointed at how \u201ctiny\u201d she was at birth &#8211; she was expecting a ready-made playmate it seems, and Tanni\u00a0 pointed up how accepting her school peers were of her spina bifida, virtually ignoring it and accepting her fully. As she said, \u201cchildren are very accepting &#8211; until we teach them not to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tanni\u2019s first wheelchair &#8211; which medical professionals had advised against &#8211; opened up her world. Her Dad, an architect made few changes to the family home being determined that this was not the only place Tanni could ever live. Both her parents were vocal advocates for her mainstream education, and when her local school told them \u201cwe don\u2019t take people like Tanni at our school\u201d, that served to ensure that she definitely went mainstream and was offered all the choices a good education brings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sport was important in their home, especially rugby, but Tanni was \u201cbad\u201d at sport. She tried swimming, basketball and other sports until someone suggested she try wheelchair racing. She was definitely underwhelmed by this idea but gave it a go. And while it\u2019s tempting to say \u201cthe rest is history\u201d that would be wrong. She found a good club with quality coaches but for the first few years Tanni won nothing until she finally won her last race as a junior.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tanni gained a place at Loughborough University where she studied politics. She felt that if it was good enough for Seb Coe it was good enough for her.\u00a0 The competition and ethos were VERY tough indeed &#8211; to the point of being ruthless, though Tanni went on to say she has seen many improvements in the care and nurturing of the individual athlete since her time there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tanni is very proud to be a member of the House of Lords where she\u2019s a crossbencher. \u201cPolitics is for losers\u201d she\u2019d told one of her lecturers at Uni. He subsequently sent her a card saying \u201cWell done Loser\u201d when she entered the House of Lords. Her daughter told her teacher that she\u2019d got a job collecting tickets at Westminster Tube station which caused some confusion at a parents\u2019 evening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tanni explained that what the House of Lords does is not \u201cboring but <\/span><b><i>technical<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d.\u00a0 They have recently pushed back on the Police Bill which would effectively prevent people protesting outside Parliament. For Tanni, that\u2019s precisely the place people should be protesting, and while the noise levels, especially from bad drummers can be maddening, for her it\u2019s part of a viable democracy &#8211; assuming only Grade 4 Drummers and above are allowed to play that is!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tanni has not personally encountered ableism or misogyny in the House, but it does exist and women from all parties try and support each other in developing resilience. She was less sanguine about sport however where she has encountered many, many deeply misogynistic men.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sport has given Tanni a platform to make a real difference, but she couldn\u2019t have achieved it without her husband Ian, her daughter Carys and other family. Her grandad&#8217;s motto was \u201caim high even if you hit a cabbage\u201d and is a good one for her life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She regaled us with tales of the 2012 Olympic bid and how the French team was so certain of success that they held a champagne party the night <\/span><b>before<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the announcement and invited the UK bid team to join them. Whoops!\u00a0 She told us about her broadcasting career as a \u201ccommentator\u2019s expert friend\u201d and how Steve Cram dropped her in it one time on BBC 1 when all the cameras failed and they had to fill time on air. Without warning he asked her: \u201cSo Tanni, tell us about the history of the paralympics then\u2026\u201d So she started at 1948 and had to keep going from memory until the cameras rolled again!!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tanni\u2019s approach when she was a professional athlete was to focus on her areas of weakness because that\u2019s where you make the most gains. It\u2019s an approach she\u2019s definitely taken into all the other areas of her life too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Sarah-Smith.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5069 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Sarah-Smith-300x206.jpg\" alt=\"Sarah Smith, BBC North America Editor\" width=\"300\" height=\"206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Sarah-Smith-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/Sarah-Smith.jpg 788w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>We could easily have listened to Tanni for another hour, but it was time to move on to another broadcaster <strong>Sarah Smith &#8211; North America Editor for BBC News.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sarah pre-recorded a video for us as she\u2019s based in Washington and couldn\u2019t be with us. Her presentation was a very timely and relevant one which picked up on the theme of misogyny and how it plays out in the media and online.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She suffered appalling trolling and abuse from pro Scottish independence supporters for several years while performing the role of Scottish political editor &#8211; to the extent that the BBC had to provide her with a security guard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sarah was doing her job of presenting a balanced picture of the arguments but as the daughter of former Labour party leader John Smith, she had his politics attributed to her by people who accused her of bias. The vitriol of the \u201ckeyboard cowards\u201d was frankly terrifying and has followed her to some extent to the United States. That said she will have a lower profile while she\u2019s there as her audience will be in the UK rather than domestic. So let\u2019s hope she gets some respite.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The definition of a professional is that they make hard stuff look easy. That\u2019s very true of Sarah who\u2019s so polished and professional. She told a very personal story without self-pity or drama. It was quite upsetting to listen to at times, but we all learned so much from it and thank her for her openness and honesty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/IMG_9013-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-5158 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/IMG_9013-2-298x300.jpg\" alt=\"Reema Tailor - Bollywood Dreams\" width=\"298\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/IMG_9013-2-298x300.jpg 298w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/IMG_9013-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/05\/IMG_9013-2.jpg 1017w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 298px) 100vw, 298px\" \/><\/a>After an excellent lunch we need to get the blood flowing again and Reena Tailor from <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/bollywooddreamsdance.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bollywood Dreams Dance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was more than up for the task. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Bollywood Dreams<\/strong> is a UK based company specialising in everything to do with Bollywood Dance and is the largest Bollywood Dance organisation in the West Midlands. Set up over a decade ago by Artistic Director Reena Tailor, Bollywood Dreams provides dance training, professional performances and educational workshops.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teaching more than 180 students a week, they have taught at over 500 schools and performed at hundreds of venues nationally and internationally; taking absolute pride in \u201cmaking your Bollywood Dance Dreams come true.\u201d Reena\u2019s high energy but accessible approach caused much laughter and enjoyment and generated all the energy we needed for the final speaker of the afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Major Kathy Betteridge is Director for Anti Trafficking and Modern Slavery at The Salvation Army<\/strong>, based in London. She spoke eloquently and movingly on the subject <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salvationarmy.org.uk\/modern-slavery\/latest-campaigns\/wearenotforsale\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe are not for sale\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An estimated 40 million people are held in slavery worldwide (2017 Global Slavery Index)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are more slaves in the world today than were taken from Africa during 300 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After drug trafficking, human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry in the world (United Nations)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2022 the figures are probably significantly higher.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/02\/Kathy-Betteridge-square.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-4989 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/02\/Kathy-Betteridge-square-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Salvation Army Director Kathy Betteridge\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/02\/Kathy-Betteridge-square-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/02\/Kathy-Betteridge-square-1024x1020.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/02\/Kathy-Betteridge-square-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/midland-chase\/files\/2022\/02\/Kathy-Betteridge-square.jpg 1084w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kathy told us of the history of the Salvation Army and its work in this area including its success in raising the age of consent to 16 in 1885. She went on to describe Modern Day Slavery and TSA\u2019s activity in helping combat it and supporting survivors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Traditionally slavery is illustrated with images of chains and imprisonment, but frequently people are not locked in, not in chains, but they are still trapped, unable to leave, working long hours for little or no pay, perhaps held by fear for their own safety or for the safety of their families; often living in harsh conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Modern slavery covers situations of exploitation that a person can&#8217;t refuse or leave because of threat, violence, coercion or deception, which includes forced labour, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, debt bondage or forced marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Victims of human trafficking are often forced to do things they don\u2019t want to do. Traffickers use threats, violence and methods of control to exploit people who are vulnerable. Victims can be trafficked for:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forced Labour e.g. working in a factory, restaurant, farm, car wash, building site, or nail bar<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Criminal Activity e.g. begging, theft, illegal drug dealing, County Lines, fraud, cannabis growing<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sex Industry and Prostitution<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Organ Removal<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forced Marriage<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Domestic Service<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kathy explained how to spot the signs and what to do about them.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Victims of MDS may be fearful of authority of any kind\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are sign that they are being controlled\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They have often been recruited with false promises<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are often language barriers\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They may say they are just visiting but they don\u2019t know their address or the address of the place they work\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There may be children around who are not at school\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They have little self-determination or control over their own lives\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There may be high security measures in the places where they are living. For example, locks on the outside of doors,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They receive no, or minimum pay\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They work very long hours\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They have poor physical and mental health and possibly an unkempt appearance<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They are often working without the appropriate PPE e.g. car washes<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They may be tattooed or branded<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They live in high density, multi occupancy housing<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>In other words they are hidden in plain sight.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TSA\u2019s current services are delivered under the 2020\u00a0Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) through a network of sub contractors and volunteers, and they have supported over 15,500 people since 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">British victims doubled in the last year owing to forced criminality, and county lines. Traffickers systematically target and exploit vulnerable people &#8211; people with mental health problems, no secure family networks, who are homeless, and may have substance addictions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dan\u2019s Story is particularly harrowing but at the same time hopeful. Thanks to intervention from TSA he is turning his life around.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Finally Kathy told us how we can help:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We can<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Raise money for the TSA\u2019s Victim Care Fund<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Volunteer as drivers, support volunteers or chaperones<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Signpost and promote their work<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lobby elected officials<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Help provide interview practice<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Identify job opportunities<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No doubt there will be other ways and we will work with Kathy to identify these, but while we do the message is clear. <\/span><b>Anyone<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> can become a victim of modern day slavery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Finally, Kate Moore CH MBE of SI Stafford gave a brief summation of the event, before Regional President Judith closed the conference and bade everyone farewell.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And now to start planning for 2023!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>*************<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Special thanks go to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our wonderful speakers<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conference Planning Team &#8211; Christine Corless, Maureen Little, Nichola Balmer (SI Lichfield &amp; District), Alison Elsmore and Katie Taylor (SI Stafford).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">MC &#8211; Sue McGlynn from SI Burton upon Trent &amp; District<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Speaker Hosts &#8211; Lynn Shiel (SI Tamworth), Jackie Prince (SI Cannock &amp; District), Pam Mundy (SI Sutton Coldfield) and Karen Whitworth (SI Lichfield &amp; District)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Greeters &amp; Marshalls from SI Stafford<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Photographers &#8211; June Coupland and Heather Stern from SI Stafford<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The staff at Brocton Hall Golf Club<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=&#8221;nivo&#8221; interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;5147,5145,5144,5140,5139,5138,5137,5136,5135,5134,5133,5132,5127,5128,5129,5130,5123,5122,5121,5119,5118,5117,5116,5114,5112,5110,5109,5100,5101,5102,5103,5104,5105,5106,5107,5099,5098,5097,5096,5095,5094,5093,5092,5083,5082,5079,5077,5074,5161,5160,5159,5158,5157,5156,5155,5154,5153,5152,5172,5171,5170,5169,5168&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221; onclick=&#8221;img_link_large&#8221; custom_links_target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; title=&#8221;Memories of the Day&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]After months of planning our Regional Conference 2022: Progress Not Perfection, finally took place on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":735,"featured_media":5166,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[46],"class_list":["post-5059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-regional-conference-2022-progress-not-perfection"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Regional Conference 2022: Progress Not Perfection<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you missed our outstanding Regional Conference 2022: Progress Not Perfection on 14th May - don&#039;t worry! 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