In our very first year, our founding Chair, Angela Novel, was honoured to be presented to HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, at the Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland Annual Conference. A proud and memorable moment as our new club began its journey of friendship, service and making a difference to the lives of women and girls.
Our Journey – The first 10 Years of Making a Difference
From 2015 to today – friendship, action and positive change
Since our club was chartered in June 2015, SI: Milton Keynes members have been passionate about making a difference to the lives of women, girls and families in our local community and beyond.
We have always believed that small actions can create big changes. By working together, building strong partnerships and responding to the needs of our community, we have supported, encouraged and empowered people through some very challenging times.
Our Early Years – Building Strong Foundations
From the very beginning, our members were keen to get involved.
Between 2015 and 2018, we focused on raising awareness, education and empowerment. We ran workshops in schools on domestic violence and forced marriage, helped sixth-form students at Ousedale Academy develop their interview skills and supported Works For Us in securing vital Big Lottery funding.
Partnerships with other charity organisations
We also began building lasting partnerships with charity organisations that share our commitment to supporting women and girls:
- MK Act – providing essential domestic abuse support and refuge services.
- YMCA MK (now YMCA Midlands) and Unity MK – helping young women and vulnerable people rebuild their lives and move towards a more positive future.
- Works For Us, now part of Citizens Advice MK – helping people develop skills, confidence and employment opportunities.
- British Red Cross in Milton Keynes – supporting their work while our priorities were aligned.
We supported our partner charity organisations through fundraising, donations, practical help and dedicated Soroptimist links, ensuring that our support remained relevant to their changing needs.
Saving our Toiletries (SOS) – Toiletries collections
Over the years, we have collected and distributed to our charities around £6,000 worth of toiletries, helping people who may otherwise struggle to afford essential personal-care items. Sometimes, something as simple as having the right toiletries can make a real difference to confidence, wellbeing and the ability to take the next step towards education or employment.
Coming Together During the Pandemic
When Covid-19 changed all our lives, our members found new ways to support our community.
We organised a Sewathon for the new YMCA facility, raising £2,605 to sponsor a room named the Violet Room, in honour of founding Soroptimist Violet Richardson Ward. Members also handmade quilts for all 30 residents to take with them when they moved on to new homes.
At MK Act’s refuge, we wanted families and staff to know that they had not been forgotten. Members made more than 2,000 cakes for families and staff and created quilts for residents.
We also raised £1,509 for MK Act’s Escape the TRAP teenage relationship abuse programme, helping young people recognise the signs of abuse and develop the confidence and tools to seek help. The programme was subsequently adopted by Milton Keynes City Council for schools across the city.
Our members continued to find creative ways to help:
- Collecting around 250 bras for the Oasis Project in The Gambia.
- Sending 70 messages of kindness and hope to isolated learners at MK Snap.
- Making 158 Hearts for Hope for the MK Cancer Centre and ICU to thank those working tirelessly throughout the pandemic.
- Knitting hats and scarves for the Winter Night Shelter.
- Providing weekly shepherd’s pies.
- Continuing to provide toiletries and quilts for YMCA residents.
- Helping MK Snap learners recycle more than 300 donated scarves, removing logos and reducing waste while creating meaningful work opportunities.
- Launching our Clean Start Project, providing essential cleaning supplies for families moving into new homes.
Throughout this difficult period, our members showed what can happen when people come together with kindness, creativity and determination.
Celebrating Our Centenary and Our Community
In 2021, Soroptimists celebrated 100 years of making a difference, and SI: Milton Keynes marked the occasion by creating a special Centenary Quilt celebrating our city.
We also launched the Violet Awards, named in honour of Violet Richardson Ward. The awards recognise the dedication and commitment of staff and volunteers from our partner charities working tirelessly to support vulnerable people in our community.
The first awards were particularly special as they celebrated those who had gone above and beyond during the pandemic. The response was so positive that we repeated the event in 2023, with sponsorship from a local businesswoman.
Help for Refugees
We have also supported families arriving in Milton Keynes from Afghanistan, collecting and delivering more than five car loads of clothing, toys and toiletries, and in 2022 donating £10,000 worth of Vodafone SIM cards to help families stay connected.
Music, Friendship and Fundraising
We love bringing people together – and our music events have become an important part of our fundraising programme.
Our first music event in 2021 raised £700 for UnityMK’s Welfare Team. Since then, our concerts have continued to bring people together while raising valuable funds for our projects and partner organisations.
Our events have supported causes including our sister Soroptimist club in Krakow and Ukrainian refugees, as well as our local charity partners.
And, of course, they give us an opportunity to enjoy wonderful music, friendship and a great evening together!
Standing Together with Ukraine
When war broke out in Ukraine in 2022, our members responded quickly.
We collected and sent more than six car loads of clothing and raised funds to support Ukrainian families arriving in Milton Keynes. We also adopted the Ukraine Appeal as a link charity, helping to provide educational supplies for the Saturday Sunflower School and funding advice and support for adults and children.
Our friendship with our sister Soroptimist club in Krakow became particularly important. Members helped raise funds for their work supporting Ukrainian refugees, including educational workshops, creative activities, language support and events for older refugees.
We were especially proud to help fund a Children’s Day barbecue for 18 orphaned children – a small but meaningful opportunity for children to enjoy friendship, food and fun at an incredibly difficult time.
Raising Awareness and Taking Action
Awareness is at the heart of what we do.
Every year, we support the United Nations (UN) Orange the World campaign and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. We have worked with schools, Milton Keynes City Council, Voices for Women, Community Action, centre and SAASSBMK to raise awareness of violence against women and girls.
Our Orange Café, first held at MK Snap and now hosted regularly at Dobbies Garden Centre in Bletchley, provides a friendly space to talk, raise awareness and support MK Act. We also take our café to welcome events at both Milton Keynes College campuses.We believe that starting conversations can lead to understanding, awareness and ultimately change.
Our members have also contributed to national research into the effectiveness of Domestic Violence Courts, providing feedback for Dame Vera Baird’s report.
And in 2023 we established our annual Remembrance event at MK Rose to remember women who served and lost their lives in conflict. MK Snap learners helped us by making a wonderful bio-degradable wreath.
Community Spirit – MK Can – A World Record Achievement
We were delighted to support MK Food Bank’s ‘MK Can’ World Record attempt in 2023, held on World Food Day 16 October at Campbell Park. The challenge aimed to raise funds and collect vital food supplies for the winter.
Together with neighbouring Soroptimist clubs, our members collected almost 1,000 cans over three months. Ten members joined hundreds of volunteers on the 16 Oct to help create the record-breaking line of tins.
An incredible 102,447 cans were collected – more than double the previous record of 44,966 set in 2014!
We are proud to have played our part in this fantastic community achievement and to hold a Guinness World Record Participator certificate.
A wonderful example of what we can achieve when we work together.
Making a Difference – One Small Action at a Time
We are proud that our projects don’t always require huge amounts of money or resources. Often, they begin with a simple idea and members working together.
In 2024, to celebrate the 90th birthday of Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland, our President challenged clubs to complete 90 acts of kindness and action.
SI: Milton Keynes rose to the challenge!
We donated bras, underwear, socks, food, toiletries and other essentials to local charities; supported a new Soroptimist club in Uganda; recycled and reused materials; created 90 Orange the World hearts; and donated coat hangers to Works For Us for its Working Wardrobe.
These projects demonstrate something we strongly believe:
Everyone can make a difference. You don’t have to be wealthy, have lots of spare time or possess special skills. When we work together, our combined efforts can have a powerful impact.
And Our Story Continues…
From supporting a young woman rebuilding her life, to providing a family with essential toiletries, raising awareness in schools, supporting refugees, celebrating charity volunteers or simply giving someone a reason to smile – every action matters.
Over the past ten years, SI: Milton Keynes has grown through friendship, partnership and a shared determination to make a difference.
We are proud of everything our members have achieved together – but we are even more excited about what comes next.
Could you be part of our next chapter?
Whether you have a few hours to spare, a particular skill to share, an idea you’d like to develop, or simply a desire to help others, there is a place for you in SI: Milton Keynes.
Come and join us. Make new friends, discover your own potential and help us build a brighter, more empowered future for women and girls.
Want to learn more email us on [email protected]