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Fish and Chip Supper 9 July 2022
Fundraising Fish and Chip Quiz Night 9 July is back

Fundraising Fish and Chip Quiz Night 9 July is back

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Fundraising Fish and Chip Quiz Night 9 July is back At last our Fish and Chip Quiz Night is back – fundraising for our local charities on Saturday 9 July,  7pm at Simpson Village Hall. A chance to have a good night testing your quiz skills whilst enjoying Fish and Chips with your friends All at the same time helping to raise much needed funds for our charities Please share with family and friends and come along.  Max of 8 people per table.  Tickets are £15 per person.   To book places and make your food order contact missquiz@sky.com

Winter Night Shelter MK Giving tea to a guest
Winter Night Shelter need Sleeping bags and Rucksacks

Winter Night Shelter need Sleeping bags and Rucksacks

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The Winter Night Shelter supports and works with homeless people and trying to get them back into the community.  They are seeing significant increase in the need of their services and a recent discussion with the manager she told us they are in desperate need of sleeping bags and Rucksacks for their homeless people.  These two items are their lives until we are able to help them get back into a home of their own and this year alone to date she has handed out so many sleeping bags and rucksacks she has run out. If you have a sleeping bag, a rucksack you can donate please can you drop it off at their premises, morning is best at Unity Park Station (formerly The Old Bus Station), 401 Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, MK9 1LR. Please share this with your family and friends and spread the

Save Our Smellies (SOS) project
Save Our Smellies (SOS) donation stations

Save Our Smellies (SOS) donation stations

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SOS Collections   We collect toiletry items for our Save Our Smellies (SOS) packs for vulnerable people, especially women and girls.   You would be shocked to know just how many women and young girls cannot afford the most essential items like Sanitary products. We work in partnership with MK Act – The Women’s Refuge YMCA MK The Red Cross and Winter Night Shelter MK. This was one of the first projects we started in 2015 and continue to do because it still remains vitally important to give back women and girls their dignity, especially in these trying economic times.  If you can help us, please donate any new and unused toiletries.  Here is a short list below: Sanitary Products        Soap    Shower Gel     Toothpaste and Toothbrushes Deodorant    Combs       Hand and Body Cream              Perfume Collection venues

Dunelm sponsoring our Clean Start Buckets in 2022
Clean Start Project

Clean Start Project

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Clean Start Really pleased to announce in 2022 we now have a Project Sponsor in Dunelm in Milton Keynes who will be helping us with our newest initiative. Our newest project is linked to MK Act, the Women’s Refuge.   They have told us that one of the things they need help with is providing cleaning materials for the families when they move out.  “Clean Start” is our new project to provide a bucket full of cleaning essentials to each family as they move out.  We have found that we can make a bucket up of various cleaning essentials for UNDER £18. These essentials include – Bucket, Scrubbing Brush, White/Blue cloths, Dustpan and Brush, Toilet Brush, Washing up Liquid, Dish Brush, Sponge scourers, Ciff cream, Bleach, Anti-bacterial cleaner, Household gloves and Black bin bags.         Buckets of cleaning materials given to families, homeless and residents

A Remarkable Lady – Amanda Carter Philpott

A Remarkable Lady – Amanda Carter Philpott

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Amanda Carter Philpott – A Remarkable Lady who will always be remembered                   It is with great sadness that I write of the lost of a very Remarkable woman, Friend, Previous Chair and Soroptimist in Amanda.  She passed away very suddenly over the Easter weekend. When her passing was reported there was shock amongst all her friends in the suddenness.  I was totally shocked.  I had not known Amanda that long but was immediately inspired by her, by her passion to always help others, by her energy and tireless devotion, to her constant energy to come up with inspiring ideas.  And we mustn’t forget her sense of humour.   Amanda thank you for letting me be a small part of your life.  You will always be remembered. Let us take this moment to celebrate Amanda.  Here are some remembrances from Members. Vanessa

Enough is Enough campaign March 2022
Enough is Enough – to violence against women and girls

Enough is Enough – to violence against women and girls

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Enough is Enough – to violence against women On 1 March 2022 the Home Home Secretary  launched a new, multi-year national communications campaign which says ‘Enough’ to violence against women and girls.  Click here to read the full launch news story. Click here to see the video on your tube.  We can challenge abuse when we see it. Even small acts can help.  Alongside advertising there is a new website, click here.  The new website includes ways you can help. And the Mayor of London with  Ogilvy UK have unveiled a new campaign to address sexist attitudes and inappropriate male behaviour that has led to the epidemic of misogyny and male violence against women and girls nationwide. The ‘Have a word with yourself, then your mates’ fully integrated campaign was conceived by Ogilvy UK as a pro bono partnership with the Mayor of London. It launched on

SI MK Branch meeting supporting Break the Bias 2022
International Women’s Day 2022 – Break The Bias

International Women’s Day 2022 – Break The Bias

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International Women’s Day 2022 – Break The Bias #Break the Bias – You are asked to Imagine a gender equal world A world free of Bias, stereotypes and discrimination A world that is diverse equitable and inclusive A world where difference is valued and celebrated Together we can forge women’s equality Collectively we can call all to #BreatTheBias For International Women’s Day 2022 we held an Afternoon Tea Event.  Click here to read more about it

Winter Night Shelter Big Sleep Out April 2022 fund raising event is back
MK Winter Night Shelter Big Sleep out is back – 29 April 2022

MK Winter Night Shelter Big Sleep out is back – 29 April 2022

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Winter Night Shelter Big Sleep Out is back! Winter Night Shelter’s Big Sleep Out event is back and this time the event is for children as well as as adults, and will take place in the secure surroundings of one of their amazing corporate supporters, Cranswick Foods. Will you join them and be asking your family and friends to sponsor you to sleep rough for a night so that others don’t have to? Winter Night Shelter have been at the front line of helping people in need throughout the pandemic and their work to meet the need continues to grow. Over the last 12 months their welfare team have had a record caseload and they have helped around 200 people each week accessing support services at Unity Park Station, their day centre in the old bus station. The Winter Night Shelter is now gearing up

Kay Smith, MK Community Foundation at our IWD 2022 Afternoon Tea event
IWD 2022 event raising funds for our Charities & the Ukraine Crisis

IWD 2022 event raising funds for our Charities & the Ukraine Crisis

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Our first fund raising event of the year.  This event was to be a celebration of International Women’s Day 2022 and the opportunity to raise much needed funds for our linked charities MK Act (Domestic Abuse Service) MK YMCA (Homeless service), Winter Night Shelter MK (Homeless service) and the British Red Cross.  But since we had advertised the event the Ukraine crisis had started.  And so, we asked our guests if they would help us raise funds to go to the Ukraine appeal by giving generously to our raffle and our craft stall. Angie Novel, Soroptimist member and CEO of MK Snap, a charity providing work and life skills training for adults with learning and physical difficulties in Milton Keynes, kindly let us use her facilities.  And the learners got involved by making us lovely floral decorations for our tables. We raffled these off at

International Women's Day 2022
SI MK on BBC Politics East celebrating IWD 2022

SI MK on BBC Politics East celebrating IWD 2022

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8 March is International Women’s Day for 2022.  And this year’s theme is #BreakTheBias.  You are asked to: Imagine a gender equal world.  A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination.  A world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.  Together we can forge women’s equality.  Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.  Soroptimist International Milton Keynes were privileged to be asked to take part in the BBC Sunday Politics East programme to highlight International Women’s Day.  To view the programme click here, it is available for 30 days only or you can read a short BBC article, click here.   We explained Soroptimists are dedicated to educating, enabling and empowering women and girls to achieve their full potential.  Soroptimist’s don’t seek the limelight we are about shining the light on others.   We are doer’s.  We work on projects to help