Introduction from our current Chair, Sue Key
To the left Sue Payne, our Secretary and one of our founding members. To the right, Sue Key, Chair.
Welcome to Soroptimist International Milton Keynes (SI:MK), part of Soroptimist International, a global movement working to transform the lives of women and girls for the better in a myriad of ways.
In 2021 I took on the Chair of this wonderful go-getting group of women here in Milton Keynes, who were chartered in 2015 and in June 2021 we celebrated our 6th Charter Anniversary as well as the Centenary year for all Soroptimists. I was new to Soroptimists and introduced by a friend. You ask me why did I join. If the pandemic has proven one thing, it’s been very hard on all of us for many reasons. But it has highlighted the need for people to help support each other. I wanted to be able to help others to get back onto the ladder of life and to have a better future. I didn’t want to just make a donation but I wanted to do something and Soroptimist MK has helped me to do that, learn new skills, who would have thought I would become chair and make new friendships. A win win all round. I feel Soroptimists have become more important than ever now in these changed times to help out those most in need.
Soroptimist International Milton Keynes:
Our Values:
We are
Caring, Determined, Committed, Loyal, Friendly and Inclusive
Our Vision:
Women and girls in Milton Keynes’ area have the resources and opportunities to reach their full potential and live their dreams
Our Mission:
SI:Milton Keynes seeks to improve the lives of women and girls by initiating, supporting and promoting programmes leading to social and economic empowerment
The Early Years
The current Milton Keynes club was chartered in June 2015 and Members hit the ground running. Between 2015 and 2018 we focused on educational awareness and training: running workshops in schools on Domestic Violence and Forced Marriage; helping sixth formers at Ousedale Academy with their interview skills; and supporting Works For Us to secure their Big Lottery award. Given our priority interests we also initiated lasting relationships with delivery partners:
- MK Act – providing Domestic Abuse and Women’s Refuge services to MK
- YMCA MK and Unity MK – supporting young women to get their lives back on track and them off the streets
- Works For Us (now part of Citizens Advice MK) – assisting those unemployed to enhance their skills, raise their confidence and thus chances of employment.
- The British Red Cross in MK, although their priorities subsequently changed.
We supported these charities with: annual donations; a link Soroptimist for each charity to keep our work relevant to their needs; regular fund-raising events; and support for Christmas-time requests (e. g. festive meals for YMCA residents; chocolates/buffet for the Winter Night Shelter; and gifts/vouchers for MK Act families and Refuge children).
Since 2015, we have collected and distributed around £6k worth of toiletries to the users of these charities – to give confidence and help gain education and work.
The Pandemic Years
We organised a ‘Sewathon’ for the new YMCA facility and raised £2,605 to sponsor a room – the Violet Room – after Founding Soroptimist Violet Richardson Ward, and an original wall hanging was created by a learner at MK Snap. We also handmade quilts for all thirty residents for their onward journeys.
To boost the morale of hardworking staff and isolated families at the local refuge we made over 2,000 cakes and quilts for all the families. £1,509 went to MK Act’s Educational project called “Escape the TRAP” (Teenage Relationship Abuse Programme), to help youngsters spot the signs and have the tools to cope; this has since been taken up by MK City Council for all MK schools.
We collected around 250 bras for the “Oasis Project” in the Gambia set up by a MK woman, whilst Members joined a local campaign called #Postcards of Hope, writing 70 messages of kindness & hope to those in lockdown isolation.
We made 158 Hearts for Hope for MK Cancer Centre and the ICU at MKHU to say a heartfelt thanks for all they did during Covid; hats and scarves were knitted for the Winter Night Shelter and shepherds pies were delivered every week; and the YMCA continued to be provided with toiletries and quilts.
Logos from over 300 donated scarves were de-branded to reduce waste and provide work for MK Snap learners, whilst the Clean Start Project commenced providing a bucket of cleaning goods for our charities’ families moving on.
In 2015, MK Community Foundation granted us £180 to help set up. In 2021, we donated £200 back to MKCF’s Women’s Fund as a thank you for their original donation and raised £200 for the Prince’s Trust’s Big Breakfast event
2021 was also Soroptimists Centenary year and we created our Centenary quilt celebrating all things MK, but our September showpiece was the launch of the Violet Awards in honour of Violet Richardson Ward. The awards celebrated the hard work, especially through the pandemic, of the staff and volunteers of our link charities. The event was really appreciated, and so was repeated in 2023 with sponsorship from a local businesswoman. We’ll be hosting it again in 2025.
We collected and delivered over 5 car loads of adult and children’s clothing, toys and toiletries for Afghan families housed in MK and in 2022 we obtained and donated £10k of Vodophone SIM cards to the families staying in MK.
October 2021 brought our first Music event, which resulted in a cheque for £700 to the UnityMK Welfare team to support their work on homelessness. This event was also repeated, and in 2022, raised over £800 split between Soroptimist International Krakow, and the Ukraine Appeal in MK. Hearts and Music sang for us again in 2023, raising £700 for our link charities. In 2024, the Musica Charity Choir performed, raising another £1,000 for our work.
In November 2021 we planted a tree for those lost to the pandemic at MK Snap.
Two food crates went to MK Food Banks’ Reverse Christmas Advent calendar
Ukraine – 2022
As the Ukraine crisis unfolded through 2022, SI:MK sent over 6 car loads of clothes, and donated to the Ukraine Appeal for families already here and adopted them as a link charity. We help with educational supplies for their Saturday sunflower school and fund advice and support to the adults and children in MK.
We also fundraise for our sister club in Krakow, who support Ukrainian refugees there – with over 180 people participating in a series of events held Jan to March 2024 for older Ukraine refugees; Christmas concerts; workshops covering art, handiwork, Polish language, relaxation and advice. On Children’s Day 1st June a barbeque was held for 18 orphaned children at their request.
For 2022 International Women’s Day, we appeared on BBC Look East to promote IWD, and Soroptimists, and how we support women and girls. We also hosted our 2nd IWD Afternoon Tea event, now an annual fixture. Members bake cakes and friends provide raffle prizes so that we can raise funds for our projects, listen to great speakers and generally have a lovely time. In 2022, funds raised were split between Ukraine Appeal in MK and SI:Krakow for their work with Ukrainian refugees.
We took part in national research into the effectiveness of Domestic Violence Courts – sitting in and providing feedback for Dame Vera Baird (the Victim Commissioner)’s report, which was published in 2023.
November 2022 brought our first Remembrance Day event at MK Rose, remembering all those women who served and died in conflict; MK Snap learners made our wonderful bio-degradable wreath.
In June 2022 we held a pre-loved clothes sale, raising over £450 and supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goal to recycle, re-use and reduce waste.
2023 to-date
We supported the United Nation’s “Orange the World” – marked every year on 25 November – the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. It is followed by 16 Days of Activism ending on Human Rights Day on 10 December. Our presentation for schools raising awareness of violence against women and the white ribbon campaign was shown for a week at Ousedale school’s assemblies. Annually, we join MK City Council’s White Ribbon staff awareness event. We held our first Orange Café at MK Snap and since September 2023 hold a monthly Orange café hosted at Dobbies garden centre in Bletchley – the Café has been to each MK College campus. Funds raised go to MK Act. We developed a Help’s at Hand poster and bookmarks with our event details. We partner with MK City Council; Voices for Women; Community Action; MK Dons SET; and Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Council to support the Annual Vigil event.
MK Food Bank’s World Record attempt to create the longest line of tinned food: ‘MK Can’, had two aims: to attract more funds; and to collect enough supplies for the winter (approx.132,000 cans). Held on World Food Day, 16th October 2023, at Campbell Park, we had to line a 25-metre strip with 350 x 450g cans, each touching the other. In 3 months, MK and neighbouring Soroptimist clubs helped collect nearly 1,000 cans and MK Snap transported them to our 10 volunteers at the line up. The Guinness World record was confirmed at 102,447 (44,966 in 2014), so SI:MK now holds a Guinness World Record Participator certificate.
2024 brought SI:Great Britian & Ireland’s 90th birthday and our President challenged us to do 90 things and these were ours:
- 90 bras for Smalls for Us, a charity helping UK and African women.
- 90 pants, 90 pairs of socks and 63 bras donated to Unity MK.
- 90 food items donated to MK Foodbank’s Easter Logo challenge.
- £90 donated to SI Wakiso, a new Uganda SI club chartered in 2023. Their first project is to fundraise for a cervical cancer centre.
- 90 food items donated to MK Food Bank in July.
- 90 items of toiletries, food, batteries, head torches, kettles for Help Ukraine
- 4 x 90grms of used stamps FOR Against Breast Cancer and MacMillian
- 90 Orange the World hearts made for the 16 Days of Activism Annual Vigil
- 90 coat hangers donated to Works For Us for use in its Working Wardrobe
Works For Us’s Working Wardrobe offers its clients free, smart workwear for interviews, but needed help with the presentation. In July 2024, we received a lovely Facebook thank you after donating – a new stand-up clothes steamer.
MK Snap recycled 80 coffee jars for the Refuge. Learners washed and labelled the jars, whilst Members donated rice, pasta, flour, sugar and teabags to provide families with an essentials store cupboard. Members also donated 50 bags of toiletries to students at the Bridge Academy, where many lack access to basic items (toothbrushes, deodorant, shower gel etc.).
Over two branch meetings members raised £232 for the Anlung Pi Fre school to provide children who live on the largest dump in Cambodia with free learning in Khmer, English and simple maths.
If you like what we do and want to make friends with like-minded women, have fun and work on projects that help improve the lives of women and girls locally, nationally and internationally, why not come and see us, the women of Soroptimist International Milton Keynes.
We firmly believe that we have much to offer any woman who wishes to join an organisation which focuses on women’s and girls’ issues, that supports local, national and international projects and raises funds to help women and girls. We are always on the look-out for more new members to help us and our work. If this interests you, why not contact us and come along to one of our meetings.
The club meets monthly. The business branch meeting is held on the third Tuesday at 5.30pm and concerns the groups planned activities and projects for the year. On the last Wednesday of the month at 12.30pm we have an informal friendship lunch for those members who can attend. We have a fun-packed programme of social events; occasions when the Soroptimist message to Educate, Empower & Enable women and girls is realised in a more light-hearted way. Click here to see our diary of meetings, lunches and event dates
All are Welcome – just contact us and you will receive a warm invitation to our next meeting.
Page last checked 14 April 2025