Several members attended the recent regional meeting at Scotch Corner on Saturday, September 22nd 2018.
Christine Smith (on the left), gave an impassioned talk to us tonight, about the impossible situation that many women, who were born in the 1950’s, find themselves in when they come to draw their State Pension. WASPI Women are a campaign group that fights the injustice done to all women born in the 1950s affected by the changes to the State Pension Law (1995/2011 Acts). The 1995 Conservative Government’s Pension Act included plans to increase women’s SPA (State Pension Age) to *65, the same as men’s. WASPI agrees with equalisation, but does not agree with the unfair way the changes were implemented – with little or no personal notice (1995/2011 Pension Acts); faster than promised (2011 Pension Act), and no time to make alternative plans. Retirement plans have been shattered with devastating consequences. The WASPI campaign was started by five ordinary women in 2015
Laura started in hospitality aged 16 as a matchday waitress at Newcastle United Football Club’s St. James’ Park. While taking A-levels, Laura became manager of the largest hospitality room at St.James’ Park which can accommodate up to 500 delegates. Laura then went to Northumbria University to take a BSc in Criminology and an MSc in Homeland Security while working full time.”‘Criminology was what I wanted to do at first, but when I started catering at 16 I fell in love with it,” said Laura. In 2011 Laura became Assistant Manager for Sodexo at the Great North Museum, Hancock, the Discovery Museum, Laing Art Gallery and City Library. Nine months after finishing her Masters, Laura was promoted to General Manager with overall responsibility for 50 employees. Laura said,” Women are influential through Sodexo. I look at women higher up in the company and think, ‘If they
Today SI Newcastle upon Tyne celebrated their 80th Anniversary in style at the Banqueting Centre in the Centre for Life. 93 people attended and the club was pleased to welcome SI Northern Regional President, Linda Johnson, sister soroptimists from 10 soroptimist clubs including Friendship Link club, Glasgow City, former soroptimists and guests. Our guest speaker was Freda Thompson, a Newcastle City guide who gave an entertaining and informative insight into life in Newcastle in the 1930s. In her talk entitled ‘1930’s Hopes, Dreams and Reality’ she examined the consuming and physically tiring nature of work for women in the 1930s’ As in other years, we were very well looked after by the Centre for Life staff and the catering was excellent. Cris Young, a Newcastle Soroptimist, has been doing an eighty mile walk around the North East, snapping eighty images of the local
PRESS RELEASE Date: 11th November 2017 Newcastle upon Tyne Soroptimists have organised a series of events and activities to commemorate 80 years of transforming the lives of young girls and women in the local community and beyond. The Newcastle upon Tyne Soroptimists were first presented with their charter at the Club’s first Annual Dinner in November 1937. Soroptimist International Newcastle member, Cris Young, has found an innovative way to update a traditional charity walk as part of the celebrations. During an eighty mile walk around the North East, she is snapping eighty images of the local area, in order to raise money for victims of the recent Caribbean Hurricanes and raise awareness of the Soroptimists. The Soroptimists will also be finding out what life was like for women eighty years ago, when Freda Thompson, a local
S.I.Newcastle member, Cris Young was recently presented with an award to acknowledge her support for the ‘New Start Bags project. Cris liaised with Intu Metro Centre’s Chaplain Lyn Jamieson to organise the collection of items for the bags.
On Friday, July 14th, S.I. Newcastle upon Tyne were very pleased to receive from Intu Metro Centre Gateshead staff, a number of ‘grab’ bags to be handed over to Chief Inspector Claire Wheatley, of Northumbria Police’s Safeguarding Department. As previously mentioned, the collection was organised by the Intu Metro Centre’s Chaplain Lyn Jamieson after she was contacted by SI Newcastle upon Tyne member, Cris Young. Intu Metro Centre staff involved were Judith Scanlan (Senior Commercial Coordinator), Lisa Mcleman (Assistant Marketing Manager) and Helen Atkinson (Marketing Manager). Lyn is hoping to attend one of our meetings in the near future.
On Friday, July 14th the members of SI Newcastle upon Tyne and SI Sunderland who had been involved in interviewing students on the Project Choice programme in Gateshead and Sunderland were invited to their graduation ceremony. Two members from both clubs were able to attend. We were all impressed by the progress the students had made over the year and realise what a valuable contribution it had made their development towards adulthood. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/blind-jarrow-student-can-read-13338601
President Jill (together with members of S.I. Newcastle upon Tyne) is hosting our 80th Annual Charter celebration at a Lunch on Saturday 11th November 2017 at 12 noon for 12.30pm at The Banqueting Suite of the International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne. This venue is adjacent to Newcastle Central Station for British Rail, Tyne and Wear Metro and bus connections. There is a large multi-story car park at Times Square (Sat Nav NE4 7AD) at which you can have a concessionary rate of £3.50 per car all day rate – just bring your car parking ticket into the Lunch reception area to have it validated. Our speaker this year is Freda Thompson, a storytelling local historian, who will speak on the subject of: “1930’s Hopes, Dreams and Reality” The Cost is £ 25 per person, which includes a three-course lunch of a
SI Newcastle member, Heather Niven was successful in applying to the Hadrian Trust for £500 which will be spent on the New Start Bags project. Another SI Newcastle member, Cris Young, provided club members with handy cards to give to friends, family and work colleagues as an aide memoire as to what can be added to the bags. Her colleague and friend, Barbara Tingate, donated all the contents of one of our New Start Bag when she requested support from her work colleagues in April 2017. She made the kind donation as her daughter Laura, whom she used to buy clothes for, left home to set up her own home with her partner. As she no longer had to support Laura she decided to give a donation to our group in Newcastle to hopefully make a difference and support women who needed a New Start Bag.
