Books4Home is a brilliant project which does exactly what it says, it provides books for children who do not have their own books at home. Working in conjunction with the Rotary Club, the North Staffs Soroptimists are collecting unwanted books from friends, family members and neighbours. We then pass the books on to the Rotary Club, who distribute them to disadvantaged children through schools in North Staffordshire. If you have books that you would like to donate (and you live in the North Staffs area), please contact us - northstaffssoroptimists@gmail.com Thank you!

In conjunction with SI Stafford, we are collecting  clothing for  women who will soon be leaving Drake Hall. The women have very little money, certainly not enough to spend on new clothes and their only civilian clothes may be those they were wearing when they were deprived of their freedom. They often use their earnings  to make phone calls to their loved ones in order to maintain their relationships in difficult circumstances for the whole family. If you are are able to assist us to support the women to move on from Drake Hall, we would be grateful to receive good quality clothing items in all sizes, e.g. jumpers, jeans, leggings, t -shirts, coats… If you think you could help us, please email us at northstaffssoroptimists@gmail.com and we will arrange a date and time for a collection.

Our Glow project We developed strong links with Glow after one of their team came to speak to us about their service. We were so moved by the work that they do, we wanted to help. Glow is a charity on a mission to end relationship abuse, campaigning for change and providing support throughout Staffordshire. Glow seeks so address issues, ensuring that no member is vulnerable to an abusive relationship. We plan to take part in various projects that support women affected by domestic abuse. We are currently working on a project which will provide women, who are ready to leave a refuge, with cleaning items and products helping them to set up their new homes. We will gather feedback from the women receiving the items and adjust our project accordingly. We feel that these small contributions will help women, easing some of their expenses

Our mother club -SI Stafford has been supporting the women at a local women’s prison, Drake Hall, for a number of years. Their projects include providing craft materials, puzzle books and reading materials to help to occupy, the women during the time in which they are unable to leave the location. Stafford Soroptimist are supporting the families and friends of the women who are making visits to their loved ones, by welcoming them on arrival, offering drinks and biscuits, along with friendly faces and conversation while they are waiting to see their relatives. Many relatives and friends travel a large distance in order to make a visit. Our members also now take part in a rota to support the Drake Hall project.

One of our Soroptimist sisters, from SI Wolverhampton, showed us how to make beautiful bags and wallets. We will be making bags and wallets to sell and raise funds for our future projects.

This was our first fundraising event! We had a garden party in support of the Peter Pan Centre! Peter Pan Centre is an organisation that provides vital services and support to children with special needs and their families. There is no statutory educational provision for under five year olds with special needs and they receive no government funding. This means, that many children with special needs do not have early year’s support. This event was aimed at bringing together community members, local businesses, and organisations to raise funds that will directly benefit the Peter Pan Centre. We raised a massive £650+ for the Peter Pan Centre which was used for individual play therapy sessions. We are absolutely thrilled!!