It was a busy weekend for the Region with a meeting at Lancaster University on Saturday and the Regional Lunch on Sunday at The Crofters Hotel in Cabus.
Regional Meeting – Saturday 24 June 2017
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Members arrived at the meeting to find that there had been a few changes. Firstly everyone was asked to sign in, and there were tables as well as seats. In the past the seats have been arranged in theatre style but for the first time the seats were arranged around tables and members were given numbers at random to sit at the numbered tables. Most reports had been sent out prior to the meeting so that not too much time was spent on business which had already been reported.
President Angie gave her report updating members on the progress of the region’s 3-5 year plan, with some of the comments from the last meeting’s evaluation form being taken on board and some changes have taken place. Angie also gave feedback from the Barton Grange Family Event and said that it was pleasing that so many members from different clubs had taken part. Although footfall was not good on the day we had got the name of Soroptimist out there to members of the public, and the staff at the garden centre and those who came seemed to enjoy the activities. £200 had been raised for The Meru Project.
Membership Officer Karen informed everyone that she had made contact with UCLAN with the view to starting a Campus club and although a club at the university is not happening at the moment there are other opportunities to work with students. Preston Soroptimists have had a link with a school in Preston and they are now very interested in starting a Schools Club, which is very good news. Also in the morning two clubs, The Fylde and Grange, gave reports to share their ideas with other clubs on what they had done for Membership Month. The new club SI Amounderness is being chartered on Tuesday 4th July and all members in the region have been invited to the event.
Following the Council Meeting, which finished early enough to start the Programme Action part of the day before the lunch break, Isabel Huggett and Joan Bailey gave a demonstration on how to use the Programme Focus Report Form template on the website. This template will assist when completing the forms online. Isabel gave details of a Trafficking Survey that UKPAC (UK Programme Action Committee) had asked clubs to take part in. It was hoped that clubs would agree to survey 100 people to establish what people understand about trafficking and whether they think it happens in their areas.
Following the lunch break three clubs gave presentations on their clubs Programme Action activities. First up was Blackburn whose members have been involved with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) project. Members of the club had trained as STEM ambassadors and had worked with STEM, a local company, Lucite, and Darwen Vale School. Lucite and the club members had worked with 40 girls from the school presenting various activities to encourage them to take up STEM subjects. Liz and Anne then presented the same programme to the members present. In teams of four we were asked to build a tower of strength from the materials provided. This was an excellent presentation and enjoyed by everyone. Anne and Liz hoped that this would encourage other clubs to get involved in something similar in their clubs in the future. Rishton and Great Harwood and The Fylde also gave presentations on the various projects they had been involved in recently.
All the presentations on the day had been given by clubs and their members, with no other outside speakers but had been a very mixed and interesting day.
Angie Christopher – Regional President