Anti-Slavery Roadshow Members from several clubs across the region met in Preston on Saturday 24 November 2018 to support the Anti Slavery Roadshow which was organised by the Pan Lancashire Anti Slavery Partnership.  The event included several stalls throughout the town, a bus specially liveried with Anti Slavery logos, a ‘Journey to Freedom’ walk through experience and a walk through the town by club members.  Members walked in silence and single file, some holding placards and others wearing sashes.  It attracted much attention with Christmas shoppers and it’s hoped that the whole day will raise awareness of MDS throughout the city.  Other roadshows are planned for the spring in Blackpool and Lancaster. Karen Rainford  

Pendleside Soroptimists entry for the 2018 Rose Bowl competition Together we can …… Make Music!

Anti-Slavery Roadshow in Blackburn Members of SI Preston and SI Blackburn supported Pan Lancashire Anti Slavery Partnership  (PLASP)  at their first Road Show held in Blackburn 22-23 September 2018.  The event included a ‘Walk Through Experience’ where members of the public were invited to walk through a small cabin which was divided into small rooms.  Each room told of a true story of a trafficked victim.  It was a very effective and moving experience.  Club members walked round Blackburn giving out leaflets to the public in the hope of raising awareness in the locality.  It is the first of several roadshows which are planned over the next months in the large towns in Lancashire.

Wyrebank Banqueting Centre - Sunday 2 September Good fun, good company, good entertainment, lots of raffle prizes to be won. The Rose Bowl was awarded to Blackpool Soroptimists for their marvellous effort to learn a new skill as a team, where club members enjoyed learning sign language to enable them to ‘sign a song’. They wowed the audience in May by performing ‘Love changes everything’ and were a very worthy winner. The winner of the 'Guess the Baby' competition was Joyce Hargreaves of Rishton and Great Harwood (full answer sheet is in the members area). Regional Lunch

Blackpool Soroptimists' winning entry for the 2018 Regional Rose Bowl competition was the club-wide activity of learning to SIGN.   This led to a public performance at Blackpool Tower as part of a music festival on 29 June, and a further performance of Love Changes Everything in the open air on 19 July.

Rishton and Great Harwood Soroptimists took part in the annual Rishton Festival and parade on 7 July 2018. The theme this year was commemorating the centenary of World War One and the children from local schools had made large poppies and silk banners to carry in the parade to honour all those who had died in the war. On the festival field the Soroptimists had a chocolate and sweetie tombola stall to raise money for their chosen charities, which are, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Domestic Abuse, Nightsafe and The Pahar Trust, Napol (building schools for mountain villages). Some Soroptimist members acted as marshalls for the parade while four brave members, Joyce Hargreaves, Pam Russo, Wyn Tagg and Dorothy Casey dressed as Suffragettes’ and walked in the parade amidst a sea of poppies. Mary Pollard