This year SI Rishton and Great Harwood won the Rosebowl competition. We have now donated the cushion to a local care home that specialises in looking after people with dementia. Photos show club president Lindsey Rutter presenting the cushion to care home owner John Timmins and club members. Mary Pollard (SI Rishton & Gt. Harwood)
Oh what a lovely day! [new_royalslider id=”10″] Twenty intrepid walkers and dogs ably led by President Margaret’s daughter Karen experienced the open countryside, canal path and Whitton Park on their 6 mile Regional walk on Sat September 3rd. Their spirits were not daunted by unremitting rain and some mud! Isabel Huggett (SI Grange-over-Sands) . .
Grange Club had a very successful “Grease” Film and Singalong on 27th July and raised a fantastic £562 for the Meru Women’s Garden Project in Kenya. The event was well attended and everyone enjoyed singing lustily! For further details on the Meru Women’s Garden Project, see the Grange Soroptimists website. . . Isabel Huggett (Grange Soroptimists) . . .
UK Programme Action Committee Meeting held at the Aztec Hotel, Bristol on July 10th 2016 The UK Programme Action Committee (UKPAC) currently meets 3 times/year when 17 representatives from the regions of the UK meet to discuss the progress of the work of club members in their regions with regard to the objectives to which we are all committed. It is also an opportunity to assess the challenges that we face and to pool ideas for solutions. At this meeting, the Chair of the UKPAC gave a resumee of the discussions that she had had with Kevin Hyland, the UK Anti Slavery Commisioner. Two Assistant Programme Directors were present, who gave guidance on possible project work that clubs could undertake on their areas of responsiblity, Human Rights Advocacy and Food Security and Health Care. Much food for thought and many ideas generated. Ruth Bruce (Garstang
UKPAC Study Day – Bristol 9th July 2016 There was an excellent turnout for the Study Day and delegates were rewarded with really interesting speakers and workshops. Kevin Hyland is the UK’s first Independent Anti- slavery Commissioner and he spoke about his role and priorities including improving interagency working at home and internationally as previously the National Crime agency and police forces were not communicating. He pointed out that Trafficking and Slavery convictions result in life sentences. Companies with a turnover of more than 36 million have to ensure their supply chain is slavery free. He pointed out that all of us could be inadvertently bolstering slavery by using computers and mobile phones as Coltan the substance which is a very effective conductor is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Venezuela and Colombia often under slavery conditions. We should all consider if the
Approximately 70 delegates from around the country, including 11 from our region, attended an interesting and thought provoking Leadership and Development Day at the Hilton Manchester Airport in July. Sarah and myself from Fylde Soroptimists decided that it was too good an opportunity to miss especially given the fact that we live only an hour away. SIGBI had compiled a programme which should appeal to individuals from a range of backgrounds and I’m sure most people would get something from it. One startling fact that I took away with me was that Soroptimist clubs across the country are missing significant representation from not one but two generations (Generation X and younger), if the show of hands around the room was anything to go by. Generation X covers those individuals born between the early 1960s and early 1980s. Although I must point out that Sarah is
