Good Morning Sister Soroptimists,
It is hard to deny that the news this week has been grim, as our fight against this dreadful virus falters and restrictions, which had given us some freedoms, are strengthened again. Just as we were getting used to doing some pleasurable activities like coffee and meals with friends, meeting up with families indoors or even resuming face to face club activities, they have to cease. Much of our lives will be changed again as we enter a new three tier system of Covid-19 restrictions
.I send my good wishes to you all, knowing how hard it will be for some of you and I hope that the news I am sharing today, will bring you some cheer.
It is always good to follow up on a story reported previously and my first photograph shows the presentation made by SI Penrith members to John and Mary Todd, son and daughter-in-law of Ann Todd, who featured in the first batch of #WhoIsShe?. showcasing remarkable Soroptimists past and present.
The certificate was presented by Sylvia Kidd, longest serving member of Penrith Club, on what would, fittingly, have been Ann’s 100th birthday, at Long Meg Druid’s Circle next to Long Meg Farmhouse, where Ann and her husband Robert farmed for many years. John said – ‘we are so pleased that Mum has been selected as part of the 100 year celebrations of Soroptimist International and we know she would have been very proud to have been nominated for this award’.
SI Sunderland launched their Centenary Project last week. The President in 2021 will be Vi Stoker and she has a project which she hopes will put the club on the map, and will be known, appropriately, as PROJECT VI! It will run until October 2021 and every single month until then, their members will donate 100 food items to their local Food Bank. The first delivery has already been made to the Salvation Army. To fund this, members are asked to donate an amount normally spent on ONE Supper Evening, more if possible. Vi tells me that that she has other plans which will be revealed over the next 12 months.
I was happy to join members of SI Sunderland at their TEAMS meeting on Wednesday last where we had a lively discussion about membership issues, the future of our organisation and finances. Thank you, ladies, for your warn welcome.
My second photograph shows members of SI Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and District doing their first litter pick. Club members are divided into five groups to match the 5 Ps – Peace, Planet, Partnership, etc and this is the Planet group, led by Linda Johnson. Six members picked five black sacks in just one hour on a well used Wagon Way which connects with a railway station, a main road, a recreation park and a school. They picked socially distanced and plan to repeat the exercise each month.
Linda also sent me the next two photographs [3 & 4] which show some beautiful glass jars which she has made into candle lights and decorated with Sea Glass, collected from Whitley Bay beach for many years. She plans to sell them [numbers are limited] and the money will go into the Planet Group’s Toilet Twinning Fund.
Sandra Wilkinson of SI Stockton-on-Tees has, for many years, participated in the Race for Life which, this year could not be run in its usual form for obvious reasons. But on the designated day, 26 September, Sandra and her daughter, Heather, set off to run their 5 kilometres around Ingleby Barwick [which is reportedly the largest housing estate in Europe!] and despite it being a very windy day, they completed 5k in about 45 minutes and raised £200 for Cancer Research UK. Well done Sandra and Heather and thanks for the photograph [5] which shows them before they started their race.
SI Darlington has a new walking group and its inaugural outing was this week. They will keep numbers to 6, but have a couple of vacancies. It is a good way to meet safely, talk and keep fit at the same time. Barbara Brown tells me that the heavens opened just as they were about to set off, but after a few minutes, the clouds parted, and they enjoyed a good walk admiring the lovely Autumn colours of the trees. They were accompanied by a Soroptidog who got happily muddy!
Maureen Robson, Associate member, joined the ECOSOC meeting in Calcutta [online] last weekend where the subject was UN Goals which we are trying to maintain. Speakers included Kay Richmond and Pat Black, formerly of SI Penrith.
If any of you were listening to BBC Radio 4 Question Time on 9 October [or the repeat on 10 October] you may be aware that the lead question was asked by SI Newcastle upon Tyne Linked member, Christine Cottingham, a former Regional President. If not, I hope you may be able to catch up on BBC Sounds, as her question provoked much animated discussion.
Finally, a morning walk with a view like this, [6] can’t be bad and Jane Leak of SI Stockton-on-Tees walks this way daily. It is Marine Drive along the promenade at Hartlepool.
As ever, I look forward to hearing your news and thank you to those who keep in touch regularly or even just occasionally.
Until next week – stay safe, keep well
In Friendship,
Joyce
PRESIDENT
SINE