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Presidents Weekly Message – Week Fifty Seven

To all my sister Soroptimists in Northern England.

You must have all been very busy over the past few weeks with your future plans and Annual General Meetings.  I have few reports this week so hope to hear from you with your club and member news for next week.

From S.I.Middlesbrough  who are reminding us that from 10 to 16 May is Mental Health Awareness Week  and this year it will focus on reconnecting with nature.  For the month of May, and beyond,  members of S.I.Middlesbrough will try to carry out acts of kindness to promote mental wellbeing.   These acts could be as simple as taking someone to the seaside or park,  giving them flowers or a plant.  Any act of kindness, over and above what we normally do, will bring pleasure to someone.   Club members are even thinking of aiming to give 100 acts of kindness to celebrate our 100 years.   We wish them well in their  thoughts and deeds and hope that we all feel happier as the plans for the relief of these pandemic restrictions progress.

I thank Jane Katsambis of S.I.Durham for her very interesting Durham Club Newsletter for May which she has circulated to clubs.   Please do read it and hear about the very positive news for the Women’s Refuge in Bishop Auckland.  

I have regularly  been in touch with Janet Heal who is now living in Dumfries and Galloway and who is now an Associate member who is leading on the creation of a new ‘emerging club’ for that area.   Janet will be remembered by many of you as she was the President of S.I.Newcastle upon Tyne  in 2007 – 08  when the club held its 70th Charter Anniversary with a Lord Mayor’s Reception at the Mansion House,  a Lunch at the Centre for Life and we had as an honoured guest Marguerite Woodstock-Riley who was our Federation President from Barbados.  Janet continues to promote Soroptimism and with the support S.I. Scotland South Region is progressing the formation of a new club.

As you are probably aware,  any prospective club and its potential members have to start working on Programme Action projects and Janet has been busy as you can read from the following news that she has sent me about a Microwave Cookery Booklet  :-  “  This booklet has been produced to compliment  a charity service which I support as a Soroptimist and a volunteer in Dumfries.   They supply essential items to people who have been homeless and who are beginning a new stage in their life in a new home but for various reasons have few possessions.   Included in the support is a microwave and the concern was that many people would only be using it to heat up food.

The booklet provides hints regarding do’s and don’ts,  advantages and disadvantages,  tips on food safety and using a microwave plus the recipes to help people to prepare simple, quick and nutritious one, two or three course meals.  There are spaces for users to put their own notes for personal tweaks to the recipes.    I have donated booklets to the charity I support,  copies are available to buy, cost to Soroptimist Clubs is £1.00, and to other groups £2.00.  The money raised is to go towards a reprint, if required, and continuing to support the project with backpacks filled with toys, stationary , books etc  for children affected by homelessness.  ”

Janet sent me a copy of this booklet and I thoroughly recommend it to those of you who work with women’s hostels or refuges where the use of a microwave is often the only means of providing hot food.   If you would like to contact her to obtain your own copies to use in starter packs or support gifts to vulnerable women  –  then her email contact is janetheal51@gmail.com      We wish her well and hope that the emerging club will prosper and join our wonderful global organisation.

Saturday’s Regional Coffee Gathering was very successful with lots of chat and news being exchanged.  The next date for this monthly event will be Saturday 5th June at 10.30am for an hour.    I will send out a reminder nearer this date.

Don’t forget to find time to watch the webinar on the #planttrees centenary project.  The link to connect and watch is live now.  Just go on to the SIGBI web site,  then the Centennial pages to the #planttrees project and click to watch the recorded webinar.  John Tucker, Director of  Woodland Trust Creation & Outreach shares his passion for all things trees and discusses some of the most challenging questions about climate change and tree planting of the future.

CLUB HISTORY PROJECT :

Very many congratulations to the three clubs who have written and submitted their histories which can now be accessed through the SIGBI Centennial website –  click on the History box.  S.I. Newcastle upon Tyne;  S.I. Stockton-on-Tees and S.I.Sunderland all have  engaging stories of their Charter event and years full of service and action.

If your club has not yet started to think about bringing your history together in whatever format you wish,  then please do consider including this in your current year programme.  The three entries are all very different so chose your own format and have some happy reminiscence sessions over the coming months.

Lastly,  don’t forget to register to attend the Regional Centenary Celebration on the afternoon of Saturday 19 June 2021.  “A Century of Soroptimist Heritage and Memories”.    Our Regional Secretary Joan Heckels sent out the details on 1st May and we need replies by Saturday 12 June please.  Everyone interested in Soroptimism is very welcome to attend including members current, past, and potential together with  friends and family.

Until next week,  look after yourselves,  keep safe and I look forward to your news for next week’s Regional Newsletter

in friendship

Christine Lumsdon –  your Regional President

christinemlumsdon@gmail.com