To all my sister Soroptimists in Northern England
The 20 June was World Refugee Day and S.I. Middlesbrough has marked this special U.N. day every year with an event.
They report :- “Refugee Week has become part of our social calendar in recent years. It has traditionally been an opportunity to welcome and celebrate the contribution made by those w
ho have come to the U.K. seeking sanctuary. The theme of Refugee Week 2021 is “We cannot walk alone”. With this in mind, members of S.I.Middlesbrough invited women from the local refugee community to share an evening of hospitality and friendship. During the evening we learnt about the experiences of refugees from our excellent speaker, Pete Widlinski. Donations were made to the Mary Thompson Fund, alocal charity which supports refugees and asylum seekers who are experiencing hardship. Pete has been a Trustee for 20 years and now chairs the charity. It was an example of what Soroptimism is all about – supporting women in their struggles and helping them to achieve their goals – and as our refugee friends left the Centre, it was lovely to hear their laughter echoing down the corridor after an enjoyable evening ! “ Thank you S.I.Middlesbrough for reminding us of this significant U.N. day.
On the 5th June 2021, S.I.Lichfield held a Planet Conference on Zoom to support World Environment Day. Two members from S.I.Newcastle upon Tyne attended and Cris Young reports that there were approximately 60 members present with 5 guest speakers. Cris has sent me an abbreviated report with all the links to the recorded speakers, so if any member would like to view certain ( or all ) of the sessions, then you can find them on line. SI Lichfield Planet Conference
- The first speaker was Annemarie Stone with an incredible family story about their establishment over 10 years of a business at Woodhouse Farm in Staffordshire. Link to video of speaker
- The second speaker was Colin Hastings from Cornwall who has a mission to reduce his own and others carbon footprint to save our environment. He has written a manual called “Carbon Buddy Project” which can be purchased from Amazon. Link to video of second speaker
- The third speaker was Ian Retson from the Woodland Trust who talked about the health benefits of planting ore native trees and spending more time outdoors. Link to video of third speaker
- The fourth speaker was Dr.Haley Pinto who is a member of Greenpeace and is the lead Consultant Psychiatrist of addictions in Norfolk and also the founder of CHAIN ( Climate Hope Action in Norfolk). https://youtu.be/bm47nct03ic
- Nicola Lynes from ‘Transforming the Trent Valley’ talked about nature connection for all – help and support fr schools and local communities to enjoy the outdoors. https://youtu.be/2Y_grcD702M
- The final speaker was Professor Abdul Gatrad OBE who founded WASUP (World Against Single Use Plastics ) . He has worked all over the world and has local groups of volunteers. https://youtu.be/23WBwFTeclk
Cris’s advice is that some of these videos are quite long, so sit down with a glass of wine or a cup of coffee and be prepared to be amazed at the presentations !
I read the Connect Club Newsletter from S.I.Durham every month and always find items of interest there – thank you Jane for taking the time to put this together. I see that their club P.A. activities continue on the theme of meeting the 100 challenge for our Centenary year and they have completed two more bags for trafficked women ( with 50 items in each making100 items !) and on 10 June they visited the Wear Valley Women’s Refuge in Bishop Auckland with a collection of 100 tins which were gratefully received as they are full at the moment with all 8 family spaces occupied .
#WHOISSHE : July 2021
Please do look at the latest two entries from S.I. Northern England on this role of honour of our members.
Dame Vera Baird QC joined S.I. Newcastle upon Tyne but has now transferred to S.I. Greater London after being appointed the Independent Victims Commissioner. However, Vera started her Soroptimist life here in Northern England and we value the work which she accomplished while she was with us and the friendships that she made in our Region. Her entry in this list of notable Soroptimists lists many of her significant achievements and it was good to see that the editors allowed substantially more than the required 500 words to describe why she has been included.
Judith Stirk from S.I.Durham is long serving member of the Durham Club and has been Club President in 2001, 2016 and 2017. Judith worked in education for 36 years, 21 of them as Headteacher of a Primary and Nursery School within an area of high socioeconomic deprivation. Judith has been a member of Girl Guides since Brownie age an
d continued her involvement as a leader, Divisional Commissioner and County Commissioner , receiving her 40 years service award several years ago. It is her continuing work with the Brownies that many of us remember from her lively presentations at Regional Meetings with a group of young and enthusiastic girls. Please do read more about herachievements on the #whoisshe SIGBI history web page.
S.I. Darlington and District members have been enjoying the summer weather and relaxation of the COVID guidance. 16 members gathered at the home of Alma Bailey for a Buffet Support in beautiful surroundings. Two new members, Carol and Yvonne, were properly inducted and received their badges and certificates of welcome. ( see attached photo )
Another lovely photograph from the Darlington Club shows Immediate Past Regional President Joyce Chesney presenting Elspeth with her Regional Raffle prize – the photo is entitled ‘The Stars and Stripes ‘ !! – very appropriate and many thanks to all who supported this Raffle. (see attached photo )
Lastly, don’t forget to join us at the Regional Coffee Gathering on Saturday 10 July from 10.30am for an hour. Just email margaretayton40@gamil.com for the Zoom link. My next Regional Newsletter is planned for Sunday 18 JULY – so please do send me your club and member news.
In friendship – Christine Lumsdon – your Regional President