To all sister Soroptimists in Northern England By the time that some of you will be reading this, I shall be well on my way to join members of S.I.Cockermouth & District for their 40th Charter Anniversary Lunch. It will be a wonderful occasion to start to resume face-to-face gatherings and I wish them well in their celebrations. We start this Newsletter with a report from S.I. Sunderland on their celebrations for National Literacy Day on 8th September. “International Literacy Day has been celebrated each year on 8th September since 1967. Part of UNESCO’s Sustainable Goal 4, one of its targets is to ensure all young people achieve literacy and numeracy and that adults, who lack these skills, are given the opportunity to acquire them. Across the world some 775 million people lack minimum literacy skills; one in five adults are still not literate and

Good Morning all my sister Soroptimists in Northern England This will be my last Regional Newsletter as your Regional President and I thank each one of you for the complimentary feedback that both Joyce ( who started this form of inter-club communication with her weekly emails ) and myself have received from so many of you. It certainly has been a very useful tool during these times when communication between us has certainly been different and innovative. After discussions with President Elect Pam, I am going to continue to be the writer and editor of this bi-weekly Newsletter with Pam sending us a message with her contribution. So, please do remember to continue to send your club and member news to me and we will continue to enjoy reading of your activities and seeing photographs of smiling, active Soroptimists. Many of us joined in the

Good Morning sister Soroptimists After such a week of wind and rain, I do hope that you are all dry and safe and have not suffered any damage. Suddenly all the clubs seem to be moving forward into face-to-face special meetings so I have been busy these past two weeks with visits to S.I.Cockermouth; S.I. Sunderland; S.I. Durham and S.I. Tynemouth, Whitley Bay & District. I also spent hours of screen time watching the “Soroptimist International 100 Celebrations” last Saturday and Sunday. First news from S.I. Stockton-on-Tees who gathered together in the garden of member Sue Scott for their first face-to-face meeting. This Garden Party was in aid of Teesside Hospice ( different from Butterwick Hospice Care ) and just over £600 was raised with only 18 attendees including two Soroptimister’s and Kath Sainsbury from S.I. Middlesbrough. The rain stayed away and the event was

Greeting to all my sister Soroptimists in Northern England. Life is certainly getting busier now that members are beginning to move around the region and meet up face-to-face. My diary for September is booked with opportunities to visit clubs in their own localities and on their special occasions. I hope to include some reports on these in later Newsletter editions.  First I would like to share two happy meetings with you when donations from members in SINE were presented to two local charities – thank you to everyone for their support to achieve this. On the 2nd September, Immediate Past President Joyce Chesney was able to visit the Butterwick Hospice Care in Stockton and present a cheque for £600 to them. This came from the proceeds of the Regional Raffle which was drawn on 19 June 2021 at the Regional Centennial Celebratory Event. Joyce had

Good Morning to all my sister Soroptimists in Northern England  I hope that on this August Bank Holiday weekend that you are all engaging in some rest and relaxation – out in the fresh air and meeting friends and family. It is wonderful to think that we can now start to plan to meet face-to-face and some of these club reports in this Newsletter demonstrate to joys of being able to do just that. However, please do continue to be careful as COVID infection rates are still significant and we may come into contact with unknown people from different places.  My first club report brings a real smile to us all. You may remember the short presentation given by S.I. Tynemouth, Whitley Bay & District back in March when I asked a few clubs to outline their plans for this Centennial year. We were all

To all my sister  Soroptimists in Northern England  As we head towards to end of the summer, I do hope that you have all begun to enjoy going out and about again even if cautiously when mixing with other people.  Our gardens have certainly benefitted from recent rain, but not sure about the wind which has ruined my hollyhocks ! One of our major Federation Centennial projects has come to a close with the final few notable Soroptimists in the #whoisshe  listings.  As a region, I am sure that we were all thrilled to have 14 of our members show cased for their commitment to their professions   AMY KERRISON, 1927-2014 Amy Kerrison, a committed Soroptmist with 44 years’ service in South Shields, died in 2014 aged 87.  In 1955 Amy, as a QARANC army nurse, was serving in Hong Kong when she met her

Good morning sister Soroptimists A rather duller day today after the warmth and sunshine of the past few weeks. I hope that the rain is making the gardeners among you feel happier. Talking about feeling happier, I hear news of those of you who have not been so well and also hear that recoveries are being made. Immediate Past President Joyce Chesney has asked me to pass on her thanks for all the good wishes that she has received and to say that she has now come out of her isolation period having had COVID-19 and is cleared to resume her usual activities. She reports that she was exceedingly well looked after by the NHS ( at home ) and felt that there were expert staff available whenever she needed attention or support. She has been left with a feeling of tiredness but is regaining

Warm greetings to all my sister Soroptimists in Northern England I hope that you are all keeping cool, in the shade and looking after yourselves with refreshing drinks ! As always, we have some interesting and positive news to share. S.I. Carlisle report on the current situation that is affecting some services for frail and elderly people in Carlisle. COVID guidance and restrictions have caused Age UK to close and a lunch club, which was run entirely by volunteers (many of whom are Soroptimists ) , has also closed. So Jess Sinclair tells me that she has been busying clearing out cupboards which were full of Bingo prizes and activities, Scrabble, playing cards, dominoes and games. These have now all been taken to the ladies Hostel in Water Street where the resident ladies are being encouraged to start to socialise in their sitting room. This

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