Link to: One Village At a Time Information files: Publicity details Project Details Village Water Website Hand cream for Gosforth Care Homes Hi There Good Morning Soroptimist Sisters, Congratulations to Barbara Brown, SI Darlington, whose entry to THE BIG STORY has been placed 5th equal of 100 entries. Barbara allowed me to read her story "HOLIDAY IN NICE 1960" - her childhood reminiscences of friendships which last. She will be happy to share it with you, should you wish to see it, if you email her on -  brbmbrown19@icloud.com In the next few months, the winning stories will be recorded by celebrities and Barbara has been asked to provide one or two relevant photographs from her childhood to bring the film to life. I share Barbara's excitement and hope that we may get the opportunity to view the finished results. Well done, Barbara! This has

Good Morning Soroptimist Sisters What a variable week it has been weather wise with no two days the same! However, there was certainly one day worth remembering for sunshine and on Monday, Margaret and I took a trip to visit our Club President, Sue Scott, at her home in  Low Worsall. We spent a glorious sunny afternoon drinking tea and eating her Lemon Drizzle cake, [yummy and absolutely no calories!!!] whilst seated in her garden, surrounded by a lavender border which was attracting bees and butterflies in abundance! For two and half hours we never stopped talking, we had so much to catch up on!  I hope that some of you have been able to enjoy face to face meetups with family and friends? -o0o- CLUB NEWS I was delighted to join SI Darlington's  ZOOM meeting on Wednesday last, and to learn about the work

Good Morning Sister Soroptimists, I begin this message whilst I am sitting in a garage in Darlington where my car is undergoing its annual service. Mask in place and provisions to hand as the coffee machine has been removed, however there is complimentary water supplied. It's going to be a long morning but excellent for getting things done!   CLUB NEWS. Pat Jefferson reports from SI Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and District - 'What could be better than any online meeting? A summer afternoon, lots of grass and trees, afternoon tea and Soroptimists.  We gathered together with our individual picnic tea, something to sit on and created a large circle of friendship. Social Distancing - tick! No agenda, just serious catch up time. Absolutely wonderful to be with you Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and District members!' Doesn't this sound like a joyful occasion, from the photographs it

Good Morning Soroptimist Sisters, This week I hosted the Regional Officer's Meeting on GoTo Meetings - very successfully for a first time and favourably commented on by Officers. This being so, we made the decision to hold our Virtual September Regional Council Meeting and AGM on GoTo. The date will be Saturday, 26 September 2020; it will be a morning session only. Annual Reports will be circulated in advance in preparation for the Annual General Meeting which will occupy the first half of the morning and Programme Awards [Reach for the Skies] will complete the session. All will be welcome, if you are able to join us online. Our Regional Secretary, Joan, will be circulating the details and a booking form, which will differ slightly from the usual one. We would like to be aware of how many to expect. We can accommodate over 100!

Good Morning Soroptimist Sisters, Thank you to everyone who sent messages and cards following my fall, reported last Sunday. You are all very kind and your concern is appreciated. I am much improved, bruises are fading and I am certainly watching where I put my feet! I have lots to tell you from the week past when I joined two Clubs for their Zoom Meetings. We all seem to be getting familiar with our virtual meetings and it is good to know that clubs are continuing to work as normally as they can during these unusual times. Like SI South Shields who recently delivered 15 bags of food to Hospitality and Hope - a charity working across South Tyneside, supporting homeless and vulnerable people through Food Banks, soup kitchen, clothes bank etc. Their donations of dessert items would be going to families in need. When

Good Morning Soroptimist Sisters, I hope that all is well with you? Today, it's actually happened - the week when I have very little club news to pass on to you.  Clubs are definitely winding down for the summer, although not all of them, as I am invited to attend two ZOOM meetings next week; so hopefully I will have something to report in my next message.  I look forward to seeing some familiar faces in Carlisle and South Shields. SI Middlesbrough are planning their first 'real' meeting in September as their meetings venue will be reopening. They have been having their Executive meetings face to face for some time and have also had a ZOOM meeting with their Friendship Link - SI Magdeburg. I suppose that virtual meetings with Friendship Links have come about through our current situation, and that this is positive progress.

Good Morning Soroptimist Sisters How are you handling the increased freedom given to us by the easing of Lockdown? I imagine there will have been some joyful reunions with children, grandchildren and friends which will provide a boost after so many weeks of contact only by telephone, email, or Facetime. More shops are opening and from 25 July, pools, gyms, sports facilities and leisure centres will also be allowed to open. All of these facilities have been closed since mid-March and those of you who exercise regularly will have missed your visits. Not everyone will feel ready to resume activities after enforced isolation. Some will feel anxious, even a little scared about re-joining the world, I have spoken to a few members who feel like this and acknowledge that these fears are reasonable. The advice is to take things at their own pace and challenge

Good Morning Soroptimist Sisters Today we should have been watching the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final; on Friday next, the BBC Proms should have had their First Night and the following week our athletes would have been competing in the Tokyo Olympics. All, sadly, cannot take place, although there are some signs emerging of a slow recovery. I actually returned my library books on Friday, although I was not allowed into the library; the books had been borrowed in February!  I imagine, many of you, like me, were pleased to be able to visit your hairdresser this week! On Tuesday last, I was privileged to join over 50 participants at the online launch of Poems in a Pandemic. SI Sunderland member, Angela Richardson and her company 'Alliance for Care and Education' [ACE] who deliver vocational training and personal development for staff working in the Care Sector,

Good Morning Sister Soroptimists I begin my message today with thanks for all the kindness shown to me following last Sunday and the cancellation of the Regional Afternoon Tea. I received messages, cards, flowers and even a mini Afternoon Tea delivered by Margaret Clark, teabags, pastries and a posy of flowers for the table. I am saving many of your lovely words in a special book as a memory of this year. Thank you! It has been a busy week - when are the weeks not busy?- with a SKYPE Regional Officers Meeting which had a full agenda, much Programme Work reported by Karen and a decision taken going forward, which has been conveyed to your Clubs by our indefatigable Regional Secretary, Joan, who works constantly to keep the Region ticking over. We have also been looking ahead to September, and should we still not

Good Morning Soroptimist Sisters, Forgive me if this message seems to be more personal than in recent weeks! Today, Sunday 28th June 2020, is the day when I should have been celebrating a highlight of my Presidential year - the Regional Afternoon Tea at Whitworth Hall, near Spennymoor, County Durham. Whitworth Hall is the former home of Bobby Shafto; It belonged to the Shafto family for over 300 years. It is also a deer park covering extensive grounds.  I was hoping that many of you would be able to join me at this delightful venue, explore the grounds, relax, have fun and help raise funds for the Butterwick Hospice where I have volunteered in Day Care for eleven years.  The planning had begun 18 months ago when Margaret Wall, my registrar, and I made our first visit; the team was joined later by Maureen and