Luchia Mc Cusker ( Enniskillen Royal Grammar School ) was awarded first place for speaking on the topic ‘People – Poverty is the Root Cause of Slavery’. Luchia spoke with eloquence and conviction.
Second place went to Evie Mulholland (Portadown) speaking on ‘Peace – Eighty Years on, has the World Forgotten the Lessons of WW2?’
Third place was given to Lila Hamadi (Lisburn & District) for speaking on the topic Peace .
Mary Cunningham, the CEO of the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), recently visited our group to share insights into her role and the organization’s mission. The NYCI serves as the representative body for youth organizations across Ireland, focusing on supporting and advocating for young people’s interests and rights. During her talk, Mary highlighted the work of NYCI and she shared inspiring examples of how the council works to provide resources to youth groups, ensuring young people’s voices are heard in national discussions.
For our first meeting of 24/25 we were delighted to welcome Commandant Michael Walsh (Retired) who served with the Artillery Corps and with the Military Police Corps of the Irish Army.
We met in the Killyhevlin Hotel where we enjoyed a lovely meal and excellent company.
After our meal Mr Walsh spoke to us about his very varied and interesting military career. When he retired from the Defence Force in 2012 he served as Aide de Camp (ADC) to President of Ireland, including serving President Michael D. Higgins.
We were invited to participate in the Volunteer Village to promote our club and attract members.
A stand was procured and an exhibition of the work we have done displayed.
President Lorna had an opportunity to speak with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris, when he visited our stand.
To complement the event, we all enjoyed a lovely Picnic.
Good Food, Good company – a pleasant day out for all.
Enniskillen Soroptimists joined with a network of volunteers whose ambition was to make the countryside look better in Fermanagh.The aim was to clean up the country’s land and water by removing rubbish, discarded items and general litter.
The Lough Erne Landscape Partnership co-ordinated the event, supplying litter picking kit. Our club members litter picked ” the wide awake way “walk Enniskillen.
SI Enniskillen ran a programme for older people aged 50+ to improve physical activity and reduce social isolation. This was accomplished through a series of dance movement classes and a nutrition workshop The 5 x 45 minute movement session was led by an experienced dance teacher, and the nutrition workshop by a qualified nutritional therapist. An informal class format was used to encourage positive participation interaction. The women participants learned a variety of exercises that can be undertaken once the programme was completed on the 5th Feb 2023
A special event took place at the Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the awarding of Soroptimist International’s charter, in 1963, to the newly-formed Enniskillen and District club.
The lunch had been preceded by a regional meeting which was chaired by NI Regional President, Barbara Carlisle.
Members of these other clubs were then able to join Enniskillen club members, and some also from Republic of Ireland clubs, at a drinks reception followed by lunch in the Kove Restaurant.
More than 60 SI members sat down at tables bedecked with posies of flowers in the yellow and blue Soroptimist colours and received a warm greeting from Enniskillen Co-President, Evelyn Hassard.
President Elect Lorna Dane acted as MC and kept proceedings flowing smoothly.
NI President Barbara paid tribute to the club and its achievements and reminded everybody of some of the more noteworthy happenings of 1963, the year of the then newly-formed Enniskillen and District club, including the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Profumo Affair, the harshest winter since 1947, and The Great Train Robbery.
After lunch, a magnificent cake was cut by two of the club’s founding members, Freda Carson and Lena Corrigan, both of whom thoroughly enjoyed all the conviviality.
Catherine Scott, Learning and Development Officer with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, gave a fascinating presentation on workhouses in Ireland, with a particular focus on the recently restored and reopened Enniskillen Workhouse.
Long Service Awards were then presented by Regional President Barbara, after which Co-President Joanna McVey rounded off the celebrations with thanks to all who attended, and to the hard-working organising committee.
(Report by the Impartial Reporter)
An excellent night was had at our recent fundraising dinner as Game of Thrones and Derry Girls actor Ian McElhinney, along with his special guest acclaimed poet Trish Bennett, entertained all in attendance.
Over 120 guests attended The Westville Hotel in Enniskillen for the special charity event which began with a drinks reception, followed by a delicious meal served by the hotel.
Welcomed by Enniskillen and District Soroptimist Club joint president Joanna McVey, Trish took to the stage and performed a range of her humorous poems which were very well-received.
The evening concluded with a question and answer session with Ian led by Evelyn Hassard, Enniskillen and District Soroptimist Club joint president.
Taking the form of a relaxed conversation, Ian answered questions about his early life and how he came to be an actor. Ian then took some questions from the floor before reading some poems by Seamus Heaney. Ian was accompanied at the event by his wife, established Northern Irish playwrite Marie Jones.
(Report by the Impartial Reporter)
Enniskillen and District Club members presenting the NI Housing Executive (NIHE) with support packs of essential items for the incoming tenants, who have been assessed as homeless, for temporary accommodation.
Members of S I Enniskillen with President Michele Kennedy and speaker former Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie at their recent Funds and Awareness raising charity breakfast in the Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen to mark the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The breakfast event, which was well attended, set out to raise awareness of the issue of domestic violence and to raise funds for local and Soroptimist charities.
Some of the large crowd who attended the recent charity breakfast hosted by SI Enniskillen to mark UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
