At our July Monthly Meeting we had Peter Russell, Education Officer of the Richmond and District Bee Keeper’s Association (RDBKA) as our speaker. 
Peter gave us a very entertaining talk, and a fascinating insight into the world of bees and beekeeping. We learned how the original Old British Bee became extinct a century ago as a result of a virus and how the species we have now were imported from elsewhere to become established in the UK. As an organisation working to empower women and girls and give them a stronger voice in all communities globally, it was especially gratifying to hear how a bee colony functions and thrives as a female dominated society! Crucially, the honey bee is the only pollinator available in the early spring to pollinate early crops and as such is essential to our food production.
New Member
We had a busy business session after the talk, and Chair Sandy Baxter also presented new member Beryl Bettridge with her membership badge.
Istanbul convention
Jenny Cathcart, our PA Officer, reported that she has written to Rishi Sunak on behalf of the club (as MP for the majority of our members) pressing for early ratification of the Istanbul Convention dedicated to combatting violence against women. This was signed by the UK 10 years ago, but has still not been ratified by us. She also requested that the proposed exclusion from our ratification of immigrant women be removed. No response has yet been received – but Jenny acknowledged that he is “a bit busy” at the moment!
Orange the World
Badges for the UNESCO ‘Orange the World’ project have been produced by the SIGBI UK Programme Action Committee, and these were distributed at the meeting. This campaign to raise awareness of violence against women is running each month on 25th July with a different focus. Members are asked to wear something orange plus their badge and promote conversations about the month’s topic. Members will be provided with a few salient facts to assist them. Chris Bowran has put together facts about Stalking for 25th July and Jenny Cathcart will provide similar information for August. A list of the ongoing monthly topics will be available at the September meeting, when other members will be able sign up to be responsible for the remaining topics.
Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson evening – more donations
From the proceeds of the Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson evening, we have presented a bench with plaque plus six safety helmets for kayaking to Marrick Priory Outdoor Centre. We have also given £300 to Colburn Community Support towards the purchase an iPad with external keyboard. This will be used to people who have no internet access or lack skills, and therefore need assistance filling in on-line forms. This is now a pre-requisite for accessing a wide range of Government services, businesses and for job applications.
EVA Women’s Aid
The balance of the money from Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson evening (about £250) is to be given to EVA Womens Aid of Redcar. This charity supports older women suffering domestic abuse. The focus on older women has been developed because such women in refuges are often used as mother figures by younger residents, which puts pressure of the older women who need support themselves. Following successful grant applications, EVA has recently been able to purchase 7 flats. These will be used as halfway houses to independent living for women in their hostel care. They have also been able to take on more paid staff. the club has agreed to adopt one of the flats in our club’s name, and to fund household goods to supply and maintain it on an ongoing basis. This initial money will enable us to start a fund.
Colburn Foodshare and Colburn Community Support
Member were also asked to bring items to the next meeting in September, which will be held at the Colburn Community Centre. We will donate any contributions to Colburn Foodshare charity, along with some period supplies funded by the club. In addition, Colburn Community Support has asked for children’s books which can be
distributed to families who have no books of their own.