Our September meeting was held, as usual, at the Scotch Corner Hotel.
Speaker from SIYAMS
We were very pleased to welcome our fellow Yorkshire Soroptimist Pat Kilbane to speak to us about SIYAMS. This is the Regional group “Soroptimist International Yorkshire Against Modern Slavery”, which has been campaigning for many years. Pat gave us a history of the group, and talked about the important work it has been – and continues – to do.
This talk was followed by a light hearted quiz about Soroptimism, before the business meeting began.
Richmondshire School Presentation
We were delighted to hear that two of our Sharing Our Skills students at Richmond School were selected to receive the “Soroptimist Cup for Making a Difference” this year. This recognised their successful project raising fund for Family Help Darlington. President Lin was on hand to present them with their prize at the annual school awards night.
International Women’s Day Exhibition
Our IWD Day Exhibition on “Women of Richmond” held earlier this year was Highly Commended at the Regional Programme Action awards this month. Preparations are underway for a second exhibition next International Women’s Day, in March 2025. This will include women who were not part of the first exhibition, also groups and teams. Members were encouraged to make nominations.
Smartworks Leeds
Programme Action Officer Wendy gave an updated on Smartworks, the charity featured in our previous meeting. She delivered our donations to the Leeds branch, where they were gratefully received. Whilst there, she spoke asked about how referrals are made for women who might benefit from the support they provide in getting into employment. She was told that referrals can be made by anyone on behalf of an individual. Although Smart Works Leeds covers a very large area, it does not have much contact with the more rural areas such as the Dales. They recognise that there will be women in these areas who would benefit from their support, so can provide funding to help cover the cost of a client visiting their office. They can also provide considerable support remotely.
Wendy has put them in contact with Spouse Force, the Catterick group with whom we have worked. We think there would be real benefit in these organisations working closely with each other.
United Nations 16 Days of Activism on Violence Against Women
We will be featuring this campaign at our Coffee Morning at the Town Hall on November 30th, wearing the signature Orange for Activism badges, and orange clothing. We will also display information about the campaign.