As Christmas is nearly upon us, here are our Seasons Greetings to all!
Yorkshire Regional Council Meeting
On 23rd November, SI Yorkshire had its quarterly meeting with lunch which marks the start of a new Soroptimist year. Despite the unexpected arrival of 6-7 inches of snow in the Richmond area overnight, SI R&D was represented in strength. We were keen to support our member Judith Clark who has become joint Region President alongside Sue Butler of Ilkley club, and also our member Babs Hunt, who has taken up the role of Regional Treasurer.
Members were all delayed by conditions, but managed to make it to The Bridge Hotel, Wetherby in time to hear the speaker, who was very thought-provoking. We also enjoyed the excellent lunch, which was most welcome after our difficult journey. To mark Judith’s appointment club members had written and performed a comic song (set to the tune of Ilkley Moor bar t’At) exemplifying Judith’s commitment to Soroptimism. This was very well received, especially by Judith!
The New Regional Committee & Joint Presidents
Orange Coffee Morning
The following weekend we held another fund-raising Coffee Morning in Richmond Town Hall. As this coincided with the UN 16 Days of Activism against gender Based Violence, the members taking part all wore Orange, and a display of information about the UN campaign was put on. We had a well stocked cake-stall (supplied by members), plus books & bric-a-brac, tombola and raffle. This was another successful event, and we raised a total of just over £300 for our Charity funds.
November Club Meeting
Colburn Community Hub & Cafe
Our November Club Meeting was held at the Colburn Community Hub & Cafe, which we visit every year at this time. Our lovely evening meal was prepared and served by the lady volunteers who are responsible for meals at the Community Centre. These volunteers also give cooking lessons to local people who need a bit of help, and dietary advice. As usual, we took along donations of food for their Community Christmas Hampers – including some special Christmas treats – and gave contributions to their ‘Warm Rail’. This is a collection of warm clothes donated for gifting to those in need.
North Yorkshire Voice
Our speaker that evening was Chloe Thwaite, from NY Voice, which is a body within North Yorkshire Council which supports and advocates for young people across the county. Chloe gave us a whistlestop overview (with particular reference to girls and young women) of the wide variety of services and groups which NY Voice provides or supports. We were very impressed by the range of work being carried out, and the achievements of some of the children in care whom she spoke about.
We were also struck by the potential synergy between the work of NY Voice and Soroptimism. SI Yorkshire and its constituent clubs could work in partnership with NY Voice in several capacities, and options will be pursued. We made sure Chloe had Soroptimist contact details before she left, as well as our good wishes for herself and the rest of the team doing such excellent work on a very tight budget.
Joint President Babs with Chloe
Projects Update
- We now have the total raised at our recent fundraiser for Richmond Dales Amateur Swimming club: a magnificent £1146 has been sent to the club for equipment to support their girl swimmers during their periods.
- Plans are proceeding for our next intake of students from Richmond School for our Sharing Our Skills project next term.
- Two members have recently taken a donation of clothes to the Newcastle branch of SmartWorks, following up on our recent donation to Leeds branch.
- A further LendWithCare donation has been given to a 15-year-old entrepreneur in Thailand. She inherited her father’s farm where she lives with her grandfather and sister. She has ideas for expanding the business.
- Members recently met with representatives of the Richmondshire Museum to discuss options to support each other. The Museum has agreed to mount an exhibition of material from our International Women’s Day “Women of Richmond” display when it reopens in Spring 2025. In return, we have been asked for volunteers to assist with manning the Museum during opening hours for the 6 months of the year it is able to welcome visitors. The Museum is entirely charitably funded, with no endowments, and only one half time employee. Everything else is done by the team of volunteers.
- Work is also in progress in gathering nominees for our second IWD exhibition entitled “Women of Richmond & Dales”. This will be presented in Richmond Town Hall to celebrate International Women’s Day in March 2025.