Update on March
International Women’s Day Exhibition
The main programme event in March was our International Women’s Day Exhibition, which was a real success. This has already been posted about separately, so does not require further detailed reporting. However, it was decided at our meeting in March to build on this success by planning another Exhibition for 2025. The working group will retain the exhibition entries as a permanent record by laminating them. They also plan to expand the project next year to include ‘hidden women’ – those who work behind the scenes and who had not been represented this time.
March Meeting Speaker
Our guest speaker was Steph Pybus, who talked about “Starting a Business and Running a Family”. Steph is the proprietor of Mini Explorers Nursery. She recounted how she came to start this successful business at her home and farm at Crabtree Hall. Having looked for childcare facilities that she felt happy with while working as a textile designer, she found none of them met her hopes and expectations. She decided that she could change focus, and provide what she wanted herself. Using a building that had become available on the farm, she created her own outdoor nursery where her children and others could benefit from a happy, carefree, healthy, outdoor lifestyle. Probably the country’s first Farm School, Mini Explorers has grown into a successful and busy nursery catering for 93 children daily and employing 40 members of staff.
The children love attending and they are given nutritious food – freshly prepared on site – throughout the day. Parents can deliver their little ones early in the morning and collect them ready for bed at the end of the day if required. Offering places to children with special learning needs was a later development that has also been highly beneficial. Many parents have found positive and noticeable results for their children. Steph was thanked for her informative, enjoyable talk about her impressive outdoor school.
Spouse Force
President Babs has been busy this month. Her cheque presentation to the Northallerton & District Breast Cancer Support Group has already been posted, but she also recently met up with the ladies running Spouse Force in Catterick Garrison. They reviewed our relationship with them so far, which has been based on offering a similar experience for their members to the Sharing Our Skills project for Richmond School students. Spouse Force are keen to continue in September-November this year, though it is acknowledged that the number of attendees may need to be fluid depending on childcare requirements. They also offered to share experience with us on developing the use of social media for the Club, which we are keen to follow up.
Reminiscence Sessions
Member Lorna Garrity has held further Reminiscence Sessions at care homes in the area, including Nightingale Hall in Richmond and a second one at The Millings in Bedale. These were very successful and well attended. Event Organiser at Nightingale Hall told Lorna that there had been a higher level of engagement in her session than other types of activities, and that it was an “absolute success” with “good connection between the residents – and the Staff enjoyed it too!”.
Sharing Our Skills
With our guidance and support, the two students from Richmond School who are participating in this year’s SOS project are organising a fundraising and awareness event against domestic abuse. With the support of the Head of Sixth Form, they are arranging a walk for the Sixth Form students into Richmond Market Square wearing pink clothing, as well as high heels and fun accessories, on Monday 22nd April 2024 at 9am. They are liaising with Family Help Darlington, their chosen charity, for which they are also raising funds.
They have conducted a photoshoot to make advertising posters for this event, and arranged for it to be captured by the Richmond School photographer. It will also be advertised on this website and the Richmond School website and social media pages. They will be setting up a Just Giving page for donations. We were very pleased to hear about their impressive work.
Northallerton & District Breast Cancer Support Group
The Northallerton & District Breast Cancer Support Group has been our main charity this year, and President Babs recently attended their monthly meeting at The Village Inn, Brompton to present a cheque for £625. This sum was raised with a Bingo Night run by the President and her husband, with support from many people including family & friends and other group members. This money will be used by the Breast Cancer Support Group to provide as much assistance as possible to breast cancer patients that may need extra help. This can be financial assistance – from paying fares when travelling to treatment or for extra childcare while they are being treated, for example. The group members are all themselves former Breast Cancer sufferers, so they also provide mental support to patients by inviting them to join the group to access the members experience and support. The people assisted are anonymous to the group and referred by hospital staff who care for patients in The Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre in Northallerton
Their details are listed in the Friarage Website under Local Support Groups for Cancer –Local support groups – South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
In the photo are, left to right: Debbie Ames, Irene Boreham (Grandmother of one of our 2022 SOS Students), Susie Birchill, our President (with chain), Pam Smith (Chair of the group), Sheila Simpson, Roz Leach, Jill Simpson & Judith Gathercole.
International Women’s Day Exhibition
To celebrate International Women’s Day this year we held a free exhibition at Richmond Town Hall. This was entitled “Women of Richmond”, featuring photos and biographies of Richmond women past and present who have made a contribution to the local community through their careers or voluntary activities. This includes working in health services, serving in local government and the House of Lords, charity work, education, entrepreneurship, and sports clubs. A number of former and current members of Soroptimist International Richmond and Dales were among the 103 women represented.
The exhibition took place on Friday, 8th March, which is International Women’s Day, in two sessions in afternoon and evening. Tea and cakes were served in the afternoon, and wine and nibbles in the evening. The event was a tremendous success, with 228 visitors. Between donations and two raffles we were also able to make a profit of £292 for our charity fund.
Busy with raffle tickets
February News
Here is the club’s update for February. After a very busy planning meeting in January, February was rather quieter.
‘In-House’ Speakers
Instead of an outside speaker, this month we heard from two of our newer members about themselves. One talked about living in Australia, and her recent work as a writer and poet. She stressed the importance of sharing words of encouragement and affirmation with and about each other, to spread positivity. She then read her poem “The Power of Words”. The other member talked of her journey to becoming a nurse, and agreed about the importance of words – and of listening. She was drawn to her career by a desire to care for others, which is also why she became a Soroptimist. Soroptimists are all united in caring and trying to help the less fortunate.
Swap Night
Members had also brought along books, DVDs and CDs for a swap evening in aid of our charity funds. All unclaimed items will find a home on the bric-a-brac stall at our next Town Hall Coffee Morning on 25th April.
Business Notes
For those who were unable to attend our planning meeting, we confirmed the charities we will be supporting in the 2024-5 year. The first is Richmond and Dales Amateur Swimming Club, helping in their campaign to fund special garments for their female swimmers to continue to train during periods. In its 50th Anniversary year, we will be working with the Richmondshire Museum, who are delighted to hear we want to be involved in their celebration. We will also supporting the charity Smart Works with gifts of clothes and accessories for their clients attending interviews.
Members also handed in the packs of Smarties filled with 20p pieces which we have been collecting since last year (after eating the Smarties, of course).
The PA Officer fed back news from the Regional Programme Action meeting which included invitations to take part in a Beach Clean at Scarborough with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, join the Big Plastic Count, and to consider joining UK Programme Actions Committee Workgroups. Attention was also given to a paper circulated from the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) about the disproportionate impact of climate change on women. WEN is also looking for members to get involved in its campaigning.
We were also delighted to confirm unanimously our support for the nomination of our Club President & Treasurer to be the next Yorkshire Region Treasurer.
Lend With Care
We have been able to re-invest further repayments of our Lend With Care micro-loans. This time we are helping a lady farmer in Ecuador, and – since the meeting – another lady farmer in Rwanda.
International Women’s Day 8th March
Plans for our International Women’s Day event were discussed. We are holding a free exhibition in the afternoon and evening of the day in Richmond Town Hall. The exhibition highlights “The Women of Richmond”, and the contribution they make to our community. Details of approximately 80 local women will be on display, and light refreshments will be provided. The project group have been very busy, and other members signed up to to support them as stewards/hosts on the day.
Annual Planning Meeting
After our break for Christmas and New Year, the club gathered on Saturday, 20th January for our Annual Planning Meeting. This is an extended meeting which we hold each January to plan everything for the next club year – i.e. April 2024 – March 2025. With a mix of discussions and brainstorming sessions, we manage to cover a lot of ground.
Programme Action
We started with an overview of what we have done in the current year’s Programme Action, and what we already have in the calendar for the rest of 2023-24 and beyond. It is always surprising when we get to this point in the year and reflect on all we have done. This year it was:
Funding activities
We held a Bingo Night at Richmond Rugby Club, 2 Town Hall coffee mornings, and generated income for the Club via members use of EasyFundRaising when making purchases online. These have funded:
Breast Cancer Support Group, Northallerton & district
EVA Women’s Aid – equipment and supplies for flats: our thanks go to Sue Eastham’s husband Barry, who is continuing to fund EVA via his garage business
Lend with Care – micro-financing: seeded with £250, further small loans made each month from repayments
Colburn Foodshare – food donations from meetings plus funding for Christmas Hampers and donations for warm rail
SI President’s appeal donation – Opening the Door to a Brighter future
Richmondshire Museum – annual donation of £50
SI Harare – annual donation to support their work with supporting traditional birthing attendants, aid and equipment for Chikupo school & Dalston school, funding Society Of Destitute Aged (SODA)
Paying for SOS student’s meals at meetings
We also agreed at the meeting to donate to Kids Cancer charity. This will go towards a respite trip to Disneyland Paris for a local family who have a child with cancer
Other activities
Sharing our Skills project – ongoing involvement with Richmond School students
Spouse Force – adaptation of SOS to provide similar support to Catterick Garrison project
Orange the World – awareness raising: UN 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, Orange Cafe sessions, Methodist Church Christmas Tree Exhibition
Coffee, cake and chat sessions at Richmond and Colburn libraries – support for local residents
Soroptimist Cups for Making a Difference – annual presentations continue in Wavell, Risedale & Richmond schools (plus Zimbabwe and India). Cups are presented to the student who has “Made A Difference” to the school or community. This is aimed at encouraging volunteering and community awareness
Recycling – spectacles, mobile phones, used stamps, sewing machines, tablet, printer cartridges
Reading and recording news items for Richmond Talking Newspaper
One of our new members has also revived a project called Reminiscences, done a few years ago. This involves her and another member visiting a local care home with a box of items loaned by the Richmondshire Museum. These encourage conversations with and between the residents. Lorna hopes to write these sessions up! A first one was held in December in Bedale, and was very successful.
Looking forward
We have an event planned for March for International Women’s Day – two sessions of an exhibition (with refreshments) at the Town Hall on “Women of Richmond”. We will be in the Town Hall again in May, for an event in association with Grumpy Mule coffee company, about their work with Cafe Feminino charitable foundation, and for 3 more Coffee Morning fundraisers through the year.
Next Year’s Programme
During the day, we decided upon the programme for 2024-5:
Several proposed charities were discussed, and we decided to support three next year in addition to our ongoing commitments. We will be raising funds with Richmondshire Swimming Club in support of their campaign to fund special clothing for female swimmers to use during their periods. Many of their less wealthy swimmers have to lose 25% of their training time for lack of these expensive pieces of equipment, making it impossible to reach their potential. We will also be supporting Smart Works, which provides used clothing and accessories for young unemployed women, plus advice and support, so that they can make a good impression in job interviews. Finally, as the Richmondshire Museum was founded by Richmond & Dales Soroptimists, we will be working with them to mark their 50th Anniversary this year.
For our meetings, we chose speakers we wish to hear, including contributions from members: a wide variety of topics, some to do with our work, and others for interest
We agreed some further fund-raising events in addition to those already booked. The students from Richmond School who attended the meeting were also enthusiastic about organising a fundraiser themselves at the school.
And finally, we agreed some activities to bring the Club members together in a lighter vein: a visit with afternoon tea to Thornton Hall Gardens, and a Christmas Meal.
Overall, a very successful day!