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Update for February

Update for February

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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,

Annual Planning Meeting

Annual Planning Meeting

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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

November Activities

November Activities

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Here is an update on our November activities, in what proved to be a busy month.  As we don’t meet in December, here are some Christmas Greetings from the club:     16 Days of Activism/Orange Cafes As already posted, we have been busy supporting the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.  We held a fundraiser coffee morning at the Richmond Town Hall which doubled as an “Orange Cafe”.  We raised a total of £263 for our charities, as well as promoting the campaign.  To mark it’s end, we held a further “Orange Cafe” meeting on Sunday 20th December at Morro Lounge in Richmond.  This was attended by 7 members, who share a pre-Christmas chat and cuppa. Remembrance Day Our President, Babs Hunt, represented the club at the annual Remembrance Service in Richmond.  She laid a wreath at the War Memorial on our behalf

16 Days of Activism

16 Days of Activism

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Our 16 Days of Activism Campaign launched on Saturday, 25th Nov at our Coffee Morning in the Town Hall.  We have persuaded over 50 businesses to put up our poster either in their window or inside their premises.  Local Funeral Directors Blenkirons are flood-lighting their premises in orange each night, and Johnsons Cleaners have produced a 16 Days of Activism T-Shirt which adorns a dummy in their window.  We have also decorated a Christmas Tree in the Richmond Methodist Church as part of their Christmas Tree Festival.  Here are some images of 16 Days of Activism in action.            

UN Campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

UN Campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

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This year SI Richmond and Dales is taking part in the annual UN Campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.  The campaign runs from 25th November – International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to 10th December – International Human Rights Day, with the slogan for the campaign is “Orange the World“.  We are raising awareness of these issues with a campaign to “Orange Richmond”.  We have persuaded over 50 businesses across the town centre to display posters we have designed and provided, together with flyers for customers to take away.   The club is holding an Orange themed Coffee Morning on 25th November, and meeting for an Orange Cafe session at Morro Lounge, Richmond at 10:30 on 10th December. We will also be decorating a 16 Days of Activism themed Christmas Tree in Richmond Methodist Church from 1st December, as part of

September update

September update

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Soroptimist International Convention in Dublin Here is the September update on our activities, which featured lively meeting this month.  Two members reported back on their experience of attending the Soroptimist International Convention in Dublin.  They attended as part of a 50 strong party from the Yorkshire Region who travelled to Dublin together.  The party added exploration of the city to the Convention meetings.  There was praise for the Dublin Convention Centre’s exceptional organisation and efficiency.  The Centre staff succeeded in providing tea, coffee, and a hot lunch to 1600 SI members without queues. There were several impressive speakers at the Convention.  The keynote speech was given by the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. She is currently chair of The Elders group at the United Nations, of which she is a founder member. The main themes of the convention were Gender Equality and The Environmental

Soroptimist Cup for Making a Difference

Soroptimist Cup for Making a Difference

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Member Sue Young recently attended the Richmond School Awards night to present the Soroptimist Cup for Making a Difference to this year’s recipients.  We donated this Cup to be awarded each year to pupils in recognition of outstanding voluntary actions contributing to the school or the local community .  This year it was awarded jointly to Amy Salvin, Thomas Greer and Toby Watson.  The three of them were inspired by a visit to the Store House foodbank which helps local people who are struggling to feed their families.  Amy, Thomas and Toby ran a campaign to raise awareness of this issue in the school.  They delivered assemblies and organised quizzes where the entry fee was a food donation.  This was a great success, resulting in more than 1000 items being donated to the food bank.  Worthy winners of our cup, indeed!

Update for August

Update for August

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We don’t have a regular club meeting in August, as so many people are away on holiday.  However, that doesn’t mean no activity that month! Here is my update for August: Kiplin Hall Visit A group of members and their other halves went on a guided tour of the local historic house Kiplin Hall.  We had an excellent tour guide, who took us through the history of the house whilst displaying its architecture and contents.  This impressive Jacobean mansion was built by successful statesman George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, from 1619.  He was also the founder of the American colony in Maryland, and there are ties between the house and it’s American connections to this day. The last family owner, Bridget Talbot, bequeathed it to the Trust she set up in 1971, and opened it to the public.  Bridget Talbot was a notable woman in

July News

July News

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July Meeting The speaker at our July meeting was Alice Rose, Programming curator of Kiplin Hall, the local Jacobean historic house.  Alice described her role then went on to describe the history of the house and its families and current facilities and exhibitions for visitors.  She also outlined future plans for the Hall and grounds in a wide-ranging and fascinating talk. We will be visiting as a group in August. We were delighted to welcome two new members at this meeting – Rachel Pavitt and Jane McLennan.  They were welcomed and presented with their badges by the President and their mentors, Chris Bowran and Sue Eastham. President Babs reported back on her attendance at the Yorkshire Region meeting held in July at Askham Grange Prison. She was impressed by the speakers, and the experience of visiting the prison.  Christina Gabbitas spoke of her work writing

Our June Activities

Our June Activities

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Here is our update on our June activities. Cheque presented to Colburn Community Support Members Judith Clark and Sue Young visited Colburn Community Support to present them with a cheque from our fundraising for this new organisation, set up last year, which provides support to the impoverished community of Colburn.  CCS aims to support individuals, families, and businesses in the community by offering practical & admin support, budgeting & financial management advice, help with CVs, job applications & benefit forms, bereavement support, business mentoring and advocacy services.                   June Meeting Our speaker at the June Meeting was Irene Boreham, from the Breast Cancer Support Group associated with The Friarage Hospital MacMillan Cancer Care Centre in Northallerton. Irene told us about her own journey through breast cancer and then went on to describe the history of the support