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June Meeting via Zoom

June Meeting via Zoom

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Members got together online using Zoom for our June Meeting.  Much of the discussion was about things we hope to be able to do when the coronavirus limitations are eased enough to allow fundraising events. Our planned July Coffee morning is moving to February 2021, and our March event with Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson is now rescheduled to March or April 2021.  We are also preparing ideas for our Sharing our Skills project with Richmond School, which will start in January. Next year we aim to provide trees from the Woodland Trust for planting by  Just the Job, one of this year’s President’s charities.  Tree planting links both the Centenary of Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland, and Richmond  950 – a celebration of 950 years since the building of the Castle and founding of the town.  A new woodland is being planted to commemorate this.

Food Bank Donation

Food Bank Donation

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Our new joint presidents, Faye and Jane are pictured here about to deliver a Food Bank donation to our local Food Bank, Storehouse ( http://www.influencechurch.co.uk/storehouse/). We have supported the Richmond Food Bank Period Poverty programme for some time, supplying sanitary products for women and girls in need.  With the Coronavirus crisis bringing increased demand on the Food Bank, we decided we need to support them in a more varied way.  Soroptimist member Chris Bowran put a request out to members to donate food and other household items, and to leave them on the bench by her front door.  The club was overwhelmed by the amazing support of members.  Presidents Faye Doorbar & Jane Priestley loaded the car to deliver a huge offering to the Food Bank, which was gratefully received.

Zoom meeting in May

Zoom meeting in May

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We held our first Zoom meeting in May.  It was great to be able to see each other again after so many weeks apart, even if it was only on screens.  Most of our members were able to take part. This gave us a chance to review our Programme Action plans for the year.  We hope to be able to do some fund raising activities in the coming months.  Advocacy is easier on-line and we discussed plans being made for the SIGBI Project Empowering Girls in Nepal https://sigbi.org/what-we-do/our-projects/girlsinnepal/ SI President’s appeal Road to Equality https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/action/road-to-equality/ proposed Yorkshire Regional projects We continue to gather donations from members to help both Storehouse Foodbank http://www.influencechurch.co.uk/storehouse/ and our sister club in Harare, Zimbabwe.  This is the sad reality there: The five week lockdown, to stem the spread of Coronavirus, has had a disastrous impact, and dealt a final blow

March/April/May 2020

March/April/May 2020

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Our meetings for March, April and May had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus emergency lockdown, as was a planned fund-raising Coffee Morning.  As April’s meeting would have been the AGM we held this online. All the paperwork was distributed by email. We hope that we can carry out a proper “handover” to our new President’s soon.  In the meantime, the club members have agreed a £100 donation to the local food bank http://www.influencechurch.co.uk/storehouse/ to help during the current emergency.  Members are also making personal donations in cash and goods. We have also sent out £500 accumulated to the end of March from last year’s fundraising to our sister club in Harare, Zimbabwe.  Conditions there are dire due to drought, corruption and now a lockdown, so our sister members have many calls on their help.  News from our contact is so bad that members are