Making the world a better place for Women and Girls
If you are curious about what it means to be a Soroptimist have a look around our website to see what we do, or look at https://sigbi.org/.
Please also look at this PDF which explains all about us: what is a Soropomist?
Being a Soroptimist is about making a difference to the lives of women & girls both here in Salisbury and in the wider world. Find out how, by joining SI Salisbury, you can make a difference too.
We’d love to know if you’re planning to come to one of our meetings, so drop us a line at sarumsoropts@gmail.com
What do we do?
For a quick look at our activities throughout the year, please watch this video 2021/22 and 2022/23.and 2023/24.
Apart from monthly meetings, we raise funds to support our two main charities (currently Salisbury Womens’ Refuge and EdUKaid, a charity based in Downton working with girls in rural Tanzania) and work on Programme Action, or projects. For more information have a look at our Projects page but here is a summary of some of them:
Women’s Safety Initiative – a collaborative project with other organisations in our city to improve safety for all,
Her Salisbury Story – a research project to write women back into history,
STEM – to promote science and technology as career choices for girls,
Bra collection – sending gently used bras to Africa,
Orange the World – UN campaign aiming to eliminate violence against women during the 16 days of activism starting 25 November.
Why not join us?
We meet on the 4th Thursday each month at the Baptist Church Hall, Brown Street, Salisbury. There is parking beside the hall and opposite. Please note that Soroptimists have no religious or political affiliation.
The meeting usually comprises, club business, a speaker, discussion time and if time permits ‘Getting to know us’: one of our members tells us about her life to date.
Our next scheduled meetings are:
27 March
27 April – AGM
22 May
Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be available. Please feel free to arrive from 6.30pm – the meeting will start at 7.00pm. Please email sarumsoropts@gmail.com so we know you are coming.
We do need to conduct club business, but try to keep this as short as possible and will be concentrating on this in alternate meetings. Please note that no hard copies of club papers will be available so please bring your own if you need them. They are available by email or on the members only page which is password protected.
Executive committee
Please consider joining the Exec this year at the upcoming AGM. Talk to one of the existing members to see what it entails!
The club is organised and run by the Executive committee, but relies on all members to do their bit. We do need members to come forward to take their turn on the Exec as one of the following: President, President Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, Membership, Programme Action, Regional Rep, Comms and Media.
The Exec meets every 4-6 weeks to discuss club matters and organise upcoming meetings. If you have any suggestions for speakers, please let one of us know. Once you are a member, you can see profiles of our current Exec members in the members area.
Informal Coffee meet-up
We also meet informally for coffee and a chat at 10.30am on the first Saturday in the month in the Refectory at Salisbury Cathedral. However, the next informal get together will be 5 April, followed by 3 May. Looking forward to seeing you from 10.30! all welcome! Look for a Soroptimist leaflets on the table.
We have many projects underway, but are always ready for new ideas, so come along, meet us, make new friends.
Our news
For more information please see our Club News section.
Help our funds
Why not sign up to Easyfundraising and help raise money for our club. It costs you nothing, but while you shop online the club can benefit. Sign up here.
Our Year to date
Dates for your diary
1 April – 12 noon at Salisbury Library talk by Cath Dipple and Louis Topp ‘Austistic Women’
Subscriptions are due from 1 April – please schedule your payment in early April to assist our Treasurer!
April 24 AGM – Celebrate our last year and welcome the new Executive Committee
Bra Collection – our collection will start in May: hang on to any donations before then
Would you like to be the next coordinator? get in touch!
TBA 2nd round – ‘Ask for Angela’ – Janet Musgrove co-ordinating visits to pubs to investigate awareness and how this is used in Salisbury
Recent Club News
Police Action in Wiltshire: VAWG
We welcomed DS Jen Jeffcoat-Marsh to talk to us about how Wiltshire Police are dealing with VAWG and Rape And Serious Sexual Assault (RASSO). She began by explaining about Op Soteria, the first National Operating Model (NOM) for the investigation of rape and serious sexual offences. It began in Avon and Somerset Police with the aim of bringing more rape and sexual assault cases to trial. It was rolled out across England and Wales in July 2023 after successes in pilot areas. A year later the Chief Constable in charge said: "As the report says, the system wide benefits this...
IWD talk at Cathedral
Club members celebrated International Women’s Day by going to the cathedral to listen to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in conversation with the Bishop of Sherborne. Nazanin took us through the story of her arrest and imprisonment and talked about the long term consequences of the experience. Her captivity began with a long period of solitary confinement with only a holy book for company, which gave rise to feelings of abandonment and hopelessness. This together with the moment her daughter (who had been allowed to visit her in prison) returned to England to live with her father were some of the lowest points...
Eating well
Our January meeting focused on good nutrition to keep us healthy. Our speaker, Amber Cotton is a Registered Nutritional Therapist who enjoys working with people to build a food program suitable to their age, lifestyle and health. Her topic for the evening was Mastering Midlife Metabolism. She spoke about the six pillars of Metabolic Health: Stress, Blood Sugar, Muscles, Movement, Sleep and Gut Health. The takeaway messages were importance of reducing the tendency to rollercoaster blood sugar, by regulating the amount of sugar and carbohydrates in the diet, both of which tend to spike blood sugar. Spikes increase inflammation and...
16 Days of Activism 2024
Salisbury Soroptimists splashed orange around the city during 16 Days of Activism, part of the United Nations Orange the World initiative to eliminate violence against women. Postboxes were topped with orange crocheted flowers and shoes to represent women killed by partners – a shocking average of one women every three days is killed by a man in UK, with 62% of these by a current or former partner.* The theme of this year’s campaign was prevention: ’Taking steps to eliminate Violence Against Women And Girls’, which was illustrated by orange footsteps walking up a Christmas Tree as part of St...
