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Turn out your drawers and donate gently used bras!

Turn out your drawers and donate gently used bras!

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Turn out your drawers! It's bra collection time again! Rummage through your drawers and toss out all those bras which have crept to the back as they are not the right colour, not the right shape, just not your favourites.  Bras are like friends, they should be supportive and close to your heart! Did you know? Did you know that you are supposed to be measured for a bra every six months? Well, so say some bra manufacturers! But seriously, when did you last get measured? Chances are you are wearing the same size you did a few years ago? It might be time for a change! How to donate So, what to do with the old ones?.... take your clean, gently used bras to Five Rivers Leisure Centre and pop them in our collecting box, or drop a bag full at 60 Endless Street,
Our first 'live' AGM
Our first ‘live’ AGM

Our first ‘live’ AGM

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Zoom link up For the first time in our club's history we were able to hold a 'live' AGM, with a Zoom option, rather than solely on Zoom. However, the wonders of Zoom did allow us to link up with our club member Theresa, who was in Tanzania visiting a project we support there.  Bintially, who leads the project, funded by EdUKaid, was also on the call. We watched a video that Theresa had filmed of the location of the girls' club, including the girls at the club joyfully singing with Bintially. We had the opportunity to hear from Bintially and ask her questions. She told us how our support was helping educate the girls in sexual and menstrual health both of which enable them to take responsibility for their own bodies. Menstrual kits, with reusable pads help the girls attend school throughout the month.
High Sheriff of Wiltshire learning about activites of SI Salisbury at event in Salisbury Guildhall
Promoting the Women’s Safety Initiative

Promoting the Women’s Safety Initiative

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Recent local events have provided opportunities for members of the Club to promote the Women’s Safety Initiative. Lady Lansdowne, the High Sheriff of Wiltshire. is pictured here with Julia West, our incoming Communications Officer, learning about the project at the Mental Health Showcase at Salisbury’s Guildhall on 5 April.         At the same event Liz Batten, outgoing Communications Officer was able to spend time talking about the project to both the Mayor of Salisbury, Caroline Corbin, pictured here and the Deputy Mayor, her husband Tom.           Later that week there was the chance to catch up with football fans as the Salisbury Women’s Football Team were permitted a rare opportunity to play on the Salisbury RayMac stadium pitch. President Eleanor, Liz and potential new member Edwina Berkeley were on hand to talk to spectators and players about the

Alice Ruggles Trust
Stop Stalking

Stop Stalking

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At our February meeting we heard from Victoria Charleston of the Alice Ruggles Trust about their work to publicise the danger signs of coercive control and stalking. They aim to help victims and their friends recognise these signs and act upon them. You can help spread the word by watching the videos on the site and promote them to schools and other organisations. Stalking is a crime and there are many organisations which can offer help and advice.

Ukraine
Supporting Ukraine via Moldova

Supporting Ukraine via Moldova

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At our February meeting we were able to Zoom our sister organisation in Moldova to hear about their work with Ukrainian refugees passing through and staying in their country. Moldova is a very poor country and many can ill afford extra mouths to feed. Soroptimists in Chisnau have been helping to ferry vulnerable refugees from the Ukrainian border across their country to Romania. They have also visited villages where many refugees are staying with local families. It was clear from talking to them that their most pressing need was for money to buy supplies and petrol. We decided to pool our donations and send them directly to our sister soroptimists so that they can use the funds at ground level to help those who need it most. With some funds from our club and some very generous donations, we managed to send £3000. Our regional

Bunting in support of Ukraine
Support Ukrainian Refugees

Support Ukrainian Refugees

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An idea for an immediate fundraising project: why not create strips of blue and yellow bunting for people to buy and display in support of the Ukrainian people, using the funds raised to support refugee projects locally or with our sister Clubs in Eastern Europe? Wouldn’t it be great to see lots of front windows decorated in support of Ukraine?  Don’t forget to do a PFRF! Making instructions: Materials required: Yellow and blue cotton or polycotton is recommended. You can get about 100 flags from 1m of 1.5m width of material.  Bias binding – 2m for 10 flags Create a template – recommended 12cm x 15cm Fold material in half and use the template to mark cutting lines Use pinking shears to cut out Pin flags into fold of bias binding.  Leave about 6cm between each one.  10 flags for 2m stretch. Stitch all the way

Salisbury Women’s Football

Salisbury Women’s Football

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By kind permission of Salisbury FC, Salisbury Women’s Football team will play Highworth Town Lions Ladies at the Ray Mac Stadium on Sunday 10 April. Entry is free and kickoff is at 2pm. The bar will be open and tea and coffee will be available. There will be information on the Salisbury Women’s Safety Initiative and on the White Ribbon campaign, which aims to promote positive attitudes and behaviours of men and boys on preventing abuse and violence against women and girls. All welcome!  

Night audit of Salisbury streets
Salisbury Night-time Street Audits

Salisbury Night-time Street Audits

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The first two in a series of night-time street audits took place on 16 and 17 March. This is one of the activities identified in the action plan from our Women’s Safety Conference in November. Members of the Club and members of Safer and Supportive Salisbury  were joined by members of the public, city and county officials and City Councillors Chris Stanway and Paul Sample. Accompanied by a PCSO, members of the group walked the city streets checking on the perceived night-time safety of Salisbury’s streets and open spaces. The audit looked at street lighting, CCTV coverage, graffiti, underpasses, open spaces and car parks. As a result, issues identified in the audits have been immediately logged with Wiltshire Council; so far comprising some 27 reports of streetlights not working and one report of graffiti. A report is being prepared on all the issues the groups identified,

Breaking the Bias
Breaking the Bias!

Breaking the Bias!

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Members of SI Salisbury added their voice to the international call to ‘Break the Bias’ on International Women’s Day this year. Members of the Club celebrated the date at a special Club dinner in their usual meeting place, the Red Lion. Members join with Soroptimists worldwide to celebrate women’s achievement and raising awareness against bias. Our work also takes action for equality and makes a positive difference for women.               At our monthly meeting in February we were joined by two members of our Friendship Link Club, SI Chisinau, Moldova by Zoom link. Club President Stela and member Lucia (pictured above) told us how members are working tirelessly to support and help refugees from the Ukraine flooding over the border into their country. They told us that some 700,000 Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, are already in Moldova

Make a difference this New Year!

Make a difference this New Year!

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New Year’s Resolutions? How about: join an inspiring group of local women, make new friends, get involved with local national and international projects that are making a real difference to the lives of women and girls? Your membership links you to a worldwide organisation of women with special status at the UN. Wherever you visit in the world, you will have the chance to meet up with likeminded women and learn about their lives. Get involved with one of our Club projects: Women’s Safety Initiative, working in partnership across Salisbury to make the city safer for women and girls Our annual STEM Challenge to encourage girls in local schools to consider careers in STEM subjects. Working to support our local women’s refuge with funding, donated items and hands on help Supporting the Heshima project run by EdUKaid in Tanzania to educate girls about their bodies,