Club members were delighted to get together again for the first face to face meeting since February 2020! Although meetings have been held regularly throughout lockdown on Zoom including two AGMs, everyone agreed it was just wonderful to see each other again.     By kind permission of former member Hilary Maidment who allowed us to use her summer house, we carried our full risk assessments, ensured that proper social distancing measures were taken and had plenty of ventilation. A bonus was the chance for our President Eleanor to induct two new members, Julia and Charlotte.   We hope to continue meeting here over the summer, for our July and August meetings, with a plan to return to another venue in September.              

Club members were pleased to be able to get together for the first time in many months – in Club Treasurer Bernie’s lovely garden in June. It was great to see each other and chat to each other after countless Zoom meetings…. The party included a celebration of Mary Paisey, member of the former SI Salisbury Club who had been honoured with recognition by the Federation in the #Whoisshe? showcase as one in a hundred members who have made a significant and positive difference for women and girls.   President Eleanor presents Mary with her certificate and flowers       In a short ceremony, President Eleanor paid tribute to Mary’s dedication to local community groups and charities and in particular to her many years’ service to  Salisbury Women’s Refuge, which is supported by the Club, and of which Mary is President.     Chatter

We are thrilled to announce that Mary Paisey MBE,  member of the original SI Salisbury Club has been selected as one of more than 100 Soroptimists to be commemorated as part of the celebration of the first centenary of Soroptimist International  in the #Whoisshe? Campaign.    The original Salisbury Soroptimist Club had been a driving force in the establishment of Salisbury Women’s Refuge in 1983-4, and the project is very dear to Mary’s heart. She served as a Trustee of the Refuge for 30 years and has recently been appointed Honorary President. She supports many other local community projects including Wessex Community Action, The Lovelane Friendship Club Day Centre, Christian Aid, the Arts Society and Churches Together. She was awarded the MBE in 2010 in recognition of her work in support of Salisbury Women’s Refuge, and her years of service to the local community. The

Members of SI Salisbury decided to make their own video to show how they would all #ChoosetoChallenge some of the most important issues facing women and girls. Thanks to all who took part and thanks to Michelle for using her editing skills in putting it all together!  

Victoria Dunford channelled her anger about poverty and injustice in her homeland – Moldova, into action.   Overcoming many seemingly impossible challenges, she succeeded in changing the lives of  many children and adults with special needs.   We are fortunate that she has agreed to join our International Women’s Day Zoom meeting at 7pm on Monday 8 March. Please do join us to hear her story. For the Zoom link please e mail us  #IWD2021 #Choosetochallenge      

To mark International Women’s Day we are inviting all ‘international’ women living or working in the Salisbury and surrounding areas to join us for an online chat. Bring a  coffee and a snack or maybe something to eat that reminds you of ‘home’ – wherever in the world ‘home’ is! You will be very welcome! Join us at 2pm on Sunday 7 March To register please e mail sarumsoropts@gmail.com for the Zoom link #IWD2021  

Despite the difficulties of meeting during lockdown, good progress continues to be made with this Heritage Lottery Funded project. More historical women’s profiles continue to be submitted and are presently being edited before being placed on the HSS website. The volunteers interviewing contemporary women have been in touch with some of the nominated women and interviews are beginning to take place. Training for those volunteer transcribers is currently being investigated too.   On 6 February, the project team hosted a virtual meeting with all 22+ volunteers to give them a broader understanding of the whole project and to seek ideas for taking forward the digital legacy created.  The project team are giving a similar presentation to the Soroptimist Southern England Regional Meeting on 13 March.