11 September 2026 Mayor’s Garden Party Six ladies from SI Sevenoaks attended the Mayor of Sevenoaks, Cllr Victoria Granville’s Garden Party at the Bat & Ball Centre to raise funds for the Hospice in the Weald. We enjoyed welcome drinks and a wonderful afternoon tea, live piano music and garden games. Local artists donated postcard paintings which were raffled. We had a wonderful time and the afternoon raised £1,600.

8 September 2026 Talk by Margaret Barnard An interesting talk was given by Margaret Barnard at our monthly meeting.  Margaret volunteered as an overseas occupational therapist in the 1960s. She didn’t know until the day where she was being sent but was pleased that she was being sent to Palestine. For 9 months she worked with children, mainly from refugee camps, helping them walk, talk and play through music and exercise. Whilst there she travelled extensively to places which are unrecognisable now 60 years later.  She also met Sir John Betjeman and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who visited the area whilst she was there. One morning she was told to pack her bags as she was leaving, she had no time to say goodbye to her colleagues or the children. She was on the last plane out of Jordan and the six-day war broke out

In July SI Sevenoaks gardening team were invited to attend the judging for South East in Bloom – we have been working on two beds at the Vine, Sevenoaks, since March.  It was a lovely day and the judges seemed happy with the presentation of all the flowerbeds!  Afterwards we joined the judges and our Mayor and Town Crrier for a delicious tea on the bandstand. We need to wait until the beginning of September for the results – meanwhile the team, ably led by member Mary Hogarth, are continuing to tend the beds each month.  Our picture shows a few of us with Town Crier Chris Conlan in the centre. Sandie Higgs SI Sevenoaks

SI Sevenoaks enjoyed a delightful walk on the North Downs, above the village of Kemsing, on 12th August – rather a hot day, so hats, water bottles and a few sticks were essential!  An intrepid group of 8 walkers set off and 7 are pictured – there were breathtaking views of the countryside and it was good to see wildflowers and lots of butterflies.  A small group returned to base camp as the going got a little tougher (it was very hot!) and eventually we all arrived back to base camp – The Bell at Kemsing, where we were joined by other members for lunch.  What a lovely day out! Pictured, from left, Sandie, Vanessa, G, Tracey, Wendy, Jenny and guest Elizabeth.  The photo was taken by walk leader Valerie! Sandie Higgs SI Sevenoaks

SI Sevenoaks were delighted to support their daughter Club SI Tunbridge Wells at their special 80th anniversary lunch on Saturday 5th July at the elegant Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells.  It was a beautiful day and some of us enjoyed a walk in the grounds before the event.  We had a delicious lunch with a film from Gillie O’Rourke SIGBI President congratulating SI Tunbridge Wells and a brilliant film made by the Club showing their early beginnings and a lot of their wonderful achievements over the years – very impressive!  We should like to congratulate SI Tunbridge Wells and wish them every success for the future! Pictured are from left, club members Penelope, Shirley, President Margaret Crabtree, Sandie, Lyn, Vanessa and Wendy. Our member Angel also attended but had to leave before the end. Second Photo SI South East England Regional President Dr. Roxanne St.

“The month of July has come and it’s always a pleasure to organise SI Sevenoaks annual Summer Lunch at The Chaser Shipbourne. The event has been running since 2019.  We all had a most enjoyable time in the lovely courtyard setting with geraniums in bloom. It was such a hot day as well as umbrellas on the table they very kindly drew across the conservatory canopy to provide us with shade.  The staff were most welcoming and accommodating and the chef did a sterling job to produce such delicious fresh food on a scorcher of a day! Many thanks to The Chaser in Shipbourne for wonderful meals and of course members good company and cheerful chatter”. Penelope Robbins Past President SI Sevenoaks

13/06/26 – Scanning Electronic Microscope SI Sevenoaks members were invited to Tonbridge School for a demonstration of the Scanning Electron Microscope by Rami, Senior Biology Technician. The powerful electron microscope is capable of magnifying specimens by thousands of times and is currently on loan to Tonbridge School.  Access is being arranged for other schools and it’s hoped the microscope will inspire children across West Kent to learn more about science.  The Hitachi microscope comes from the Natural History Museum. It works by using a beam of accelerated electrons to scan images. We were shown various images from plant life to wild life which were amazing. Rami had also arranged a quiz for us to “guess the image”!

09/06/26 – Flower Arranging SI Sevenoaks had a very successful Fundraising Flower Arranging Demonstration by Susan Phillips, who is now retired but had a long and very successful flower arranging career. Tickets were £10 which included canapes and fizz and a free draw to win one of the flower arrangements. Susan gave a very interesting talk about her career whilst seamlessly putting together three very different flower arrangements. The arrangements were won by a guest, Shirley club member of SI Sevenoaks and a resident of Rockdale. They were beautiful arrangements and were well received. It was a very enjoyable event and we were pleased to see such a good turnout. We made a wonderful profit of £210 which will go to West Kent Mind which will help local people with mental health issues.

Seal Tea Set – 26 May On an extremely hot afternoon Sandie and Kathy were invited to Seal Tea Set’s monthly meeting held in Seal Library.  Sandie gave a wonderful account of what a Soroptimist means, what we do and how we raise awareness and money for various good causes. This was followed by tea and wonderful cake elegantly served on beautiful China. One lady is interested in joining the Soroptimists and we were given some lovely toys which we will take to the Sevenoaks Refuge. We were also given a generous donation of £30 towards our President’s charity this year – West Kent Mind.  We are delighted to receive it. Kathy Jordan SI Sevenoaks

Coffee and New Members Morning – 21 May On a wonderfully sunny morning, a small but select number of members and guests attended Sandie’s coffee morning in aid of our President’s charity this year – West Kent Mind. A selection of lovely cakes were consumed. The tombola and guess the weight of the handmade cake, kindly supplied by Vicky raised £120. Tracy was the lucky winner of the wonderful cake. An extra £37 was made from the follow-up plant sale. Kathy Jordan SI Sevenoaks