SI Slough Windsor & Maidenhead has a varied programme of events scheduled for the Autumn including a Demonstration of Canape making at Dorney Lake in November, a trip to Cheltenham Christmas Market, a Christmas Special with carol singing and mulled wine and of course a very special Human Rights Day celelbration in December. However the first event was a Quiz with a record number of participants at St Lukes Hall in Maidenhead.  Quizmaster Phyllis Sigsworth managed to keep control of the keen teams and the eventual winners were the Old Paludians team.  Everyone enjoyed the fish and chip supper and over £500 was raised for the President’s Charity – Chiltern & Thames Valley Air Ambulance.  President Irene thanked everyone for coming and handed out the raffle prizes.

Judy Nixon who is a fund raiser for the Thames Valley & Chilterns Air Ambulance Service gave a fascinating talk about the work of the service with some interesting information about some of the more dramatic call outs.  Despite the work being vital to save the lives of badly injured members of the public, the service is entirely funded by private donations.  

SI Slough Windsor & Maidenhead have a tradition of sending donations to local charities at Christmas.  One of the ways of funding this is to hold a Jumble Sale during the summer months which also helps some of the local residents.  This year the sale raised over £150 and the donation of a number of different hats enabled the helpers to enjoy a mini  ‘Fashion Show’  and choose a favourite toy before the sale started!!!  President Irene is on the left of the photo.

At the Annual General Meeting last Wednesday, outgoing president Pam Robotham passed on her chain to Irene Brookes.  President Irene presented Pam with a brooch and a scarf as souvenirs of her year in office and also a bouquet of flowers.  Pam expressed her enjoyment of her year and thanked all members of the club for their help.  President Irene is looking forward to her year in office and will be raising funds for the local Air Ambulance Service.

President Pam was delighted to have the task of meeting all three of the  local charities which she had chosen to benefit from fund raising events during the year on Tuesday 9th April.  People to Places, Braywick Heath Nurseries and Slough Child Contact Centre each received a cheque for £700.  The presentations took place at Braywick Nurseries.

It was wonderful to be back at Dorney Lake for the annual President’s Lunch on Sunday 7th April after the break whilst the venue was taken over for the Olympics.  Even the weather was playing its part with plenty of sunshine and much warmer temperatures.  Around 65 members and guests got together to enjoy the occasion.  The three course meal was quite delicious and the wine was greatly enjoyed too.  Toasts were drunk to Soroptimist International and to The Guests.  The highlight was a talk by Angela Leslie, Manager of Dorney Lake, about the impact of the Olympics and all the work that went into getting the site ready and then the ongoing task of getting back to normal and converting from Eton Dorney to Dorney Lake.  President Pam Robotham presented Angela with flowers.

SI Slough Windsor &n Maidenhead have been supporting EBSBWA for many years but it was very interesting to get an update on the current situation from new Chief Executive Delia Donovan.  The demand for services is always considerable and recent funding cuts have affected the staffing levels but the Refuges are still in place:  two for women and perhaps a little more surprisingly – one for men.  Outreach work is still a priority and the charity has undertaken ground breaking work with its support for children. Club President, Pam Robotham presented a cheque to Delia and pledged continuing support from all the members of the club.

Members heard the most fascinating talk with slides from Ted Sutton about the story of the Mary Rose – the first English warship which sank with the loss of 700 lives during a battle against a French invasion.  The work that has been undertaken by the Mary Rose Trust to recover the ship from its resting place in the Solent has been extraordinary.  As a result it is now possible to understand far more about daily life for the seamen.  The ship’s carpenter had a significant role and his own area for carrying out essential repairs.  Feeding the usual crew of around 400 men was also quite an undertaking with huge pots needing to be heated to provide a meaty broth each day.