Past President Sally was delighted to have the opportunity to hand over a cheque for £3100 to the WRVS York Centre in  Maidenhead.  This was the culmination of Sally’s year as President when she undertook to fundraise for the local York Centre which provides a range of facilities for the residents of Maidenhead including yoga, a cafe and various day centre activities.  The centre has been updating its facilities recently and it is hoped that this donation will help in the ongoing renovation of the building which was opened by Sally’s grandmother.

Last Wednesday was a busy evening for Rani Bikhu – not only did she become a member of SI Slough Windsor and Maidenhead but she was also the speaker.  Rani and her daughter gave an interesting talk with an accompanying video about various issues relating to the preference for boy children and some of the problems that ensue for families. Regional President Johanna Raffan also visited the club and enjoyed dinner with President Penny.

As always members and guests thoroughly enjoyed the delicious array of salads and puddings created by Angela at the Annual Garden Party.  Over 60 attended and enjoyed the surroundings in the riverside garden.  The tombola and book stalls did a good trade and the raffle helped add to the profits.  Over £600 was raised by the event which was attended by Regional President Johanna Ruffel.

Once more a team of volunteers helped to make refreshments for the annual Thamescare Hospice Fayre.  This has been an ongoing commitment to the hospice for some 20 years. The hard work helps raise much needed funds for the Hospice.

Past President Sally was delighted to be able to present a cheque for £3,100 to the York Centre in Maidenhead.  This was the culmination of the fund raising of the club during Sally’s year in office.  The York Centre is run by the WRVS in Maidenhead and has recently been refurbished so this money will help in the process.

Ian Woodall recreated his various climbs to the summit of Everest by both the South Face and the more difficult North Face.  His monologue interspersed with images and soundtrack was quite remarkable in the way it covered the high points and the setbacks of his various expeditions.  He lead the first South African team to the summit where President Mandela phoned him to offer congratulations but also had to deal with the loss of climbing friends.  He is now planning another expedition with the sole aim of laying to rest some of the bodies of climbers who have died near the summit where the extreme cold keeps them frozen.    His talk was quite remarkable and thought provoking.

SI Slough, Windsor & Maidenhead has been operating the Slough Child Contact Centre for 7 years so this year members were delighted when the incoming Mayor of Slough attended the Annual General Meeting. This is a time of change for the Contact Centre as Lea Jaycock, who has been the Co-ordinator for all seven years, is retiring and thanks were expressed for all the time and effort she has expended on the Centre.  A new process is being set up with three ‘Duty’ co-ordinators and two administrators sharing the work and this new process will start from 4th June.  The photograph shows Left to right:  Phyllis Sigsworth, Penny Dmoch (President of SI Slough, Windsor & Maidenhead, The Worshipful the Mayor of Slough, Councillor Sukhjit Dhaliwal and Evelyn Hatch, Chairman of the Management Committee of SCCC.

President Penny has been kept busy with club events during May starting on Sunday 1st with a Tea Party at the home of Anne in Ascot.  £180 was raised as members and friends enjoyed looking at the gardens and trying the delicious cakes. The Photo shows President Penny presenting flowers to Hostess Anne.  On 15th May, the club set up stall to provide tea and cakes at the Cookham Festival.  On the left the band of helpers together with some of the splendid cakes are shown. At the club meeting on Wednesday 18th May, a presentation was given by Plan International about their work.  

At the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 20th April, Penny Dmoch took over as President from Sally Radford.  The photo shows Penny presenting Sally with an Orchid, together with a gift to thank her for all her work during the past year. Sally gave a slide presentation covering some of the highlights of her year as President and thanked members of the club for their support in raising £3000 for the WRVS York Centre in Maidenhead. Reports on all the activities of the club were presented and the evening ended with President Penny donning her chain of office for the first time.

Angela Andrews of the SI Banjul (Gambia) Club was amongst 70 members and friends who attended the President’s Annual Lunch at Dorney Lake on Sunday 3rd April.  Everyone enjoyed a delicious three course lunch and had the opportunity of hearing from a number of speakers including Jim Jenkins of WAMSAD. The photograph shows President Sally with (from l to r) Laura Redhead, Angela Andrews, Jim Jenkins, and President Elect Penny Dmoch.