Club members of Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead wrapped Christmas presents for all the women at their local refuge. Each present consisted of a donated handbag which they packed full of pocket sized useful items. These included practical things such as lip-gloss, wet wipes, sewing kits, shampoo, conditioner, pens and of course chocolates!
Members of the club got together with 1200 other Soroptimists to participate in the annual Federation Conference from 26h to 28th October. There were many inspiring speakers including Mandy Hickson one of the very few female fighter pilots and Dame Katherine Grainger the most decorated female Olympian. These two women admirably related to the conference theme of ‘Step Up and Lead the Way’. There were sessions on Violence against Women and Modern Slavery and Trafficking – areas where many clubs are working. In the final session Past President Ann Hodgson handed over to Federation President Sue Biggs who invited all members to Liverpool to celebrate the 84th Conference in October 2018.
Members and friends were delighted to welcome the Mayor and Mayoress of the the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead as special guests when they held their annual garden party on Sunday 23rd July. Over 50 attended the lunch in aid of the Thames Valley Hospice and the fund raising team were delighted that £700 was raised during the afternoon. Although the weather started overcast with a hint of rain, the sun did appear so everyone was able to enjoy their delicious lunch al fresco. The photograph shows Mrs Lenton being presented with flowers by member Sylvia Reynolds with hosts Pat and David Oldcorn in the background.
Club members were delighted that the newly appointed Mayor of Slough, Councillor Ishrat Shah, was able to attend the AGM of Slough Child Contact Centre on Tuesday 13th June 2017. The Centre is Supported by the Club and constitutes the principal area of programme action with seven volunteers on duty on the first and third Saturdays of each month. The mayor kindly agreed to present the long service awards to two members of the club. Liezl Butten gave a very informative presentation about the work of CAFCASS. Left to Right Evelyn Hatch (Chairman), Liezl Butten (CAFCASS and guest speaker at this meeting), Councillor Ishrat Shah (Mayor of Slough), Judy Nixon (Volunteer with NACCC certificate for five years voluntary service), Marilyn Brown (Volunteer with NACCC certificate for ten years voluntary service).
Club Members got together with Rotary St George on Saturday to help raise awareness of the importance of having your blood pressure checked and also raise funds for another defibrillator to be available in the centre of Windsor. Club member Penny could not resist becoming a Dragon on St George’s Day!
Jackie Paling was welcomed back to the club meeting last night after many months absence due to ill health. In her last meeting of her year in office she thanked club members for all their support during the year. In particular she thanked Penny Dmoch for deputising for her at many events and presented her with a hanging basket. At the Annual General Meeting, club members approved a change of structure to the club which would enable the club to operate without a President whilst electing the key officers: Secretary, Treasurer and Programme Action Officer. In future, the executive committee will meet regularly to ensure smooth running and a panel of members will chair meetings on an agreed rota. The accounts are being audited but Michele handed out copies of the financial situation and members agreed the subscription rate for the year.
The Annual President’s Lunch on 9th April coincided with the hottest day of the year so was a good opportunity for getting into summer dresses and enjoying a glass of bubbly overlooking the rowing lake in the beautiful surroundings of Dorney Lake. President Jacky and fifty guests enjoyed a delightful lunch and then had the pleasure of listening to Sue Fortescue describing her work as a translator for the charity Translators without Borders https://translatorswithoutborders.org/ This is an amazing group of professional translators who undertake tasks free of charge to help groups such as immigrants in war zones where there are often barriers to understanding. Many of the refugees arriving on remote Greek islands do not know where they are let alone what they should do so signs in their own language can be amazingly helpful. The charity helps in many countries with the actual translators
Margaret Clark, Assistant Programme Director Advocacy, visited the club at the February meeting. She spoke about Advocacy and development, speaking for those who can’t speak for themselves (disabled, disadvantaged etc). The work is carried out through training, workshops and mentoring, enabling others to follow the pathway. She demonstrated the importance of Lobbying on Women’s rights etc especially MP’s. She suggested that we remember to lobby our local MPs though not in a party political way. It is very useful to ask the Parliament Outreach Service to speak to the club. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals issued by the UN in 8 Programme Areas aiming to eliminate poverty. It is important that Clubs report their activities because the Consultative Status at the UN is up for discussion in June. Margaret is pictured with Judy Nixon and the Toilet Twinning Certificate which arrived recently following our fund raising for the
At the February meeting, Penny Dmoch organised a collection of ‘gently worn’ bra’s and new pants to be sent to the Scottish charity Smalls for All which sends underwear to women in Africa. This may sound trivial but it can be life-saving as woman who wear underwear are seen to “belong” to someone and are less likely to be attacked and raped. A bagful of underwear is now on its way.
Club members were delighted that the hall was packed with teams keen to compete at the Quiz on 10th February. Everyone enjoyed the varied themes of the questions and were pleased to have a break for the traditional fish and chips supper. The raffle went well and raised over £200 and the final total for the evening is expected to be around £500 which will swell the President’s Charity Fund. Club members are looking forward to welcoming Margaret Clark from SI Darlington to the next meeting when they will also consider new ways of running the club more in line with the twenty first century.
