At the December regional Programme Action meeting South Lancashire’s Soroptimist clubs shared details of their recent projects. Manchester Soroptimists spoke about their association with WomenMATTA – a  centre set up by the charity ‘Women in Prison’ to aid women in the criminal justice system. Practical and emotional support can reduce the likelihood of re-offending. Over several years the club has donated goods to the centre including a hugely popular gift – diaries. Two clubs highlighted projects linked to breast cancer. Southport Soroptimists are well on their way to a metric tonne of bras collected for ‘Against Breast Cancer’ (ABC). Textile recovery ensures the bras have a new lease of life – and funds raised go towards cancer research. Supporting women’s breast cancer journeys is a focus for the members of Swallows club. They have liaised with Wigan Council and the creative mindfulness group ReDoo With

Communication - the art of reaching out At a recent workshop Soroptimists in South Lancashire took a long, hard look at their clubs’ online presence. How can we get the message across as to who we are? How can we spread the word that Soroptimists really do ‘make a difference’ to women and girls? A club’s website is its ‘shop window’. It’s a 24/7 homebase and information repository. Jenny Stanistreet (Regional Web Administrator) led a session looking at various ways of attracting more visitors, retaining their interest, and persuading them to come back. As a means of exploring a club in depth, and as an enquiry point - notably for potential members - the website is key. Lynda Lilley, the Region’s Communication Officer, explored the world of social media. These online posts are each club’s ‘special offers’. Unstructured and fleeting, yet they enlighten and inform.

Soroptimists in South Lancashire have joined together to support women entrepreneurs. At the summer Programme Action meeting Region President Sandy Taylor fulfilled her aim of setting up loans in the name of the Region. Loans are managed by the charity LendWithCare. This microfinance scheme enables people in low-income countries to ‘work their way out of poverty with dignity’. Soroptimist clubs in the Region donated to the initiative; the total was then match-funded from regional funds. In a ‘live’ screening, President Sandy demonstrated the practicalities of the loan system. Then members agreed funding for several groups and individuals. Entrepreneurs supported in this first batch work in farming, retail and tailoring, and live in Togo, Vietnam and Ecuador. A total of £435 was pledged. In several instances, South Lancashire’s contribution enabled some requests to be fully-funded on the day. The loans will be repaid over several months.

South Lancashire’s Soroptimists focussed on women’s opportunities at their summer meeting. Hayley Darroch explained how her company – Funding Futures – is transforming the lives of many women. This initiative grew from her own career in the beauty industry and a realisation that some ‘qualifications’ were worth little more that the paper the certificates were written on. In 2021, through contact with high schools in Bolton and Wigan, Hayley recognised that young women from personally-challenging backgrounds could benefit massively from high quality training opportunities. Funding Futures CIC developed from this idea. As a ‘social value initiative’, it offers women the means to grow their careers in the beauty industry, develop transferable skills and be supported long-term. Various training programmes last from 6 to 10 weeks. They cover, for example, wellbeing and skills – including digital competence, budgeting and confidence-building – plus practical beauty treatments. Mentoring

South Lancashire Region welcomes its newest club – SI Swallows. Ruth Healey, President of Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI), officially chartered the new club on 24th April. There are eleven founder-members of the Wigan-area club. All received their badge from Federation President Ruth at the charter event. Soroptimist guests from all over the Region, including Sandy Taylor (President, SI South Lancashire) joined the Mayor of Wigan and a host of friends for the celebration. It was held at The Wheel Restaurant, Wigan and Leigh College. Sandy said, "On behalf of all Soroptimists in South Lancashire I am delighted to welcome our newest club, SI Swallows, into the regional 'family'. We look forward to working alongside our new sister Soroptimists as, together, we strive to enhance the lives of women and girls everywhere. Angela Holmes, President of the new club said, “In many cultures

On International Women’s Day (IWD) South Lancashire’s Soroptimists shared details about action they have been taking in support of women and girls. Clubs took it in turn to showcase one of their recent projects – but had only five minutes in which to make an impression. It was a tall order! Taking on women-centred themes, SI Manchester outlined support for new mothers (via baskets of babies’ essentials) and SI St Helens described ongoing work in the garden at a domestic violence refuge. SI Ramsbottom collaborated with British Transport Police and Preston’s Soroptimists at an information day on women’s safety at Preston railway station. Safe travel was also central to SI Widnes’s fundraising for ‘pink’ tuk-tuks in Sri Lanka and now, Nepal. Mental and physical wellbeing? Women’s heart health was the focus of SI Liverpool’s award-winning project, in partnership with the NHS. Stockport & District Soroptimists

A ‘new year’ for Soroptimist International of South Lancashire brings a new team for the Region. Recently-installed President, Sandy Taylor, will be busy with visits to clubs throughout South Lancashire. Early in Sandy’s year was the celebration dinner at SI Widnes to mark the club’s 80th anniversary. Sandy joined local dignitaries – plus a host of Soroptimists and friends – to mark this special milestone of service to Widnes and to communities worldwide. President Rosemary McNamara of SI Liverpool - a 'mother club' to so many in South Lancashire - was another special guest. (And, of course, there was cake!) SI Liverpool’s own celebration of International Human Rights Day is an annual ‘institution’ enjoyed by many South Lancashire Soroptimists. A reading of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights is always a solemn and thought-provoking element of the event. Plus, a roll-call of countries

Soroptimists from all over the South Lancashire Region attended the Federation Conference in Edinburgh. This was the 90th annual conference of Soroptimist International, Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI). It was held in the Assembly Rooms - elegant surroundings complete with chandeliers and cupolas The conference programme encompassed ‘Educate – Empower – Enable’. There was a lively mix of speakers, panel sessions, updates and, of course, the Best Practice Awards for club projects. On the first day Soroptimist Sriya Kulupana (SI Bootle and District) was one of the participants in the ‘Let’s Talk About Mentoring’ panel discussion. Sriya drew on her experiences as a mentor with The Girls’ Network (TGN). Working on a one-to-one basis, TGN sessions aim to build each girl’s confidence, focus on school and personal goals, and develop strategies to withstand pressures to conform. Mentoring practice is an important element in the welcome

South Lancashire’s Soroptimists talked – and listened – at their autumn Programme Action and Council meetings. Chris Kelly of the charity ’Andy’s Man Club’ explained in a lively fashion about a national support network for men. The charity runs talking groups for men who have been through a tough time, are currently going through one, or have some crisis building up in their life. Speaking from personal experience, Chris spoke about how common it is for men to face mental challenges alone, being unwilling or unable to release the pressure. The expectation is that men should ‘man up’ and not ‘open up’ to anyone. Andy’s Man Club was established by the mother and family of a young man who took his own life. It offers a safe space where men can be comfortable to talk (or just to listen) in a room free of judgement.

The focus for South Lancashire Soroptimists at their recent regional meeting was Lewy body dementia. Lewy body? Perhaps the most common disease you have never heard of? Jacqui Cannon, CEO of the Lewy Body Society (and a member of SI Wigan) spoke at the meeting, hoping to ‘shine a light’ on this little-known condition. A neurodegenerative disease, Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the most common type of dementia in older people. The Society aims to raise awareness, both within the medical profession and amongst the general public. It funds collaborative research between universities, pharmaceutical companies and the biotech industry. Jacqui explained that misdiagnosis (as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, for example) can, in some cases, lead to inappropriate treatment that might even exacerbate symptoms. There is no ‘magic bullet’ for LBD, but effective intervention may slow its progress and make the condition more manageable. In this challenging