Celebrate women's achievements. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality. Soroptimists in South Lancashire demonstrated their support for the mission of International Women's Day with a simple gesture. At the recent region meeting members crossed arms to mark the International Women’s Day theme of ‘Break the Bias’. Many wore  purple and pearls. Why? Purple signifies justice and dignity, while the pearls are white to represent purity. International Women's Day (8th March) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Collectively we can all Break the Bias.

I was delighted to celebrate the international dimension of Soroptimism with two South Lancashire clubs. Firstly, I joined the members of my club (SI Liverpool) to mark International Human Rights Day. It was a bit of a shock to receive a beautiful card and gifts to mark my Presidency from members. Wow! After dinner candles were lit for Soroptimist International, Federations and countries. I was privileged to light one for our own South Lancashire Region. Thank you, sisters, for inviting me, for the lovely gifts – and also for raising money for my daughter’s charity (Breathe Easy Foundation). Secondly, Bootle Soroptimists invited me to a virtual evening to mark International Human Rights Day. Candles were lit; then we enjoyed a quiz, poems and anecdotes from members and guests – plus some music. I really must brush up my quizzing skills! It was a tremendous opportunity

In early December I joined Soroptimists in Southport – via Zoom – for their International Night. The event had a Mediterranean theme with a Mediterranean meal. I could not sample the meal, of course! However, I really did enjoy the talk which was about a train journey to the Island of Cascia. The slides were full of beautiful sceneries with detailed information. Thanks to SI Southport’s  International Committee for making the Zoom link available for me since I could not physically join the members. Read more about President Dorcas’s activities

Soroptimists in South Lancashire got together in-person and on-screen for a ‘hybrid’ winter meeting. Guest speaker at the Programme Action session was Dr Niall Macfadyen. A volunteer with Greenpeace, Dr Macfadyen presented a spirited gallop through Greenpeace's history, plus local and national initiatives to investigate and combat climate change. (He is a team member of UKCCSRC - the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre.) Beef cattle, hydrogen networks, fast fashion, peat bogs, 'active travel', palm oil, tree-planting – the topics followed thick and fast. All have relevance to our daily lives, and all come under the research and campaigning umbrella of Greenpeace. Questions following the talk showed Soroptimists probing for more detailed answers. It was a lively, informative and thought-provoking morning. At the Regional Council meeting, President Dorcas Akeju took the opportunity to hold a change-of-insignia presentation. Past Presidents Yvonne Gibbon and Josie Carter

Just like Alice, Soroptimists went ‘down the rabbit hole’ for a ‘wonderful’ experience. The 2021 federation conference was held in Llandudno by Soroptimist International, Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI). However, being streamed online this year, rather than taking place in the town, it could be viewed all over the world. SI South Lancashire’s club in Wigan was selected as one of only six to showcase their successes as part of the membership session on Day 1. SI Wigan’s billboard ‘An Equal World is an Enabled World’ featured two members making the ‘equals’ sign. The poster was on display at a roundabout in the town for 12 months. This high visibility was instrumental in getting the club new members and in raising awareness of Soroptimism. The club’s conference presentation announced ‘SI Wigan is shopped!’. The club’s secret? Social Media, Uniqueness, Celebrations, Credibility, Evolving, Simplicity, See and

New members and awards in focus. Over one hundred Soroptimists from the South Lancashire Region gathered for a celebratory lunch. The spotlight was on women who have recently joined their local club. Josie Carter, Region President, welcomed them. This special event was an ideal opportunity for new members to find out about clubs’ projects and achievements. Plus, they were able to get to know many other Soroptimists. Guest speaker was Shana Begum, a new member of SI St Helens. Shana is the founder of ‘St Helens The Best Me’. This is a training and coaching consultancy, working for positive changes within the community. President Josie commended two outstanding South Lancashire Soroptimists – Maureen Walsh and Dorcas Akeju of SI Liverpool. Both have been featured as part of ‘#WhoIsShe?’, which celebrates the centenary of Soroptimist International. An exhibition of memorabilia from clubs illustrated the long history

South Lancashire’s Soroptimists in action … At the recent regional Programme Action meeting several South Lancashire clubs took the opportunity to showcase their projects. ‘Planet’ and ‘People’ featured strongly. These relate directly to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. SI Manchester’s members are taking a 12-month ‘Green Footprint’ personal challenge. How easy is it to reduce our carbon footprint? The Soroptimists will find out. Another Manchester project focussing on the environment is a local directory of recycling and collections. This brings information together in a handy – and easily updated – format. In Crosby, the club has a partnership with the Wildlife Trust (Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside). The Soroptimists have nurtured hundreds of native wildflowers from seed at home. They have now planted out the flowers at Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve. These will increase biodiversity and enhance the environment. Wigan Soroptimists have an active

Dogs? Yes, they can be man’s (and woman’s) best friend. At their recent regional meeting Soroptimists in South Lancashire discovered a whole new way in which trained dogs make life-changing differences to people’s health and wellbeing. Anna Prosser, a volunteer ambassador with Dogs for Good explained how the charity trains animals to work with people with disabilities. An assistance dog can enable an adult or child to enjoy greater independence with everyday, practical tasks. Think of opening and closing doors, retrieving items, pressing a pedestrian crossing button – what a difference that help can make. Specialist autism assistance dogs transform the lives of families affected by autism. They help a child remain calm and focused in busy places. There are community dogs who – with their handlers – work with teachers and therapists in special schools. Other community dogs work in health and social care

It is with great sadness that we announce that President Johanna M Raffan MBE passed away on 15 June 2021. Our thoughts are with Johanna’s family at this very sad time. Johanna was elected president of our federation, Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI), in 2020.

Why be a Soroptimist? Three members of our Region speak about this very topic - and what membership means to them. Watch and listen to the SI South Lancashire membership video.