At our September meeting, attended by members in the club room (including 2 prospective members) and on Zoom, President Rosemary Moore handed over the chain of office to President Elect Carol Cookson. Rosemary led the club for an extended period from April 2020 when the world was overcome by Covid-19 . She nevertheless maintained a busy programme of meetings and other activities, held mainly on Zoom and we had managed to raise in the region of £1000 for local, regional and international charities. President Carol has taken office a little earlier than expected and outlined her year to come, which looks exciting with plenty of social events. Carol has been the Club’s Membership Officer, working hard to recruit new members and our 2 prospective members joined the club at the meeting – we are delighted to welcome them. We had a very pleasant evening with

Like so many clubs and service organisations, SI Southport have been busy collecting empty blister pack for recycling. We heard of this initiative from SI Preston’s Facebook page – the empty blister packs are taken to a local Superdrug store, who recycle them and the money raised is donated to Marie Curie. What a great way to help the planet and help an amazing charity!

Following the gradual ‘unlocking’ of the country following the Covid restrictions earlier in the year, SI Southport members have arranged some social activities. Our local hospice, Queenscourt Hospice, is celebrating 30 years of their wonderful care and support. To mark the occasion, SI Southport acquired one of their pearl anniversary rose bushes, which we planted in the garden of Baverstock House, which houses our club room. Jean Tweddell and her Social Committee arranged an afternoon tea in July in our club room at Baverstock House. In the following month, Maureen Ballard and her Welfare Committee organised a coffee morning in her home in August. Both events were well attended by members and guests and a total of almost £500 was raised for our charity fund. Huge thanks to Carol Hill for her wonderful baking for the coffee morning and to all who provided cakes for

Members of Soroptimist International Southport gathered in Victoria Park to plant trees, as part of the SI centenary project. The first action taken by Soroptimists in 1921 was to save tree and 100 years later, we are ‘Planting Trees for a Brilliant Future’. As part of the Woodland Trust’s reforestation project – ‘A TREE TODAY, A FOREST TOMORROW’ – Alan Adams, the General Manager of Southport Flower Show and the Victoria Park Management Company, secured a supply of saplings which he offered to schools, community groups and local organisations for planting in Victoria Park. Every tree planted will contribute to the global reforestation efforts, restoring lost forests, repairing damaged ecosystems and mitigating climate changes. Alan generously provided the saplings – and some assistance from Victoria Park volunteer Simon Moorhouse. The Soroptimists planted 60 crab-apple saplings from the ‘Wild Wood’ mixture – which can tolerate exposed

  President Rosemary Moore told the club of a ‘Market Trail’ in Southport  – basically a roving car boot sale around the town, as advertised on Facebook. As we had gathered items from a variety of sources before and during lockdown, we decided to put some tables out in the garden of Baverstock House, where our clubroom is located, and await the hordes of buyers!! Whilst we had some visitors, we would have appreciated more. We did, however, raise some much-needed funds for the club’s charity and Programme Action accounts, as well as for the Mayor of Sefton’s Charity. It also proved to be a wonderful impromptu opportunity for club members to meet for the first time in 14 months – outdoors and in a Covid-safe environment. We all had a lovely time!  

At our meeting in March, we were delighted to welcome Chris Williams who introduced us to Blood Bikes, which in our local area covers Lancashire and the Lakes.               The service started in May 2012 and comprises a team of volunteers who provide transportation of urgent and emergency items for the NHS Hospitals in the area. These items include blood, pathology samples, donor breast milk, patient records, medical equipment – in fact anything that can be carried by motorcycle. Chris, who is one of the Blood Bikers, told us the service is available all through the night, and 24 hours per day at weekends and Bank Holidays. They use their own bikes or specially liveried bikes (which have red markings, to distinguish them from the police (blue markings) or paramedics (green markings). The 400 riders over Lancashire and the

We could not have our usual Christmas celebrations for obvious reasons, so instead, President Rosemary organised a ‘Mince Pie and Tipple’ Zoom party.  We had a lovely evening, discussing everyone’s plan for festive season – and then the revised plans after the Government’s pre-Christmas rule changes.  Joss Glanvill devised a seasonal quiz, with eclectic questions to suit everyone. It was a great evening to share conversation and friendship, with a lot of fun and laughter – and a few silly hats and headgear!  

In early October, SI Southport traditionally celebrates Friendship Night, where we meet together to celebrate our friendship links with the lighting of candles and an evening of fun and good food. Of course, 2020 was different. This year our ‘Friendship night of SI Southport’ was held virtually. President Rosemary welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced all our members and guests – which this year included representatives from ALL of our friendship links. We were also delighted to be joined by SIGBI Friendship Link Co-ordinator, Bhaswati Biswas. The current Covid-19 situation has affected every corner of the world, but nevertheless, Soroptimist clubs were actively supporting, helping and driving projects to ease the trauma. Each of our guests gave a summary of their clubs and their projects and following each presentation, the friendship link correspondent lit a candle WITH our link clubs, many of whom lit their

Each year SI Southport lays a wreath at the Cenotaph in Southport on Remembrance Sunday to remember those who had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country. Because of the Covid rules, there was no ceremony or communal prayers, but President Rosemary Moore joined with Presidents of other service organisations in the town to lay our wreath. In the words of the poem ‘For the Fallen’ by Robert Binyon: They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them