Soroptimist Sisters from Warsaw Visit St Albans
Members of Soroptimist International (SI) Warsaw visited SI St Albans and District in May for an action packed weekend. 
We were welcomed at the brand new John Lewis 
Heritage Centre in Cookham Berkshire, by Judy Faraday, Club Member and Archivist for the John Lewis Partnership. With it being the 150th Anniversary of the John Lewis business this year it was an extremely interesting visit that was also shared by St Albans and District Soroptimist Club Members and partners www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/about/our-history.html
On their last day our Soroptimist friends from Warsaw were treated to a journey through St Albans history with a guided walk in St Albans. They were again joined by “rent-a-crowd” – the St Albans and District Soroptimist Club Members and partners.
Over the weekend there was also time for shopping and entertainment including meals in Members’ homes on Friday and Saturday evenings, and a final meal in a St Albans Restaurant before heading to the airport.
The weekend was great fun – lots of chatter and laughter especially when we were all enjoying some lovely meals together. In with the fun was some serious discussion about Soroptimist Projects, such as violence against women, and we were able to share our concerns about domestic abuse in the Polish Community and inform them about the new Polish language domestic violence helpline.
Everyone has promised to keep in touch, and our Soroptimist sisters from Warsaw are looking forward to returning the hospitality in Poland in the not too distant future – watch this space!
The Clubs have a Friendship Link with one another – see www.sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/about-our-club/club-friendship-links/ for more about our other Friendship Links.