What a busy start to the new year!
On Monday 9 Jan we had a face to face Club meeting where we were able to go through the data from the Club survey. Notes from the meeting and the survey results have been emailed to Club Members and are available in the Members area of this website sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/members. It was great to hear everyone’s ideas and enthusiasm for the future of the Club – what a positive start to 2023!
We’d been asked to take a photo of Members involved with the Domestic Abuse Court Observation Project for the final write up – so this photo of four of the observers has now been submitted – l to r are Barbara Saunders, Sarah Lichman, Denise Powell and Jane Slatter.
On Sun 15 Jan Members of the Club’s People Team braved the cold to plant trees at Panshanger Park as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. Designed to create a living legacy in Her Majesty’s name, this new public woodland will include a total of 17,000 trees. The land set aside for the project, will help to restore woodland areas and parkland in the northern part of the park, which is currently used for arable farming. Park owners Tarmac worked with partners Hertfordshire County Council, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and Maydencroft to develop the woodland design, with additional advice sought from Historic England, Natural England and Hertfordshire Gardens Trust. In total, 19 native species of tree and shrubs will be planted including oak, hornbeam, scots pine, wild cherry, holly and hawthorn. There are also plans to include a wildflower meadow and ponds, creating a variety of habitats for wildlife. Pictured here r to l are Helen Byrne, Janet Tansley, Nicky Bloom and her daughter.
On Tue 17 Jan it was St Albans Girls School (STAGS) “Big Interview day” for year 11 (GCSE year) students. St Albans Soroptimists Jane Slatter, Debbie Tankard and Bev Keech (pictured here l to r) were three of the forty interviewers there for the morning. They found the girls and the event really worthwhile and as inspiring as ever.
As part of the careers programme at St Albans Girls’ School, they offer a mock interview to every year 11 student on one morning called “The Big Interview”. Each student has a half hour interview based on CV’s they have prepared in school and receive verbal and written feedback.
Ellen McHugh, Assistant Head Teacher, Student Leadership and Enterprise said in an email to the volunteers after the event: “A HUGE thank you from everyone at STAGS for your support on Tuesday for the Year 11 Big Interview Day and for giving so generously of your time. The students have found your feedback very helpful and many have already improved their CVs ready to apply for Work Experience or jobs for the summer. Providing an encounter with an employer/employee like this one is hugely beneficial and has been shown to help improve student outcomes by at least half a GCSE grade as it increase their aspirations for the future. “
The event has been running for the past 10 years, and it is very well received by students, for some of whom it is their first interview experience. Soroptimists have been involved for the last 8 years and have found meeting the girls a real inspiration – a win win for everyone!