Members of Soroptimist International St Albans and District would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful 2025. Instead of sending Christmas cards we are making a donation to the Soroptimist International Foundation soroptimistinternational.org/si-foundation
Soroptimists are feeling festive after delivering a magnificent pile of gifts donated and wrapped by Club Members plus vouchers for the SAHWR Women’s Refuge . We know the women are thrilled at Christmas to know that we’re thinking about them and we hope it brings them a little bit of Christmas cheer and hope for a happy new year! Members have also donated tea, coffee, toiletries and other goodies. Liz Perry one of the Refuge managers said “thank you for all you do for us”.
Soroptimists were joined by friends (including some members of local choirs), to sing festive songs at St Albans City Station and raise a fabulous £438 for SAHWR Women’s Refuge! Everyone wore orange to continue with the #OrangetheWorldHerts campaign. It is thanks to the generous travellers for their donations, the station staff for hosting and for 
everyone who gave up their time to make it such an enjoyable event whilst raising awareness of violence against women and girls. There were train delays that evening and one commuter said “your singing has cheered me up and made me feel really Christmassy”. £2 donations were suggested on the card reader and one donor said “make that £10” and when Jane Slatter said to him “you are a star!” he said “go on make it £20” – now that is the Christmas spirit! Singers and musicians went to the Six Bells afterwards for a well deserved supper and warm up – and more “oranging” of course!
Watling View School for pupils with profound learning difficulties, had a Christmas Stall on St Albans Market again this year. Students from the school made and Christmas gifts to sell to raise funds for the school.
Soroptimist Debbie Tankard (pictured here) helped staff and pupils with severe learning difficulties on the stall. Debbie said it went really well, and the young people were able to interact with members of the public and to gain practical experience of selling items which they had previously made.