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 now after a busy December volunteering and raising money for a few of the amazing charities we support. Please scroll down to find out more!
Gifts for the SAHWR Women’s Refuge On the Friday before Christmas 2024, St Albans Soroptimist Barbara Saunders said that it was her “privilege and pleasure to deliver the presents 
Soroptimist members had collected to SAHWR.” With 16 presents lovingly wrapped, and 10 x £20 gift vouchers, she delivered the gifts for children to give to their mothers on Christmas Day. Natasha, the Child and Family Support Worker said “it is just wonderful to see the presents under the tree and the smiles on the faces of children and recipients on Christmas Day.”
Alongside the presents, were two enormous bags of tea, a large jar of coffee, sugar and a box of shortbread biscuits for as we know, all our troubles can seem a bit easier when sitting down with a cuppa! Barbara received a warm welcome, much appreciation for our contributions, and thanks to all our members for the fundraising and contributions we have made over many years. In recent years, Jean and Jane have had the joy of helping Santa but owing to illness this year neither was able to go. Barbara says “I was the lucky one to get the opportunity this year, an occasion I won’t forget.” 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!
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! This was the last of #OrangetheWorldHerts Events for 2024 – click here to view the campaign: https://sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/2024/orange24/
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.
Home-Start Herts https://www.home-startherts.org.uk/ asked for volunteers to join the elves following the Round Table’s Santa Sleigh on the west side of St Albans and Cottonmill on Tue 17 Dec. There was much fun and friendship as Soroptimist International St Albans and District member Barbara and her husband Derek joined the elves on the west side of St Albans and Cottonmill. Donning capes and Santa hats, they accompanied the newly refurbished Sleigh. Round Table volunteers had spent many hours over the summer upgrading the lighting, improving the sound system and music, and overhauling all the moving parts on what had been a 1973 milk float. Santa’s cheery face and enthusiastic cries of Ho Ho Ho, brought out children from all around Cottonmill who ran down the street, to get a glimpse of Santa and to put some money in the collection boxes carried by the band of elves. Over three and a half hours, Barbara and Derek, alongside Home-Start CEO Suzy Moody, did 21,000 steps and covered 8 miles, following the sleigh, hurrying along and knocking on doors to raise much needed funds for families supported by Home Start. After the event, Nina Puglia, Home-Start’s Media Marketing Officer wrote :
“A huge thank you for your time and support during the St Albans Santa Sleigh route in Cottonmill! The festive cheer you brought to the community has received such wonderful feedback 
Please extend our gratitude to the friends who joined you.” Lots of people came out to support Santa and his elves, and enjoy the carols. The buckets and money boxes received lots of notes and coins as the elves rushed along behind the Sleigh knocking on doors along the way. We hope to hear how much was raised soon. Barbara said: “The atmosphere was electric and the happy smiling faces of the children and their parents were a joy to behold on a damp December evening. We received a very welcome mince pie, piece of yule log and cup of tea after two and a half hours, and after a short break continued, merrily on our way!”
Christmas Club Meeting on Zoom – this was our last meeting for 2024. It was lovely that so many of our Members who are unable to join in with face-to-face events were able to join. We looked back on our successful Orange the World Campaign and went through the Club programme for the start of 2025 – click here to view: https://sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/club-programme/ We were able to welcome a prospective Member and a new Member of our Club too. Many Members wore something festive and brought their own mince pies. We all agreed it was a lovely way to spend an hour in one another’s company – like the friends we all are through our Soroptimist membership.
Our Member Katherine Clark designed the beautiful e-Card and as its says we are:
“Sending You Strength & Hope for the New Year from Your Sisters at Soroptimist International St Albans & District”