Club news Archives | SI St Albans and District

2 weeks ago in

Marie Neveu

On Mon 22 Jun the complex subject of “Investing for the Planet” was brilliantly explained by Marie Neveu, Environmental Specialist for the Pictet Group. She had been invited by Soroptimist International St Albans & District’s Planet Team. Marie’s talk was fascinating and a valuable insight into how investing needs to work to support the Planet. Everyone who attended came away with ideas of what they might start doing to influence how our pension and other funds are invested and to look for suitable ways to make more sustainable individual investments. One simple way you can play your part is by investing your money responsibly. Responsible investing is key to making a positive impact on the planet and society while also achieving your financial goals. However, investment decisions, so important to us all no matter where we are in life, are too often based only on

Akifa Foundation - Farhat Zia with SISTAs

Akifa Foundation Pakistan and Visit from Seychelles in June

2 weeks ago in

Akifa Foundation

June got off to a great start for Members of Soroptimist International St Albans & District. On Monday 8th June Farhat Zia came to St Albans URC Greenwood to talk to Club Members about the work of her Charity the Akifa Foundation in her home town of Baffa in Pakistan. Farhat and her husband Iqbal raise funds and deliver on initiatives across three key pillars – people, planet, and wellbeing https://akifafoundation.com/. Farhat presented on three areas of the Akifa Foundation – the focus on people, planet and wellbeing; the SUSTFEST Collaboration and the Education and Warm Winter Project funding Appeal 2026. Some images of the slides are shown here: The video below includes some powerful footage showing the devastating impact of global warming and climate change on Pakistan. Climate change causes rising temperatures, increased flash

Bookstall 2026 at Harpenden Sustainability Market

Fabulous Result from the Bookstall at the Harpenden Sustainability Market

1 month ago in

Harpenden Sustainability Market

Members of SI St Albans and District, ran the Club’s Charity Bookstall at the Sustainability Market Harpenden, organised by Sustainable St Albans on Sun May 17 https://sustainablestalbans.org/sustainability-market/. Soroptimists had collected stacks of second-hand novels and children’s books to sell. There were lots of willing Soroptimist volunteers to help on the day and the Club raised more than £500 which is a great result! It was a really sociable event providing the perfect opportunity for members to have a good catch up – something popular with Soroptimists all over the world… This was a Soroptimist “orange day” – to raise awareness and take action to end violence against women and girls. As a bright and optimistic colour, orange represents a future free from the scourge that is violence against women and girls. We were also promoting our Orange the World campaign – 16 days of activism

The Buzz Club and a Women’s Health Quiz

1 month ago in

Citizen Science

We had a really interesting Club Meeting on Monday 11 May. Due to lots of different reasons many Club members were unable to join us, so hopefully this “blog” will help them not to feel too left out. The meeting started with Anna Barrett telling us about Citizen Science projects, and The Buzz Club in particular. Then after coffee Helen Byrne led us through a women’s health quiz. We also caught up on news of members and did some forward planning for the Club’s Programme. Citizen Science and The Buzz Club – Anna Barrett Anna started by showing us a very short video by Professor David Goulson – click here to view https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFpenTlR95U&feature=youtu.be – explaining why it is so vital to support our bees and pollinators and talking about his new book “A Buzz in The Meadow”. He is the Director of The Buzz Club

Soroptimist Ann Beatty’s First-Time Experience of CSW in New York

2 months ago in

Ann Beatty

On Monday 27 April 2026 we heard first-hand about the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women 2026, CSW70, with the theme “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls”. Ann Beatty is a member of Soroptimist International St Albans & District and also the Chief Executive of the education charity the Steve Sinnott Foundation. Ann attended CSW69 on-line last year, and this year attended CSW in person for the first time (see photo) as one of the delegates from Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland. Barbara Saunders OBE welcomed everyone to the meeting which coincided with the Club’s 69th Anniversary. She said it was wonderful to have so many guests from far and wide. Barbara introduced Ann with much anticipation and emphasised the importance of gender equality and education. Ann then shared with the audience her 10-day experience of attending the

Rita Beaumont, Barbara Saunders, Liz SAHWR

Club Celebrates 69th Birthday and Looks Forward to its 70th

2 months ago in

Soroptimist International St Albans and District celebrated its 69th birthday at the Club’s AGM on 13 Apr (the actual date of the Club’s charter is 27 April 1957). The AGM was a wonderful reflection and celebration of the Club’s achievements over the last year, inspiring everyone to look forward with energy and enthusiasm to the Club’s forthcoming 70th year. Members were delighted to welcome Liz, the Safe Accommodation Manager for the SAHWR Refuge, Rita Beaumont President of Soroptimist International London Chilterns Region and three prospective Club Members! The photo here l to r is of Rita Beaumont, Barbara Saunders OBE (who chaired the meeting) and Liz from the Refuge with a huge stash of tea, coffee and toiletries to take away with her! Liz Perry gave an update on the SAHWR Refuge. It is always really powerful to hear the challenges of delivering the services

Bright Orange Soroptimist Quiz Night

3 months ago in

#OrangetheWorld

Soroptimist International St Albans and District’s Charity Quiz Night on Sat 28 March was a a great success raising more than £1500 for the SAHWR Refuge and Domestic Abuse support service. This is always the Club’s last big fundraiser for the Club’s end of year in April so it was brilliant that we it was a sell out with 12 teams participating. Barbara Saunders, co-President of the Club was the MC for the evening keeping everyone to time, and keeping scores too. The Quiz Master was Barbara’s husband, Derek Palmer who challenged everyone’s brain cells on the night with some really interesting and varied rounds – all with multiple choice answers meaning that everyone has a chance to answer the questions. Barbara did a brilliant job supporting Derek as well as organising the event. If people didn’t know the answers to many of the questions

Soroptimists Inspired by UN Campaigns in Feb and March

3 months ago in

#RightsJusticeAction

Soroptimist International St Albans and District has had a busy February and March and we’ve still got the quiz to go on 28th March https://sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/quiz26/ which will have an orange theme because it’s close to the 25th March – the 25th being the date in every month designated to “Orange the World to end violence against women and girls”. The 9 February Club meeting was an opportunity to do some forward planning for the Club’s 70th year which will start after the Club’s AGM in in April, the “birthday” itself is 27 Apr 2027. On the same evening, Club Members also had a really interesting group discussion about Women in Science, led by the Club’s People Team. The 11 Feb is the UN Day for women and girls in science. Members highlighted notable women in science with careers ranging from Victorian women to the present day. The

Judge Lana Wood raised the bar for International Women’s Day

4 months ago in

#RightsJusticeAction

Soroptimist International St Albans and District marked International Women’s Day with a special event on Monday 10 March. The theme for 2026 is “Rights. Justice. Action for ALL Women and Girls. This is a call to action for the dismantling of all barriers to equal justice: discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls. Data from the United Nations informs us that currently, no nation has closed the legal gaps between men and women. Right now, women have only 64 per cent of the legal rights that men hold worldwide. In fundamental areas of life, including work, money, safety, family, property, mobility, business, and retirement – the law systematically disadvantages women. The Club’s Peace Team Facilitator and local magistrate, Denise Powell welcomed our speaker: “It is my privilege to be introducing Her Honour Judge Lana Wood.

Super-Green Event with Soil Squad Composting, Chiswell Community Garden and Ripple Effect Garden Twinning

4 months ago in

Grow Chiswell Green

What a “super-green” event on Monday 23 February, learning about all things “compost” from the amazing Soil Squad, news from Chiswell Green Community Garden and how to twin your garden and support a family in Africa with Ripple Effect! Soroptimist International St Albans & District’s Planet Team organised this excellent event with Helen Byrne leading. The group welcomed several members from various community gardens and horticultural groups, so it was a great opportunity for future collaboration. The meeting focused on two main topics: composting and garden twinning. Vicky shared her expertise on composting, explaining how Soil Squad collects food waste and create compost using coffee grounds and wood chips. She described the community aspect of composting and invited others to participate. The group then learned about the Chiswell Green Community Garden from Anne Pringle, who detailed its establishment and recent achievements. Anne highlighted how Chiswell

Katelyn Lenander on the summit of Kilimanjaro

Action Packed Start to 2026!

5 months ago in

Katelyn Lenander;

At the first Club meeting of the year on Mon 12 January, Barbara was able to report back for Katelyn Lenander who had visited the Club the previous September https://sigbi.org/st-albans/sep25. In October she went on the “Climb for Freedom – Kilimanjaro Challenge 2025”, and the Club was able to give a donation to support her challenge in aid of the “International Justice Mission UK” – a global organisation working to stop slavery and violence. Being on the Mountain – Some Reflections from Katelyn Lenander – click here to read the full report from Katelyn with a few more photos: Being on that Mountain – some reflections from Katelyn Lenander. Katelyn successfully achieved her goal of Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, but was now having to work on a Monday night to fund her university courses. She sent her report which Barbara read highlighting the challenge of articulating

My Life in Education: Past, Present and Future with Margaret Chapman

6 months ago in

Ambition Education Trust

“My Life in Education: Past, Present and Future” with Margaret Chapman The title of Margaret’s talk encompasses how her career in education began and the influences in her formative years; her career pathway to date and the rise of Trusts, the DfE, female leaders and the future. Soroptimist International St Albans & District were delighted to welcome senior educationalist Margaret Chapman, Co-Chief Executive of Ambition Education Trust, and long-time friend of the Club, to speak on Mon 26 Jan on Zoom. The event marked the United Nations (UN) International day of education. Soroptimists all over the world at a local, national and international level support the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 Quality education which aims to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Margaret used a few slides with lots of images to illustrate her talk. Three screenshots

St Albans Soroptimists Season’s Greetings

6 months ago in

#OrangeTheWorldHerts

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! Soroptimists were joined by friends (including some members of local choirs), to sing festive songs at St Albans City Station and raise more than £400 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. The weather was vile, times

Soroptimists Orange The World 2025 -16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women

7 months ago in

#CallItOut

The Soroptimist International St Albans and District #OrangeTheWorldHerts campaign 2025 was bigger and better than ever! People committed to CALL IT OUT ! saying NO! to violence against women. Scroll down to read more about all of the events. #OrangetheWorldHerts 2025 The theme CALL IT OUT! is more than awareness raising, it is a call to action – https://sigbi.org/st-albans/callitout Key events in the Soroptimist International St Albans and District campaign – see below and click here to read the full report: SISTA OTW 2025 Report Mon 10 Nov – “Orange the World” Campaign 2025 kick-off on Zoom – with Hoda Ali Co-founder of The Vavengers – The Vavengers is a UK-based charity committed to ending Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and all other forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) https://thevavengers.co.uk/ Please click here to read all about it: https://sigbi.org/st-albans/otwkickoff25 Mon 24 to Sun 30 Nov – the Odyssey cinema in

OTW St Albans Council Chamber Group 25 Nov

St Albans Orange the World Campaign is the Best Ever

7 months ago in

#CallItOut

#OrangetheWorldHerts to end violence against women – the St Albans Campaign Launch was on Tuesday 25th November and was the brightest and best ever! 25 Nov is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women – also known as “White Ribbon Day”, and is the start of the 16 days of activism to end gender-based violence – a global United Nations Campaign. There were multiple Orange the World/White Ribbon events on Tuesday 25 November in St Albans. St Albans City & District Council ran bystander/intervention training in the morning. The afternoon started with an awareness raising walk through St Albans putting up posters about the Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline in public places and in local businesses. Cllr Paul de Kort leader of St Albans Council, Cllr Beth Fisher Mayor of Harpenden, local Police, DL and Hertford Soroptimist, St Albans Soroptimists, St Albans Councillors and staff

Hearing the Voices of Harpenden – Orange the World to End Violence Against Women

7 months ago in

#CallItOut

Harpenden Orange the World Campaign Thursday 27th November Soroptimist International St Albans and District ran their #OrangetheWorldHerts Campaign for the 6th year from 25 November, the International Day to End Violence Against women, which is also known as “White Ribbon Day”. This year they have been working even more closely with local Councils. Soroptimist all over the world support the global United Nations Orange the World Campaign from Nov 25 to 10 Dec, “16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women”. Soroptimists ask people to take action and #CallItOut whenever they see abuse of women. As a bright and optimistic colour, orange represents a future free from violence against women and girls. Orange is a great colour for getting noticed as you can see from the photos! On Thursday 27 November the Soroptimists’ #OrangetheWorldHerts campaign focused on Harpenden with an event at the Eric Morecambe Centre, hosted by Harpenden Council and

CALLITOUT Police - St Albans Museum OTW 2024

CALL IT OUT | End Violence Against Women | Orange the World Herts

7 months ago in

#16daysof activism

CALL IT OUT ! CALL IT OUT ! CALL IT OUT ! Please click below to view a 2.5 minute video with all the wonderful images from the 2024 campaign: #CALLITOUT #OrangeTheWorldHerts #EndViolenceAgainstWomen For ease of printing/sharing you can download a single page here with the information from below: Orange The World CALLITOUT 1 pager What can you do? – COMMIT TO CALL IT OUT ! Intervene if it’s safe to do so. Talk to the abuser if you know them Report the behaviour if at work or college. Call the police. Call the Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline who can direct you to more support. Orange is to make others aware. Orange is a bright and hopeful colour, shining a light on the scourge of Domestic Abuse and on a future where it doesn’t exist. Useful numbers/contacts Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline – 08 088 088

Hoda M. Ali – Powerful Kick-Off for Orange the World Herts 2025

8 months ago in

The “Orange the World Hertfordshire” Campaign 2025 led by Soroptimist International St Albans and District had a powerful kick-off on Mon 10 Nov when we heard from the inspirational Hoda M. Ali, Co-founder of The Vavengers – The Vavengers is a UK-based charity committed to ending Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and all other forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) https://thevavengers.co.uk/. Please scroll down for a brief biography and outline of her amazing talk. The event was recorded – so please click here to watch/listen https://youtu.be/U5EZuSdRLQk After Soroptimist “Orange the World” Campaign lead Denise Powell welcomed everyone to the event Hoda took her audience through a questionnaire about FGM – you can download it here: Questionnaire about FGM Hoda’s slides are available to download and view as a PDF here: FGMC Awareness session 2025 Hoda M. Ali delivered a comprehensive presentation on female genital

Mental Health Challenges with ADHD and Menopause – Dr Samantha Hiew

8 months ago in

ADHD

It was wonderful to be able to welcome Dr Samantha Hiew (Sam) on 27 October to talk us through the mental health challenges facing women and girls including ADHD and the Menopause. Sam described her talk as a “fireside chat”. The event was held in October to mark World Mental Health Day. There were 30 people on the Zoom call, SI St Albans & District were delighted to welcome 11 guests from near and far. Women’s Health has been an issue of concern to Soroptimists for many years. Dr Hiew’s research is really important given the lack of priority shown by decision-makers to women’s mental health, and current public interest in the menopause. Sam spoke to us about the growing scientific knowledge about mental health and ADHD, and how society can respond to the needs of those identified with the condition. Sam explained how women’s

SISTA Welcome Gill Arukpe by Helen Byrne

September – No Peace for St Albans Soroptimists!

9 months ago in

Abbey Theatre

The 21 Sep is the International Day of Peace – an important date in the Soroptimist Calendar, but September was anything but peaceful for the St Albans and District Soroptimists! Club Meeting 8 Sep – the first Club meeting after the summer break is always busy and this one was no exception! It’s always a special event when we welcome a new member to the Club. Helen Byrne introduced Gill Arupke. and welcomed her as a member with these words (click here to download) Introduction to Gill Arukpe Sep 25 . Gill inspired us all when she spoke at the June Region meeting https://sigbi.org/london-chilterns/jun25 and we look forward to a bright Soroptimist future for our new “sister”. Gill is pictured here with Helen. Gill Arupke was awarded her MBE in 2024 in recognition of her 46-year career in the charity sector. Gill has run two women’s refuges,

SISTA Woodoaks Farm walk - Janet Helen Anna Jane

Two Super Soroptimist Summer Walks

10 months ago in

Soroptimist

With no Club meetings in August Barbara from the Club’s People Team and Helen from the Planet Team arranged two super walks for people to join if they were around. On Wednesday 20 August Barbara, Sarah and Jane explored Leavesden Country Park. The Country Park itself, was home to the ‘Leavesden Asylum for Idiots and Imbeciles’ built in 1867. They walked up to East Lane Cemetery quietly remembering those who had died in the asylum. Across the other side of Leavesden road they viewed the many different sculptures on the “Heritage Trail” recognising the history of the area, including aircraft engineering, the film industry and the mental institution. Click here for more about the park https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/services/leisure-parks-culture/parks-open-spaces/leavesden-country-park and click on the tabs for History and Restoration and the Heritage Trail. There is an excellent indoor café there so the three Soroptimists were well refreshed before and

SISTA Bring and Share St Albans URC Greenwood Jul 25

Veggie Bring and Share, Repair Fair and Friendship Visit

11 months ago in

Bring and Share

The Club is having an active summer so please scroll through this blog to find out more… Food for thought at a Plant-based shared meal and Success at the latest Repair Fair The Club’s Planet Team have been busy this summer with two successful events – a bring and share plant-based meal on 28th July and the return of the Repair Fair to the St Albans URC on Sat 28 June. On 28th July members sat down to a bring and share plant-based meal, enjoying convivial company whilst learning about the need for everyone to reduce their intake of meat and fish. We were delighted to welcome new member Gill Arukpe to the meal, her first meeting. Gill was a guest speaker at the SI London Chilterns Regional Meeting in June (click her to read about it https://sigbi.org/london-chilterns/jun25/) and was so taken by what

14 July Zoom Gallery Carers in Herts and Verso

Soroptimists Welcome Carers in Herts and Verso Care

12 months ago in

Carers in Herts

On Monday 14th July we were very fortunate to be able to welcome two speakers to talk about different aspects of care in our community: Roma Mills, Policy and Engagement Manager from Carers in Hertfordshire https://www.carersinherts.org.uk/ and Sacha Kirsten, Care Manager at Verso Care St Albans https://www.verso.church/verso-care . Barbara Saunders OBE welcomed and thanked both of our speakers. Due to time constraints Sacha joined the meeting for her part and left straight afterwards, and we were very grateful that she could spare the time to join us. Roma was able to stay for the whole meeting and it was lovely to catch up with her – she had been quite involved with the Club 25 years ago when she was Mayor of St Albans The meeting covered various community initiatives and support services, including advocacy for carers, local government changes, and the work of Verso Care

Soroptimists Welcome St Albans Community Pantry and Mary’s Meals

1 year ago in

marys meals

Members of Soroptimist International St Albans and District were delighted to welcome two great speakers on 23 June. The headline was for them to tell us about their work addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 “Zero Hunger” https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal2. and they completely engaged the audience by covering that and so much more! First up was Raihaanah Ahmed, founder of the St Albans Community Pantry https://stalbanscommunitypantry.org/, followed by Molly Leigh-Moy from the charity Mary’s Meals https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/. Two charities supporting vulnerable people in different parts of the world, with a lot in common. DONATIONS: There was no charge for this special event and if you wish to make a donation to these two wonderful charities then details of how to donate are on this page of our website: https://sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/donate/. Please understand that there is no pressure to do this. All donations will be split between the charities.

Tricia Gibbons The Green House St Albans Presentation to SISTA 9 Jun

The Green House came to the St Albans Soroptimist Club Meeting

1 year ago in

Great Big Green Week

On Mon 9 Jun 25 St Albans and District Soroptimist Club Members were delighted to welcome Tricia Gibbons from the Green House in St Albans, to give a presentation and inform everyone about this wonderful place and what it does. We were marking World Environment Day which had been on 5 Jun and we were very fortunate that Tricia could spare us the time in “Great Big Green Week”. Tricia was invited by Helen Byrne and the Club’s “Planet Team” and it is appropriate that face-to-face Club meetings are held in the Community Eco-Hub at the St Albans United Reformed Church – Greenwood. Tricia and Helen are pictured here as “book ends” for the display board and resources for the Green House that Tricia had brought for us all to browse. This is the website for the Green House https://thegreenhousestalbans.org/ – if you can then

Busy Week – Recycling Books and Mock Interviews at STAGS

1 year ago in

Harpenden Sustainability Market

Members of SI St Albans and District, plus one daughter, ran the Club’s Charity Bookstall at the Sustainability Market Harpenden, organised by Sustainable St Albans on Sun May 18. https://sustainablestalbans.org/sustainability-market/. We had loads of second-hand novels and children’s books to sell. This was a Soroptimist “orange day” – to raise awareness and take action to end violence against women and girls. As a bright and optimistic colour, orange represents a future free from the scourge that is violence against women and girls. We were also promoting our Orange the World campaign – 16 days of activism from 25 Nov to 10 Dec – click here to read more https://sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/2024/orange24/ Money raised was for the SAHWR Refuge supporting victims of domestic abuse https://sahwr.org.uk/. We also gained some exposure for our Club and raised awareness of our Orange the World Campaign. Soroptimists sent a big thanks to

Ann Beatty speaking at Soroptimist Conference Edinburgh

Ann Beatty – Steve Sinnott Foundation Education projects and UN CSW 2025

1 year ago in

Ann Beatty

SI St Albans & District Member Ann Beatty was the speaker at the Club Meeting on Zoom on Mon 12 May. Many of our Club Members were unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, so we decided to hold meeting on Zoom. It worked really well as an informal session which was more like a conversation with friends. Ann is the Chief Executive of the Steve Sinnott Foundation https://www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk, a charity working on education projects around the world, supported by the Club, Soroptimist Yorkshire Region and now by our umbrella organisation, Soroptimist International. She gave us an update on the work of the charity, in particular projects supported by the Soroptimist International Foundation https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/soroptimist-international-foundation/. Ann also told us about her experience of attending the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) online this year. The Steve Sinnott Foundation (SSF) has the strap-line “Changing Lives

In Memory – Jean Eaton 1942-2024

1 year ago in

jean eaton

We lost our dear friend and sister Soroptimist Jean Eaton on 29 December 2024. Because Jean had so many friends, overseas as well as in the UK, Soroptimist International St Albans & District we held a special “Remembering Jean” Zoom event on Monday 28th April. Please click here to view the video (1 hr 10 mins): https://youtu.be/As8VSAcVvw4 SI St Albans Club Members were joined by Margaret Van Laan Martin from SI Chico in California, Sylvia Vornhecke and her husband Axel from SI Muenster in Germany, Jean’s friend Barbara Pittam from Canada, Liz Perry long-time friend of the Club and Manager of the SAHWR Women’s Refuge and Kate Belinis President of SI London Chilterns Region. Helen Byrne chaired the meeting, Jane Slatter shared photos and everyone shared warm, happy memories. Things that were commented on were Jean’s wonderful wide smile, her laughter and zest for life,

Tree Dedication to Jean Eaton and Tulips Orange the World

1 year ago in

Civic Rose Garden

On Wed 23 April a group of Soroptimists and friends gathered with volunteers from the Civic Rose Garden Regeneration Project, Neil Kieran from St Albans City and District Council, Councillor Jacqui Taylor and Chloe Sykes Social Value Officer from Morgan Sindall. This was two events in one. There was a tree dedication and installation of a plaque in memory of Jean Eaton as well as an “Orange the World” event showcasing the recently planted orange tulips in bloom. The cherry tree was planted last year as part of the garden regeneration and was subsequently dedicated to Soroptimist and “St Albans Community Champion” Jean Eaton: In Loving Memory of our Soroptimist Sister Jean Eaton 1942-2024 Soroptimist International St Albans & District planted this tree for Jean, a great friend to many people and an inspirational community champion. Please click here for memories of Jean Eaton https://sigbi.org/st-albans/jean-eaton The

68th AGM – Refuge Update and Reflections on a Brilliant Year for the Club

1 year ago in

Barbara Saunders OBE welcomed everyone to the 68th Annual General Meeting of Soroptimist International St Albans & District. We were delighted to be able to welcome guests Liz Perry from the SAHWR Refuge and Kate Belinis DL, SI London Chilterns Region President. Barbara asked us to spend two minutes in silence at the start of the AGM as a moment of reflection to remember past Members Jean Eaton, Christine Farrington and Jean Jolly who had all sadly passed away in the last year. All Officers Reports including the Accounts and the Financial Report had been distributed to members in advance of the meeting. Club Members should refer to these for full details. We started with a financial update from our Treasurer Sarah Lichman. When we looked back we realised what a huge amount we had achieved in just one year! We donated a total of

Oranging the Soroptimist Charity Quiz Night

1 year ago in

#OrangetheWorld

Soroptimist International St Albans and District’s Charity Quiz Night on Sat 22 March was a a great success raising more than £1400 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge and other charities supported by the Club. This is always the Club’s last big fundraiser for the Club’s end of year in April so it was brilliant to be so well supported. Barbara Saunders, co-President of the Club was the MC for the evening keeping everyone to time and and keeping scores too. The Quiz Master was Barbara’s husband, Derek Palmer who challenged everyone’s brain cells on the night with some really interesting and varied rounds – all with multiple choice answers meaning that everyone has a chance to answer the questions. Barbara did a brilliant job supporting Derek as well as organising the event. Ian Byrne organised and ran the music round which meant accessing another

February and March – volunteering, inspiring, plus International Women’s Day

1 year ago in

Soroptimist

Where has the beginning of the year gone?! It’s the old adage – “if you want something doing ask a busy person” and Soroptimists are always busy! On Monday 10 February we had a face-to-face Club Meeting in the new Community Hall at St Albans United Reformed Church Greenwood https://stalbansurc.org/ . Club Member Anna Barratt, who was instrumental in the development of the new hall, gave a presentation about the background to the building and its eco-positive structure and features. Sarah Lichman, Club Treasurer, explained our commitment to the charity and microfinance organisation “Lend With Care” https://lendwithcare.org/ which is part of “Care International”. Sarah explained that we lend to groups of women, mainly in Africa. The project started in 2019 with the Club lending £200 in relatively small amounts which the recipients repay to the best of their ability. She identifies projects run mainly by

Beatriz Chadour-Sampson – a Career Curating Jewellery Museums

1 year ago in

Beatriz Chadour Sampson

Soroptimist International St Albans and District hosted a special talk on Mon 24 Feb by their esteemed Club Member Beatriz Chadour-Sampson. “THE LIFE OF A JEWELLERY HISTORIAN, CURATOR, AUTHOR, LECTURER CURATING MUSEUMS AND HOW IT ALL BEGAN” Soroptimist Beatriz Chadour-Sampson is an international jewellery historian, curator, author and lecturer. Beatriz was consultant curator to the redesigning of the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery and guest curator of the ‘Pearls’ exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. London. She curated the Alice and Louis Koch Collection in the Swiss National Museum, Zurich and Gübelin Gem Museum in Lucerne. She spoke to us about her experience as a curator, her passion for jewellery, and art, and how her career has developed, working in historic locations and on-line. Beatriz kindly allowed us to record her talk so please click here to view the video recording – it

Induction Sue Rayment and Nono Nyathi with Helen Byrne and Jane Slatter

New Year, New Venue, New Members, Greener Together and More!

1 year ago in

Greener Together

This was the first Club meeting of 2025 and it was great to be in brand new meeting hall back at St Albans URC Greenwood. Helen Byrne, facilitator of the Planet Team chaired the meeting because of the really interesting speaker the team had booked (see below). Helen had to start the meeting on a sad note because of the passing of our dear Soroptimist sister Jean Eaton – please click here for more information https://sigbi.org/st-albans/jean-eaton The next part of the meeting lifted our spirits, because it is always a special event when we officially welcome a new Member to our Club, and the evening was even more special because we gave a warm Soroptimist welcome to two new Members – Nonhlanhla Nyathi (Nono) and Sue Rayment. The pictures are of Jane Slatter leading the induction, and of Helen Byrne with Sue, Nono and Jane

St Albans Soroptimists Season’s Greetings

2 years ago in

Home-Start

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

Soroptimists Orange The World 2024 -16 Days of Action to End Violence Against Women

2 years ago in

#16daysof activism

Soroptimist International St Albans and District #OrangeTheWorldHerts campaign 2024 was brighter and louder than ever! Everyone who joined in committed to CALL IT OUT ! saying NO! to violence against women. Click here for more about how to take action and CALL IT OUT ! : https://sigbi.org/st-albans/callitout Mon 25 Nov – Tue 10 Dec Soroptimists join the United Nations Orange The World campaign – 16 Days of Action to End Violence Against Women. As a bright and optimistic colour, orange represents a future free from violence against women and girls. www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite/orange-the-world #OrangetheWorldHerts 2024 This year’s theme is CALL IT OUT! – please click here for more: https://sigbi.org/st-albans/callitout moving from awareness raising to a call to action. The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, Annie Brewster is behind our campaign – see the photo here of Annie with our selfie frame with Herts Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan

Is Exercise the Miracle Cure? – Women, Health, Exercise and The Economy

2 years ago in

Prof Scarlett McNally

Soroptimist International St Albans and District organised a special event on Zoom on Mon 28 Oct when *Professor Scarlett McNally spoke on the subject of “Women, Health, Exercise and the Economy – Is Exercise the Miracle Cure?” The recording is available to view here: The slides from Professor Scarlett McNally’s presentation are available to download here – Exercise Presentation 28.10.24 SCARLETT McNALLY Scarlett has been very generous with sharing all of this information with us. Due to time constraints she was only able to touch on some of the material so please go through it in your own time. She is a passionate advocate for exercise and has clear evidence to back up what she is saying which you can see from the statistics and the papers she has included here in her slides. Summary: I have attempted to summarise just some of the key

Charity Night at Abbey Theatre and a Hectic Oct Club Meeting

2 years ago in

#wmhd

Autumn is always busy for the St Albans Soroptimist Club – keep reading to find out more! The Abbey Theatre in St Albans generously gives local organisations and charities the opportunity to sell the tickets for the first performance of their productions. Thursday 10 October was World Mental Health Day so the play “The Father” was a poignant reminder of the stresses of living with dementia both for the sufferer and the people around them. Members of Soroptimist International St Albans and District were able to sell tickets and hold a raffle raising £500 to be shared between the Alzheimer’s Society and Herts Viewpoint (working for better mental health). Soroptimist Barbara Saunders organised the event and spoke to the audience at the end of the play “thanks so much to everyone who has supported us, and for their generosity to these charities for the excellent work that they do. We have

Orange The World CallItOut Annie Brewster High Sheriff Herts

Busy September for St Albans Soroptimists

2 years ago in

#CallItOut

Our Soroptimist Club had a great September Club Meeting focused on its new Sustainability Policy. The event was led by Helen Bryne and the Club’s Planet Team. Our guest, Life Coach Kerry Trevett, facilitated some meaningful discussions about motivating yourself to live a more sustainable life. Another session will be arranged soon to finalise the policy. The outcomes from the discussion will be incorporated into the Club’s Sustainability Policy which will be issued and adopted by the Club to help the Club and it’s Members make a difference. Soroptimists throughout the world have responded to environmental calling through mitigation and adaptation through awareness, action and advocacy. As we work towards the achievement of Agenda 2030 for more sustainable environmental work with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as guides. We were able to launch this year’s SI St Albans & District Orange the World Campaign

SISTA Summer Outing St A Museum and Gallery

Inspiring Summer Outing to St Albans Museum and Gallery

2 years ago in

#OrangetheWorld

What a super Soroptimist Club Social/Summer Outing we had on 15 August! Ten of us arranged to meet at St Albans Museum and Gallery to see the “Passion, Determination, Vision” exhibition that had been put on by “Eastern Region Textile Forum”. The exhibition was of textile art celebrating individuals who have made a real impact in St Albans, the wider eastern region and beyond. The textile works showed the impacts and consequences of diverse individuals’ lives – across time, place, space and occupation – from each artist’s unique and creative perspective. There were textile portraits representing local people including Saint Alban, Stephen Hawking, Francis Bacon, Ebenezer Howard, Louis Wain, George Bernard Shaw, Kathleen Kenyon, Michael Morpurgo, Pauline Gower, Lady Constance Lytton, Tim Rice and many more. We were particularly keen to see the piece by Maggie Hands which was inspired by St Albans Soroptimist Peggy Hodges

The Online World, A Force for Good…with care

2 years ago in

Cosima Wiltshire

Mon 22 Jul our speaker on Zoom was Cosima Wiltshire. She is an amazing young woman, who has been working on online safety since she was 13! Make a note of her name, because we feel sure you will be hearing more from her in the future. You can view her presentation by clicking on this link Cosima Presentation. As we suspected this event proved popular and we had Soroptimist guests from as far away as Cornwall and Perthshire! The event was recorded and you can click on this link to watch her presentation: https://youtu.be/DkqZz_cX-QI. Here are some notes that were taken at the event – they are only a summary: Cosima introduced herself: she’s 18 and just finished her A levels and hopes to go to UCL in September. She said she would be talking about meaningful youth engagement and safety online. She started

Bookstall Soroptimist International St Albans 2024 90 for 90 books Helen Sarah Denise Nicky Jane

Orange Charity Bookstall Sustainability Market Harpenden and 90 for 90

2 years ago in

90 for 90

On Sunday 21 July lots of Members of SI St Albans and District, plus one husband and one daughter, ran the Club’s Charity Bookstall at the Sustainability Market Harpenden, organised by Sustainable St Albans https://sustainablestalbans.org/sustainability-market/. We had loads of second-hand novels and children’s books to sell. This was a Soroptimist “orange day” – to raise awareness and take action to end violence against women and girls. As a bright and optimistic colour, orange represents a future free from the scourge that is violence against women and girls. We were also promoting our Orange the World campaign – 16 days of activism from 25 Nov to 10 Dec – click here to read more https://sigbi.org/st-albans/orange24/ We made £275 for the SAHWR Refuge supporting victims of domestic abuse https://sahwr.org.uk/. We also gained some exposure for our Club and raised awareness of our Orange the World Campaign. Soroptimists

Soroptimist Gill Clegg Reports Back from her trip to Zambia at the end of 2023

2 years ago in

Gill Clegg

Revisiting Zambia It was great that so many of our Members were able to join us on Mon 8 Jul at our Club Meeting to hear Gill Clegg’s first hand account of her most recent trip to Zambia. You can click here to read about when Gill gave us a presentation on Zoom in 2023 about her time working in Zambia in 2019: https://sigbi.org/st-albans/zambia In November 2023 Gill and her husband Jon revisited Katete in the Eastern Province of Zambia. Gill showed us printed and laminated photos to pass round at our Club meeting, which brought the stories she was telling to life. It was a lively interactive session with Club Members asking Gill lots of questions about every photo, and Gill answering warmly and openly. Gill started by using maps to show us where Watete in Zambia is. Zambia is a large land-locked African

Harpenden Health and Wellbeing Fair and a Picnic in the Chiswell Green Community Garden

2 years ago in

#OrangetheWorld

It was great for St Albans and District Soroptimist women’s group to participate in the Harpenden Library “Health and Wellbeing Fair” promoting “Orange the World” to End Violence Against Women – asking how will Harpenden people, organisations, businesses turn orange for the 16 Days of Activism 25 Nov to 10 Dec? https://sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/orange-the-world/ Other organisations were The OLLIE Foundation, Age UK Hertfordshire, Communities 1st, Hertfordshire Health Walks, Harpenden Learning For Leisure, Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care Compassionate Cafe, The Harpenden Trust and Pets As Therapy with Lexa the Labradoodle (pictured on the poster). Jane Slatter and Helen are pictured here on p47 of the 27 June issue of the St Albans Times with Hannah, a volunteer with the Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline. On Thu 27 Jun the Club had a social event at Chiswell Green Community Garden. The evening was arranged by Helen Byrne and the Planet Team.

Soroptimist International with St Albans Women's Cricket Team

Soroptimists win over the St Albans Womens Cricket Team

2 years ago in

#OrangetheWorld

On Monday 10 June we had a lively and interesting evening with 3 members and their coach from the St Albans Cricket Club Women’s Cricket Team. Our Club sponsors women’s cricket in Hertfordshire as a lasting legacy in memory of our Member Audrey Collins OBE – Audrey was an inspirational past member and teacher at STAGS, who played cricket for England. click here to read more https://sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/projects/cricket/. See below for a photo of the St Albans Women’s Cricket Team wearing the shirts with our logo. The evening proved to be a great opportunity for the St Albans Cricket Team to find out more about our Club’s projects and for us to hear about the challenges and successes of our local women’s cricket team. Our wonderful visitors told us how they had got into playing cricket and what kept them playing. Then India Newman, the Team

Steve Sinnott Foundation for Education – Celebrating 15 Years of Success

2 years ago in

Ann Beatty

It was wonderful to hear from Ann Beatty, Chief Executive Officer of the Steve Sinnott Foundation, on Zoom on Tue 28 May. Soroptimist International St Albans and District are proud to have Ann as a Member of the Club. As the Steve Sinnott Foundation celebrates its 15th year, Ann Beatty gave a presentation and we also heard from one of the Foundation’s Partners in Gambia, Marie Antoinette, who attended on Zoom. They told us about the Foundation’s unique way of working in partnership to support access to education for all. They explained that the education charity develops programmes together with people, and not for them. As a Partner, Marie Antoinette is working on the ground to change the lives of women and girls. We had 22 people on the call, including Foundation Ambassadors Helen Porter from the Winchester Soroptimist Club and our own Ameeta Sabharwal.

Transfer Member Ayushi Kundu with Jane Slatter

Lovely Club Meeting with 90th Birthday Celebrations and a new Member

2 years ago in

Ayushi Kundu

What a lovely Club meeting we had on Mon 13 April. We welcomed Ayushi Kundu as a new Member of our Club, she has transferred from SI Calcutta. We felt very fortunate to have Joan Williams with us, our longest standing Member who was celebrating her 90th Birthday! We also had a lively discussion with ideas for the Club Programme in the year ahead – you can click here to save the dates in your diaries! sigbi.org/st-albans/club-programme It is always a special event when we officially welcome a new member to our Club. Ayushi has followed her mother’s footsteps into being a Soroptimist and has been a Member of SI Calcutta since 2014. Ayushi describes herself as a “young and passionate Soroptimist, working earnestly to transform the lives of women and girls!” She held the position of Soroptimist International President’s Appeal Coordinator 2019-2021 for the

Successful Soroptimist Muenster Friendship Link Visit to St Albans

2 years ago in

friendship link

You will notice from this news item that Friendship Link visits involve a lot of time for socialising over food and drink – always a great way to get to know one another and to build on one of the Soroptimist objects to develop “international good will and understanding” – well that’s our excuse anyway! This Friendship Link visit was organised by the Soroptimist Friendship Link co-ordinator for Muenster, Sylvia Vornhecke and the co-ordinator for St Albans, Jean Eaton. SI Muenster President, Brigitte Borchard was travelling with her husband, Raphael and daughter Felina, plus another Member Irmgard Klotz. Eva Hoffman and her daughter Mia flew in with Sylvia, and Sylvia’s husband Axel flew in on Saturday to join the group and make it eight. Different Soroptimists were able to join the group from Muenster for different parts of the programme over the weekend which was

SISTA AGM 24 New Member Deirdre with Denise and Barbara

Busy AGM – New Member, Refuge Update and Reflections on Another Great Year for the Club

2 years ago in

On Monday 15th April the Club held its 67th Annual General Meeting. It was held at Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre. New Member Induction: We were delighted to start the AGM by officially welcoming new Member Deirdre Millar to our Club. Deirdre found out about Soroptimists when Denise Powell asked the choir they are both members of to wear orange for our “Orange the World” campaign last November https://sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/2023/orange23/ Denise is pictured here left of Deirdre and Barbara Saunders who was leading the meeting is on the right. Most of Deirdre’s working life has been spent in social care in local government, some front line, but mostly Commissioning future services and quality marking services and managing teams of people who do this. Deirdre is looking forward to getting to know Soroptimists and they are looking forward to getting to know her. We are sure that

Charity Quiz Night a Great Success for St Albans Soroptimists

2 years ago in

Quiz Night

Soroptimist International St Albans and District’s Charity Quiz Night on Sat 23 March was a a great success raising £1150 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge and other charities supported by the Club. This is always the Club’s last big fundraiser for the Club’s end of year in April so it was brilliant to be so well supported. Barbara Saunders, co-President of the Club was the MC for the evening keeping everyone to time and and keeping scores too. The Quiz Master was Barbara’s husband, Derek Palmer who challenged everyone’s brain cells on the night with some really interesting and varied rounds – all with multiple choice answers meaning that everyone has a chance to answer the questions. Barbara did a brilliant job supporting Derek as well as organising the event. Ian Byrne organised and ran the music round which meant accessing another part

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