Club news Archives | Page 6 of 7 | SI St Albans and District

Birth Companions: Pregnancy in Prison – the harsh truth

8 years ago in

St Albans & District Soroptimists and guests had an excellent evening where they learnt about what it’s like to be pregnant in prison. Both speakers were subject matter experts, and were keen to tell us about the Birth Charter for women in prisons in England and Wales being launched on May 26th www.birthcompanions.org.uk/Birth-Charter – there is a link on the page to get on the mailing list to receive the document. Pregnant Mothers often feel dehumanised, many already have mental health issues and the way they are treated through pregnancy, birth and postnatally can lead to worsening mental and physical wellbeing. Our speakers (pictured right) were Laura Abbott, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery, University of Herts who shared her research which provides a vivid picture of life for pregnant women in prison and Naomi Delap, Director of the Charity, Birth Companions www.birthcompanions.org.uk who explained how their volunteers seek to alleviate some

Curry Night FUNdraiser for St Albans for Refugees

9 years ago in

Abbey Spice

Soroptimists Amanda Brown, Janet Audley-Charles, Sally Graham and Ameeta Sabharwal had great fun when they attended the STAR St Albans for Refugees fundraising curry night at the Abbey Spice Restaurant in St Albans on Sunday 15th of May. Farhat ZIa from the Hertforshire Asian Women’s Association invited us along. The restaurant was packed and raised almost £750! Please check the STAR St Albans for Refugees website for all the great work www,stalbansforrefugees.org/ and the facebook page www.facebook.com/StAlbansforRefugees/ Don’t miss our Club evening on Monday 27 June when we will be hearing from Herts Welcomes Syrian Refugees www.sigbi.org/st-albans/club-programme/

Launch Party for Club’s 60th Year at AGM

9 years ago in

Women serving the St Albans Community since 1957! The St Albans and District Soroptimists sparked off their 60th diamond year at their AGM and annual Club birthday party. President Denise launched the exciting diamond year ahead and plans for ’60 for 60′ where we will complete 60 projects in our 60th year (large and small, fun and more serious) see President’s Message See the programme of events for our diamond year Pictured here are Club President Denise Powell (centre right), Regional President Pam Robertson (right of Denise), Helen Byrne Membership Officer (far right) – with five of our ten fabulous new Members recruited in the Club year 2015/16 (Alka, Aanda, Allyson, Katherine and Sarah)! Joan Williams, the Club’s longest serving Member presented Denise with a framed photo to thank her for being such a terrific President last year. The Club was very sorry that Helen Francis is retiring

Quiz Night was a Gem!

9 years ago in

charity

St Albans and District Soroptimists had a packed house for their gem of a charity quiz night! Denise Powell, Club President, took the opportunity to announce the start of the Club’s Diamond Anniversary year – the Club has been serving the community since April 1957! The evening sparkled with the diamond theme put together by Member and Quiz Master Helen Byrne and her family. We raised £1160 on the night which was brilliant! There were lots of Club Members on hand plus friends and supporters to ensure the evening dazzled! Funds were raised for “International Peace Initiatives”, a charity in Meru, Kenya transforming the lives of girls and HIV-positive women www.ipeacei.org Money raised will pay for 2 girls to attend secondary school for a year.The evening was also to raise funds to support local educational causes including seed money for the “Dragons Apprentice Challenge”. Club Members will work

Club learns about working with the deaf

9 years ago in

Deaf

Soroptimists Caroline Munro and Claire Gamon improving the lives of deaf children and their families Club Members were treated to a really interesting evening in March ably led by Caroline Munro and Claire Gamon, two of our Members who work with children who are deaf and their parents. Caroline works for the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in London and Claire works for Hertfordshire Education. When a child from Hertfordshire is identified by Caroline as having hearing loss then she works with Claire for the next stages of support at home and in the community. During the evening we learnt why identifying hearing loss early is important (for adults as well as for children), what happens next, and how we can all play our part in being deaf aware. They used multi media to explain everything clearly and even demonstrated to us how a cochlea

Club Welcomes 9th New Member Linda Shall

9 years ago in

club

The Club was delighted to be able to welcome Linda Shall at their meeting in March. Linda is pictured here with Club President Denise Powell having been given her Club badge and Membership folder of information. We have a short informal induction ceremony in which the new Member, and all Club Members present, pledge their duty to the Club, the organisation and to each other. We hope that she will enjoy being part of this active Soroptimist Club. The Club is very proud to say that Linda is the 9th new Club Member in this Club year!

Hats Off to Club Celebrating International Women’s Day

9 years ago in

club

To mark International Women’s Day Members were asked to bring and wear head gear making a statement about womanhood so we could learn and share something about women from all over the world. Please view the images on the Flipagram here: https://flipagram.com/f/lcED8Cg6Hc As the old saying goes if you want to get ahead you’ve got to get a hat! We celebrated with a candle lighting ceremony and shared food from around the world. The traditional Japanese doll pictured was a 50th Anniversary gift from our Friendship Link in Osaka in 2007. The Burka was lent to us by Jackie Paling former Soroptimist Interntational Great Britain and Ireland Assistant Programme Director for Violence Against Women who visited Afghanistan many times. As you can see the evening was fun and inspirational! Across the world thousands of Soroptimists mark International Women’s Day with hundreds of activities and events on and

Club Welcomes New Member Sarah Lichman

9 years ago in

club

The Club was delighted to be able to welcome Sarah Lichman at their March Club Meeting and celebration of International Women’s Day. Sarah is pictured here with Club President Denise Powell having been given her Club badge and Membership folder of information. We have a short informal induction ceremony in which the new Member, and all Club Members present, pledge their duty to the Club, the organisation and to each other. We are proud to say that Sarah is our eighth new Member in the current Club year and we hope that she will enjoy being part of this active Soroptimist Club.

Social Media workshop was great fun

9 years ago in

club

Social Media Evening – “great fun and I learnt alot” – said one of the 10 Members who attended the Club’s Social Media Workshop – led by Club President Denise Powell (who is also a trainer locally with Computer Friendly). The group were at different levels of what they knew about Facebook and Twitter. The workshop was aimed at helping everyone to know more and decide how to use these social media platforms to benefit themselves, their organisations and Soroptimists (of course!). The workshop was held in a Member’s house (see pic left) so that it was informal and fun as well as informative.

Club Welcomes 4 New Members

9 years ago in

club

Members of the Soroptimist International St Albans and District Club were delighted to be able to welcome four new Members to the Club at their first meeting of 2016 – what a great start to the New Year! We hope they will all enjoy their membership and we are sure that as Soroptimists they will inspire action and transform many lives of women and girls in the exciting times ahead for the Club and the Soroptimist organisation. Pictured here are (l to r) Sally Graham, Amanda Brown, Denise Powell (Club President), Allyson Walker and Claire Gamon.

Human Rights Day Celebration and Regional Meeting

9 years ago in

club

On Saturday 12th December 8 Members of the Club attended the Soroptimist International London Chilterns Region Human Rights Day celebration and Regional meeting. Held in the beautiful and intriguing Mayflower Place, Hertingfordbury the meeting started as always with the lighting of candles, accompanied by various beautiful and inspiring readings to mark the anniversary of the signing of the UN Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948. The speaker for the day was Jan Dalrymple CEO of Safer Places, an independent charity which provides a comprehensive range of services to adults and children affected by domestic and sexual abuse who live in west and mid Essex, north and east Hertfordshire and Southend – www.saferplaces.co.uk Engaging the audience from the outset, Jan told us about their work not only with refuges but also how they were extending their work into the Community. Hospital staff and GPs

City Station Carols Success – marking Human Rights Day

9 years ago in

charity

This year’s annual Soroptimist Christmas carol singing at St Albans City Station was a great success raising a massive £576.04 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge – this is the most we’ve every collected! We are sure that our four legged friend Fiona made all the difference and she would like to send a big thank you and wish the generous St Albans Commuters a very merry Christmas. Recent funding cuts and increased demand mean that the Refuge needs additional funding now more than ever before. This event is timed on the closest Monday to Human Rights Day when Soroptimists all around the world take action www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday An article appeared in the Herts Advertiser: www.hertsad.co.uk/news/dog_boosts_charity_takings_at_st_albans_carol_service_1_4352688 Over supper Club Members made donations of £100, in lieu of sending one another Christmas cards, to the International President’s annual December 10th appeal ‘Educate To Lead: Nepal‘ addressing the human rights issues that follow

LUSH Evening Mon 23 Nov – for SuStainable StAlbans Week

9 years ago in

club

On 23 Nov we enjoyed a fabulous Lush evening – we Learnt, we now Understand, we Sampled and took Home! www.lush.co.uk This was part of SuStAinable StAlbans Week www.sustainablestalbans.org Charis and Alex came from Lush St Albans to explain Lush sustainability policies, ethics and products – including sourcing, providing work for women in a safe environment, recycling and much more! About 40 people came along to the evening. Lush products are vegetarian, fair trade, with no animal testing and the environmental goal is for zero waste. We learnt about the projects they fund all over the world from their charity pot of “sLush Funds”. The evening came to life because not only did we learn about these lovely products but Charis and Alex gave hand and arm massages using Lush massage bars. We were also able to buy some of the Lush products. Pictured above are (l to r) Janet, Charis, Alex, Clare, Maria and Denise. Janet

Soroptimist Conference Glasgow 2015

9 years ago in

Conference

5 members of the world-wide women’s organisation from the St Albans area were among 1200 delegates at the annual Soroptimist conference in Glasgow being attended by HRH Princess Anne and Dame Stella Rimington – among other luminaries! These intrepid 5 belong to Soroptimist International which has more than 80 thousand members volunteering in 130 countries. They also help shape policies advancing the progress of women at the United Nations. The elimination of all kinds of violence to women, the education of women and girls and the provision of clean water and sanitation are among the organisation’s chief concerns. Princess Anne received a £4,000 cheque towards the work of Save the Children which is currently appealing for funds to support refugee children in camps around Syria. Soroptimist clubs around the UK have donated food parcels and toiletries to families fleeing into Europe and some are preparing welcome packs of clothes and

Make it Better Please

9 years ago in

club

On 26 Oct the Club’s “Health” team held an evening called “Make it Better Please” with speaker Paul Regan from Health Watch Hertfordshire (the independent consumer champion for health and social care in Hertfordshire) and John Wigley from the St Albans & Harpenden Patient Group (This group was established to ensure that local people and organisations have a voice in health and social care matters). With all the changes from the implementation of the Clinical Commissioning Groups and more to come in social care the evening included some lively discussions! John provided a handout which can be downloaded here: St Albans And Harpenden Patients Group Talk Oct 2015 Pictured here with John Wigley are Health Team Members Helen Byrne, Jean Eaton, Sheila Chadwick, Joan Williams and Pamela Rochford. Report of the evening by Pamela Rochford: We had two speakers; the first was Paul Regan, the communications officer from Healthwatch Hertfordshire. Paul

Twenty Marys Meals Backpacks for Childrens Education

9 years ago in

charity

The Club has now filled 20 backpacks and they are ready to start their journey to Africa – see the Marys Meals Backpack project www.marysmeals.org.uk/get-involved/the-backpack-project/ Mary’s Meals provides life-changing meals to some of the world’s poorest children every day they attend school. Many children receiving Mary’s Meals don’t have basic learning tools such as pencils and notepads. To help them to get the most out of their lessons you can donate a backpack full of the things they need. For many, a Mary’s Meals backpack will be the only gift they’ll have ever had. We are sending 20 backpacks – 10 for boys and 10 for girls – containing pens, pencils, crayons, rulers, notepads, tennis balls, T shirts and shorts or leggings, sandals, soap, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste and a spoon – so that 20 children won’t miss out on getting an education. Pictured here with the backpacks are (l

You Can’t Beat a Woman – evening to understand Domestic Abuse Services

9 years ago in

club

“You can’t beat a woman” an evening to understand Domestic Abuse Services in Hertfordshire The Soroptimist International St Albans Club hosted an evening focusing on a key women’s issue of our time – domestic abuse. For too long this has been a forgotten, even a taboo subject, but now it is at the top of the agenda. Members and guests were joined by 4 expert speakers to explore the issue in detail and find out what Hertfordshire is doing to help. (Notes are at the bottom of this news item). In the picture l to r are (front row) : Angela Silver, Trustee and Volunteer – Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline Sara Jackson, Manager – Outreach, St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge Liz Perry, Manager – Emergency Accommodation, St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge Sam Fielden, Independent Domestic Violence Adviser The event was organised by Liz Tillett

St Albans to Warsaw for Soroptimist Silver Celebration

9 years ago in

25th Anniversary

A Weekend with Chopin to celebrate Soroptimist International Warsaw’s 25th Anniversary: Eight members and partners of Soroptimist International St Albans & District travelled to Warsaw for the weekend 18th – 20th Sept 2015 to join the 1st Club of Soroptimist International in Warsaw in celebrating their 25th anniversary. On Friday 18th, after a very early flight, our party was met at the airport by our 1st SI Warsaw hosts to begin a wonderful and varied weekend programme on the theme of ” A Weekend with Chopin”. Later we headed for the amazing Chopin Museum to find out about the life and incredible achievements of Warsaw’s favourite son. After the museum, those with energy to spare were treated to a short guided walk through areas of Old Warsaw connected with Frederick Chopin’s life, led by SI Krakow member and Vice President of SI Europe 2015 – 17 , Anna Wszelaczyńska. Anna’s knowledge

VSO Volunteer Sophie Jewsbury Heads for Kenya

9 years ago in

club

On Monday 14 Sep Sophie Jewsbury visited our Club to tell us about the adventure that she will be embarking upon at the end of the month. Sophie will be volunteering for three months in partnership with the charity VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas). She will be working on development projects in the town of Nanyuki in Kenya, which will focus on securing the livelihoods of women, young people and the disabled. Follow Sophie’s adventures on her Blog here: https://threemonthsinnanyuki.wordpress.com/ VSO seeks to place its volunteers in communities around the world where the need is greatest, with the aim to finding long-term solutions to extreme poverty. VSO has managed long-running projects in Kenya, so the programme will be geared to making a lasting impact in Nanyuki. More information about VSO’s work in Kenya can be found here: www.vsojitolee.org/about/what-we-do Sophie applied for the programme after finishing her degree at

Club Welcomes Kathy

9 years ago in

club

At the first Club Meeting after the summer we were delighted to be able to welcome Kathy Weston as a new Member of Soroptimist International St Albans and District. Kathy is pictured here shaking “the hand of friendship” with Club President Denise Powell having been introucuded to the Club by Janet Tansley (pictured right) and given her Club badge and Membership folders of information. Club Members gave Kathy a warm welcome and hope that she will enjoy being part of this active Soroptimist Club.

Girls Cricket – Abbots Langley U13 – Winners of Soroptimist Audrey Collins Trophy 2015

9 years ago in

abbots langley cricket

Abbots Langley beat Knebworth Park Under-13 girls cricket team by just 5 runs to win the fifth annual Soroptimist Audrey Collins Hertfordshire Cricket League. This year’s final was again held at Knebworth Park between two sides at full strength with 16 County players involved so a close match was always anticipated. The game was played in good spirits and the event was very well organised with a well prepared wicket which encouraged the good standard of cricket played with refreshments available for players and spectators alike through the day. The shield was awarded to the winners as in past years by Denise Powell, President of Soroptimist International St Albans and District who have supported girls cricket in the County for five years now. Reflecting on his side’s success, lead coach Phil Lewins said: “I believe the League and competition had been a catalyst for the girls’ cricket

Seychelles Soroptimist in St Albans

9 years ago in

Girls

Club Members were delighted to meet Cecile Hodoul from SI Victoria, Seychelles while she was visiting her sister recently who lives in St Albans. The group met for coffee and exchanged many ideas about projects to help women and girls in the Seychelles and in St Albans. Meeting up with Soroptimists from different countries is a wonderful part of being a Member – it is like having sisters and friends all over the world – all with the same common objective of improving the lives of women and girls. After little more than an hour the group were firm friends and keen to arrange their next meeting (the Seychelles islands are a very tempting holiday destination!). Our new friends Jeanne (Cecile’s sister) and her daughter, who live locally, will of course be invited to our Club events from now on. Jane Slatter met Cecile and

Coffee from Tree to Cup

9 years ago in

coffee

Coffee from Tree to Cup: Colin Smith, a local coffee roaster and supplier treated Club Members and guests to a fascinating evening all about coffee including delicious samples to taste. Colin showed some wonderful photographs from his trips around the world visiting growers and processors where the coffee comes from before it is roasted, ground and packed in Apsley www.smithscoffee.co.uk Colin also brought examples of coffee making equipment from the company’s “museum” plus lots of different sacks that the coffee arrives in – all with their own designs. Colin’s company, Smith’s Coffee, supplies Fairtrade coffee to the Tea Bar at St Albans Magistrates court – the Tea Bar is run by Soroptimist Club Member Jean Eaton with a team of helpers and all profits go to Rennie Grove Hospice Care in St Albans. Colin’s talk raised £85 in donated “gate money” and profit from coffee sales which will go to another great

Student Gillian Reports in Person on South Africa Sustainability Project – Gender Inequality Issue

9 years ago in

EVAW

Gillian Whitworth returns from South Africa and shares what she has learnt first-hand with the Club. On Monday 13 July the Club was treated to an excellent report and presentation from Gillian who is studying at the University of Warwick. She recently conducted a field study on regional sustainability in South Africa. Gillian was based at the Monash University in Johannesburg and from there travelled to the project in Nelspruit. Gender inequality was identified by Gillian and the team as a serious issues affecting sustainability in South Africa – women are suffering from HIV/Aids disproportionately – girls age 15-19 make up 25% of new cases and are 5 times more likely than boys to contract the disease. Rape is estimated at 55,000 per day! – abuse is mostly “domestic”, lasts many years and is not usually reported. In terms of legal advocacy work, refugees are particularly

Women’s Conference – wonderful!

9 years ago in

Aneeta Prem

Soroptimist International St Albans & District were proud to host a successful Women’s Conference and Regional Meeting on Sat 20th June in Redbourn on behalf of Soroptimist International London Chilterns Region. Forced Marriage was the topic for the morning – with keynote speaker Aneeta Prem, founder of the Freedom Charity www.freedomcharity.org.uk The charity works to empower young people to feel they have the tools, confidence and support around the issues of family relationships which can lead to early and forced marriage and dishonour based violence. Aneeta has been on national TV recently covering these important human rights issues. Aneeta was joined by Sophie Lott from the Home Office Forced Marriage Unit (see picture below Sophie L Aneeta R). Recent law changes haven’t forced this crime underground – in fact there was the first sentencing only last week. Aneeta told some moving stories about individuals’ personal horrific stories of forced

£1275 Raised for the Womens Refuge!

9 years ago in

charity

Liz Perry, Manager of the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge was delighted to receive the BIG CHEQUE for £1275 raised by the St Albans & District Soroptimists in the Club Year 2014/15. Liz is pictured here receiving the cheque from Club President Denise Powell, She said the money would go towards their annual trip to the seaside. She was very appreciative of the personal donations of refreshment items from the members. As well as fundraising, the club provides tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits for the Refuge, household items to help women leaving the Refuge get started in a new home and Christmas gifts. Liz said how grateful the Refuge is for the continued support of Soroptimist International St Albans and District Members. The money is raised during the year from events including the bookstall on St Albans market for International Literacy Day www.sigbi.org/st-albans/2014/bookstall/ , coffee mornings at the

Guide Beth Volunteers in Cambodia to Make a Difference

9 years ago in

Beth Kirby

Beth Kirby spoke to the Club on 8 June about her forthcoming Girl Guiding trip to Cambodia. She made yummy cakes to sell to Club Members which were a great success and the Club also made a donation to help with the sponsorship she needs for the trip. Beth is pictured here with Club President Denise Powell Beth explained that she is 20 years old and has been involved in guiding since she was 7 years old – now a qualified leader assisting in the running of brownie units both at home in Welwyn Garden City as well as in Nottingham, where she is at University studying Maths.Guiding Overseas Linked with Development (GOLD) enables young women to develop their potential and make a difference in the world. It delivers sustainable community-based development projects ranging from environmental issues to teaching leadership skills. This summer’s project in Cambodia

Girls’ cricket continues to flourish

9 years ago in

Audrey Collins

On Sunday 24th May a girls’ U13 cricket festival was held at Abbots Langley Cricket Ground. 8 teams took part in the tournament with between 85-90 girls playing throughout the day. Phil Lewins (Abbots Langley U13 Coach) organised the day and despite it being a Bank Holiday weekend and the start of Half Term was determined that it would be all girls (with no boys to make up the numbers). Played under Kwik Cricket rules, the girls’ enthusiasm and obvious enjoyment epitomised the game’s main aim, namely ‘the enjoyment for, and fair play by, all players’. Every member of every team regardless of size, strength or ability is actively encouraged to take part. The vocal encouragement both on the field of play and from the many family members watching echoed around the ground all day. I spoke to family members and coaches as I walked

St Albans Soroptimist attends Royal Garden Party

9 years ago in

Queen

Member of Soroptimist International St Albans & District Ameeta Sabharwal and her daughter attended a Royal Garden Party in May 2015. Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) received invitation for 6 people to attend because of the work that Soroptimists carry out to improve the lives of women and girls. SIGBI President Jenny Vince attended with her guest, the other places were offered for Members to apply for and Ameeta’s name was drawn. Ameeta and her daughter were also lucky enough to be in a group selected on the day to be personally introduced to the Queen. Probably something to do with the Soroptimist badge Ameeta was wearing – or it could have been because they both looked so fabulous!

Club Welcomes Caroline

10 years ago in

club

At the first Club Meeting of the new Club year we were delighted to be able to welcome Caroline Munro. Caroline is the first new Member of the new Club year. She is pictured here with Club President Denise Powell having been given her Club badge and Membership folders of information. Club Members gave Caroline a warm welcome and hope that she will enjoy being part of this active Soroptimist Club. This comes only 2 weeks after our AGM where we welcomed new Member Alka Cashyap www.sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/2015/new-club-year-2015-16/ – what a great start to the year!

New Club Year 2015-16

10 years ago in

The Club started the new Club Year in style with a celebration of the Club’s 58th Anniversary following the AGM at “The Cricketers” in Redbourn. It was lovely to be able to start the event by welcoming new Member Alka Cashyap to the Club. Alka is pictured here receiving the hand of friendship from President Denise Powell. For a summary of the Club’s Activities for the Club Year 2014-15 please scross through Club News: www.sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/category/club-news/ Denise announced that the theme for the coming year is “Continuity Through Change” for more of the President’s message please click here: www.sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/presidents-message-2015/ We also had Regional Presidents Rita Beaumont and Pauline Panter as guests of honour for the evening (they are pictured on the left either side of President Denise on the front row). The other Members in this picure – Helen, Janet, Jennie, Madeline, Hilary and Joan are all celebrating “special”

Quiz Night Success!

10 years ago in

charity

The Soroptimist Quiz Night on Sat 18 April was a great success raising a fabulous £1014.58! This money will educate teenage girls in Kenya. The Quiz Night was great fun again with a packed hall of quizzers at Homewood Rd, St Albans. The money raised will pay for the education of 4 teenage girls in Kenya where all secondary education has to be paid for. These girls are supported by the Club’s International Charity – International Peace Initiatives – a Kenyan charity transforming the lives of girls and HIV-positive women – see www.ipeacei.org www.sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/our-international-project

Farewell to Laura

10 years ago in

Laura Redhead

Denise Powell (pictured right) President of Soroptimist International St Albans and District Club presented Laura Redhead (pictured left) with a farewell gift at the Club’s quiz night. Laura has now moved to Suffolk. Having been a member of the Club since 2002 Laura has made a huge contribution to the Club as well as taking on other senior roles within the Soroptimist organisation. Club Members know it is just “au revoir” and that they will continue to see Laura at many Soroptimist events.

Women’s Day Happening in St Albans

10 years ago in

#makeithappen

To celebrate International Women’s Day St Albans and District Soroptimists were joined by Penny Williams JP, Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Kate Belinis (also a DL of Herts), members of the Hertfordshire Asian Women’s Association, members of Amnesty International plus many more friends and supporters and their children who came to “Join Women on the Bridge” in Verulamium Park St Albans. The theme for the day was “Make it Happen”. The second part of the celebrations were at the “Inn on the Park” cafe where there were speeches, presentations, tea, cake and networking – perfect! Denise Powell, President of Soroptimist International and District spoke and said “We are lucky to be able to do this in safety, sadly in some countries just gathering like this puts women’s lives at risk. Many groups have ‘Join Women on the Bridge’ events like ours to highlight our symbolic support and connection with

ICS Volunteer Emma Honess Heads for Tanzania

10 years ago in

club

On Monday 9 Feb Emma Honess visited our Club to tell us about the adventure that she will be embarking upon at the beginning of March. Emma has been chosen as a participant on International Citizen Service (ICS) www.volunteerics.org It’s a programme that brings young people from different countries together to fight poverty. In many poorer countries young people make up the majority of the population. This programme is specifically designed to get young people from the UK and host countries together to tackle poverty and its causes. Emma has been selected to go to Tanzania with Restless Development http://restlessdevelopment.org/ for three months starting in March 2015. During this time she will be living with a local family in Dar Es Salaam and will be involved in a community work project along with a counterpart from Tanzania. Restless Development is a youth led development agency helping tackle

Soroptimist Christmas Tree

10 years ago in

christmas

Soroptimist International St Albans and District has decorated a beautiful Christmas tree which is on show at the St Saviour’s Christmas Tree Festival 18th—24th December 2014. This event is held every three years and is truly magical when so many trees are all lit and decorated. Please come along and see all the trees if you can. For more information see the poster here or the St Saviours website: www.ssaviours.org

Christmas Charity Market Stall Selling Kenyan Jewellery

10 years ago in

charity

Soroptimists had the charity stall at St Albans Christmas Market on Friday 12th Dec selling Kenyan Jewellery made by HIV +ve women in aid of International Peace Initiatives (IPI) www.sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/our-international-project/ www.ipeacei.org a charity helping Kenyan women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. The money from the sale of the jewellery goes to the women who made the jewellery because it is their own sustainable business. In addition 10% of sales goes to educating girls from the IPI Amani Children’s home. The IPI tools are education, enterprise and empowerment.

Carol singing success to mark Human Rights Day

10 years ago in

charity

This year’s annual Soroptimist Christmas carols and bucket rattling at St Albans City Station was a great success raising more than £400 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge Commuters were as generous as ever in spite of suffering severe train delays that evening. Recent funding cuts and increased demand mean that the Refuge needs additional funding now more than ever before. This event is timed to mark Human Rights Day when Soroptimists all around the world take action www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday Over a warming supper Club Members made donations of £115 to the International President’s annual December 10th appeal “See Solar, Cook Solar” in lieu of sending one another Christmas cards – see the website for more information: www.soroptimistinternational.org/our-projects/december-10-appeal/see-solar-cook-solar Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful new year.

Club Member Hilary Ratcliffe awarded OBE for Promoting Gender Equality

10 years ago in

club

Soroptimist International (SI) Programme Director, and member of SI St Albans and District, Hilary Ratcliffe, has been made an “Officer of the Order of the British Empire” (OBE) in the UK Honours List , for services to “promoting Gender Equality Overseas”. Hilary Ratcliffe is pictured here collecting her OBE from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace on 21 Nov 2014. After the excitement of the day Hilary said “It was a lovely day – a very very special day – I am so proud. The ceremony at Buckingham Palace is perfect. Meeting Prince Charles and having travelled to Sierra Leone I was able to talk about the wonderful work Soroptimist International is doing there and we agreed on the horror of the current ebola crisis. The day was a celebration – not just for me but for the work of so many of the women who work so

St Albans Soroptimists Successful Support for Girls Cricket

10 years ago in

Audrey Collins

We have now had 4 winners of the ‘Audrey Collins Soroptimist International U13 Girls Cricket League’. This competition is sponsored by the St Albans Soroptimists as a lasting legacy to past member Audrey Collins who died in 2010* On Monday 10 Nov the Club welcomed cricket coaches, managers, players and parents to give an update and to celebrate the development of girls’ cricket in the county. Presenters were Phil Lewin from Abbots Langley Cricket Club (representing the 2014 winners), Jonathan Cirkel from Knebworth Park CC (representing the 2013 winners) and Andy Knill-Jones from St Albans CC (Audrey Collins SI League Co-ordinator and Girls Coach). Andy said that he believed the League and competition had been a catalyst for the girls’ cricket. A particular highlight were the excellent presentations by Lucy and Evie from Abbots Langley CC – both are wonderful role models for the game. From the

80th Anniversary Soroptimist Conference – FAB!

10 years ago in

Conference

Five members of Soroptimist International St Albans and District went to Harrogate and joined 1400 women from around the world at their fabulous annual Soroptimist Conference www.sigbi.org/harrogate2014 . The five from the St Albans Club were: Hilary Ratcliffe OBE who is also the Programme Director of Soroptimist International (SI), Laura Redhead Assistant Programme Director for Environmental Sustainability of Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI), Jane Slatter Director of Communications SIGBI, Denise Powell Club President and Ameeta Sabharwal Club Secretary. The Conference theme was “Women Leading Change Together” and had inspirational keynote speakers including Dame Jenni Murray OBE. Clubs across the organisation shared information about their work – many Clubs like St Albans work in innovative ways to address all forms of violence against women and women’s health issues. This year a member from our Thames Valley Club, Rose Simbo, who manages a charity supporting the Kori Chiefdom

On the buses!

10 years ago in

club

Saturday 25 Oct – Club Outing – London Transport Museum Sam Mullins, Director of the London Transport Musuem took us on a fascinating tour of the musuem and the current exhibition “Goodbye Piccadilly: From Home Front to Western Front” www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions with a focus on the role of women during WW1. There were 14 of us in total – including three husbands, 1 mum and a daughter. There was much hilarity when Janet’s daughter Kyra donned a uniform next to these words “female railway guard 1917 – for safety reasons the skirts were shorter than usual and included knee length knickers tucked into boots preventing any flesh from being revealed”!

Kenyan evening fun – plus special visitor from Meru

10 years ago in

charity

Club Members and friends had a great time at the Kenyan evening on Monday 22 September. Everyone was delighted that Dr Karambu Ringera was able to join in the fun, adding her warmth and authenticity to the proceedings. The photos tell there own story with Karambu in the first and last pics. We learnt Swahili words, had a quiz about Kenya, learnt how to tie headscarves, sampled Kenyan food, sang and danced. There was an opportunity to buy the jewellery the Club sells that is made by HIV+ve women in Kenya which provides them with a sustainable income – this is just one of the initiatives that Dr Karambu Ringera is behind with her charity IPI International Peace Initiatives www.ipeacei.org . Karambu engaged us in the traditional way of Kenyan story-telling where we all sat in a circle and she told

Club Member – Hilary Ratcliffe Celebrates OBE

10 years ago in

club

Soroptimist International (SI) Programme Director, and member of SI St Albans and District, Hilary Ratcliffe, has been made an “Officer of the Order of the British Empire” (OBE) in the UK Honours List , recognising her achievements in promoting gender equality around the world. A Soroptimist since 1980, Hilary lives in Harpenden and is an active member of the St Albans and District Club. She has been Club President, Regional President, Chair of the Soroptimist UK Programme Action Committee, SI Great Britain and Ireland Federation Assistant Programme Director for Education, Federation Programme Director and has been International Programme Director since 2011 – a post that will have its grand finale at the SI Convention in Istanbul in 2015. Hilary spoke to the Club about her award, she thanked the Club Members saying “I feel it’s your award as much as mine, it’s as a result of all

Marvellous Friendship Link Visit to Muenster

10 years ago in

Barbata Romme

Members of Soroptimist International Muenster extended the hand of friendship to 18 visitors from SI St Albans and District and SI Trier for the weekend of 29-31 September. Five members of the St Albans Club, three husbands and Beatriz Chadour-Sampson (the Soroptimist who started the friendship link) all travelled to Muenster along with nine Members of SI Trier. The visit began with a brunch at the home of Dr Sylvia Vorhnhecke – after our early start that morning a huge spread of food was demolished in no time! The sun shone, and we were able to renew friendships, start to make new friends, eat, drink – and admire Sylvia’s husband’s collection of British artifacts including a traditional British red telephone box installed in the garden! The hospitality from SI Muenster was wonderful from the moment we arrived, until the moment we left. The President of SI Trier

St Albans Tree Walk

10 years ago in

club

Club Members and friends enjoyed a “tree walk” around St Albans on Monday 28th July. Jane Ellis led the group in an enjoyable walk through St Albans pointing out many trees of particular significance including a London Plane tree in St Peter’s Street which was planted by the St Albans Soroptimists in 2001 “as a living symbol of their role as a global voice for women” (pictured here). Many of the trees were planted as commemorations and the Council displays the special illustrated St Albans Tree Book of Remembrance which can be seen on the balcony of the space open to the public in the Council Offices. Other trees included the Holm Oak (also known as the Holly Oak) in front of the Abbey, planted for ecumenism (also pictured here). The walk ended with drinks and a meal that the group felt they had earned at “Ye Olde

£1415 Raised for the Womens Refuge!

10 years ago in

charity

The St Albans & District Soroptimists raised a wonderful £1415 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge in the club year 2013/14 – even though the Club supported 2 charities again this year! Sara Jackson and Liz Perry, Managers at the Refuge, were thrilled when the cheque was presented to them by the Club. In the picture in the middle of the Club Members is Soroptimist President Denise holding the giant cheque with Sara and Liz. Also in the picture is a large bag of tea – as well as fundraising, the club provides tea, coffee and sugar for the Refuge, household items to help women leaving the Refuge get started in a new home and Christmas gifts. Sara and Liz said how grateful the Refuge is for the continued support of Soroptimist International St Albans and District Members. They gave an update on the Refuge – there has been a major turnaround in staff in the last year – of 14

Club Welcomes New Member

10 years ago in

club

Soroptimist International St Albans and District was delighted to welcome Catherine Moore as a new member of the Club at theirJuly meeting. Catherine met Club members for the first time when she joined in with the Club’s International Women’s Day celebration earlier this year. Since then she has been a regular guest of the Club, and has found that the organisation’s aims and objectives to make a difference to the lives of women and girls fit with her own values, combined with the sociability of the local Club made her decide to join. Catherine is pictured here with Membership Officer Helen Byrne (1st pic left and 2nd pic centre), and President Denise Powell (2nd pic right).

Cricket Girls – New Winners of Soroptimist Trophy 2014

10 years ago in

Audrey Collins

A joint Abbots Langley and Watford Under-13 girls cricket team won the fourth annual Soroptimist Audrey Collins Hertfordshire Cricket League Trophy. The nail biting game went down to the last ball, with the Abbots Langley and Watford Under-13s combined side beating opponents Knebworth Park by one run in the final to lift the trophy. Reflecting on his side’s success, lead coach Phil Lewins said: “I hope this can be a springboard to further promoting girls and ladies cricket in the area.” Denise Powell, President of Soroptimist International St Albans and District said “There was a great atmosphere. The excitement of the winning team was plain to see, there was much hugging and smiling and shouting – there can be no doubt that there is great prestige in winning the trophy and that the Soroptimist Audrey Collins under 13’s cricket award is prized and is therefore making a

Wellbeing of Women – well kept secret?

10 years ago in

charity

The Club was delighted to be able to welcome Liz Campbell from the charity Wellbeing of Women (Liz is pictured here centre between Denise Powell, Club President on the left and Jean Eaton on the right. Liz was able to inform us about this charity – which seems to be as well kept a secret as Soroptimist International! Wellbeing of Women is a charity dedicated to improving the health of women and babies across the UK. Every year the charity invests in special research projects and allocate funds towards the training of specialist doctors and midwives. The charity was established in 1964 and has enabled the major breakthrough’s in obstetrics and gynaecology – for more information please visit the website: www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk/

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