Club news Archives | Page 6 of 8 | SI St Albans and District

AGM marks the end of a Diamond Year and the start of our 61st Year…

9 years ago in

The AGM marks the end of a Diamond Year and the start of our 61st Year… Members of Soroptimist International St Albans and District enjoyed a lively Annual General Meeting in April. The AGM marked the end of the Club’s 60th Diamond Anniversary Year, and the start of the Club’s 61st year with President Rita Andrews at the helm. We were delighted that SI London Chilterns Regional President Jen Simpson was able to join us for this special occasion. Please see new President Rita’s message on this web page: www.sigbi.org/st-albans/president After an inspiring 3 years as Club President Denise Powell handed over to our new President Rita Andrews and said “it has been such a pleasure and privilege for me to be President this year. It gave me the chance to launch our ’60 for 60′ initiative. I was really keen that we had something

Amsterdam Trip to the Flower Gardens

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Ameeta Sabharwal of the St Albans and District Soroptimist Club organises a day-trip to the Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam every year. A group of Soroptimists and friends had a wonderful outing in April this year. The theme at the Gardens was Dutch design and these pictures show the flowers in the colours of famous dutch paintings. Needless to say – everyone had a wonderful time! Soroptimist International St Albans and District – Women Serving the St Albans Community Since 1957 The Club celebrated its Diamond Anniversary in April 2017, and this event was a “60 for 60″ production……..

Glittering Diamond Celebrations for St Albans Soroptimists

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Glittering Weekend of Diamond Celebrations for our Club – Women Serving the St Albans Community Since 1957 The highlight of our weekend of celebrations was the glittering diamond gala dinner on Saturday night at Aldwickbury Park Golf Club in Harpenden. Guests of Honour were Countess Verulam Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire and Ann Hodgson President of Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland, pictured here with Soroptimist International St Albans and District Club President Denise Powell. We were delighted to welcome visitors from all of our Club’s Soroptimist Friendship Link Clubs: Warsaw Poland, Chico USA, Muenster Germany and Osaka Japan (see picture of Osaka Members with Beatriz Sampson and Helen Byrne). We welcomed Soroptimist dignitaries and Members of Soroptimist Clubs from across the UK including Brixham, Bedford, Cambridge, Cwmbran, Glasgow, Southport, Widnes, Winchester, and from many of the Clubs in our Region: Bedford, Hertford, High Wycombe, Oxford, two

Flipping Brilliant Pancake Day

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The Pancake Race is a long-standing tradition in St Albans – a chance for adults to have as much fun as children do on Shrove Tuesday and raise valuable funds for local charities. This year Home-Start Hertfordshire took over the organisation of the event and asked Members of Soroptimist International St Albans and District to volunteer as part of the ongoing service we provide to this worthwhile charity. Eight of us brave the cold and helped set up and man the registration tent for the 23 teams of four which took part in either a running or walking race. Our members fulfilled a number of roles during the event: Checking for adherence to the rules – lack of flipping and running when they should have been walking, Handing out the pancakes at the start Collecting donations from the public, handing out stickers and leaflets about Home-Start

Girl Guide Sophie Fundraising to work on Nepal Projects

9 years ago in

The Club was delighted to welcome Sophie Hicks to their meeting. Sophie gave a presentation on her forthcoming trip to Nepal 27 July to 9 Aug with Girl Guiding Anglia and Projects Abroad where she will be working with local schools and orphanages in Kathmandu as they struggle to recover from the earthquake that took place in April 2015. Sophie is a local Girl Guide Rainbow Leader and year 11 student from Beaumont School. Click here to read the excellent presentation that Sophie delivered: Girlguiding trip to Nepal 2017 Soroptimists the trip has an open Facebook page, so for updates throughout the trip this is where you’ll be able find out more https://www.facebook.com/NepalGGAnglia2017/ To qualify for the trip Sophie has to raise the money to pay for it – so she asked if she could come and speak to the Club. We of course agreed and asked

Soroptimist Engages the Minds of Verulam School 6th Form

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St Albans and District Soroptimist Jane Slatter gave a presentation to Verulam School 6th Formers about “Philanthropy” in the context of Soroptimists on 10 Feb for a programme called “Engaging Minds”. Jane was asked to speak as Director of Communications for Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland – a voluntary post she held for 6 years with her term of office ending in November 2016. The pupils and staff including the Headmaster of the school Paul Ramsey made Jane feel very welcome on the day. Verulam school is a boys’ school until 6th form when girls’ are encouraged to apply to the school to study their A Levels. This year there are 120 boys and 30 girls in the 6th form. Jane is pictured here in the school hall with three of the 6th form students. The school runs a series of lectures for the

Club Welcomes New Member Barbara Saunders

9 years ago in

barbara saunders

The Club was delighted to be able to welcome new Member Barbara Saunders at their meeting in January. Barbara is pictured here between Club President Denise Powell (left) and Club Membership Officer Helen Byrne (right) sharing the “hands of Soroptimist friendship”. Recently retired, Barbara has spent all her working life campaigning for the voice of consumers to be heard in the corridors of power in Brussels, Westminster, Whitehall and the Boardrooms of regulatory bodies. She has also participated in Disciplinary Tribunals assessing the conduct of architects, accountants, and vets. Now more modest ambitions prevail, but she is keen to be actively involved in Soroptimists Programme Action. 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 Barbara will enjoy being part of this active Soroptimist Club.

Soroptimists Provide Interview Practice at St Albans Girls School

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Five Soroptimists volunteered this year to take part in St Albans Girls School (STAGS) “Big Interview day” for year 11 (GCSE year) students. Pictured here l to r are Pamela Rochford, Jennie Redford, Denise Powell, Amanda Brown and Barbara Saunders. As part of the careers programme at St Albans Girls’ School, they offer a mock interview to every year 11 student on a day called “The Big Interview”. Each student has a 15 minute interview based on CV’s they have prepared in school and receive verbal and written feedback. The event has been running the for the past 5 years, and it is very well received by students, for some of whom it is their first interview experience. Soroptimists have been involved for the last 2 years and have found meeting the girls a real inspiration – a win win for everyone involved! Soroptimist International St Albans

Coffee for the Refuge at the Wesley Coffee Shop‏

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Soroptimist Baristas at Wesley’s Church Coffee Shop High Street Harpenden Pictured here are St Albans Soroptimist baristas Joan WIlliams, Allyson Walker, Jean Eaton, Denise Powell and Janet Audley-Charles. Coffee mornings at the Wesley Coffee Shop are a great way for us to swell the coffers for our Club’s charity – this year it’s the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge – we raised £75 on 7th January! We’ll be doing it again on 18 March between 10am and 12.30 so please drop in for Coffee and Yummy Cakes at Wesley’s Cafe High Street, Harpenden – www.highstreetmethodist.org.uk/wesleys/ fundraising for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge Soroptimist International St Albans and District – Women Serving the St Albans Community Since 1957 The Club will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary in April 2017, and these events are a “60 for 60″ production……..

Carol Singing Success at Harpenden Station for Womens Refuge

10 years ago in

Soroptimist Carol Singing at Harpenden station – fundraised more than £500 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge – and marked Human Rights Day. This year the group had to switch to Harpenden Station instead of St Albans at late notice so the £501.87 feels more like a million dollars! Thanks so much to the generous Harpenden Travellers, and to all the singers including some extra friends and supporters who joined us on the night. Recent funding cuts and increased demand mean that the Refuge needs additional funding now more than ever before. This news was also reported in the St Albans and Harpenden Review Afterwards many Club Members went to Pasta Cibo in Harpenden for a delicious meal, a welcome warm up and to wish one other season’s greetings! Club Members also made donations of £58, in lieu of sending one another Christmas cards, to the International

Dragons Apprentice Challenge Update

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The Dragon’s Apprentice Challenge Team Elite from St Albans Girls’ School STAGS (the team the Club is Dragon to), have got their fundraising off to a great start for Rennie Grove Hospice raising nearly £250 already. They held a fashion show, and also sold amusingly packaged sweets at the school Christmas Fair. Scroll through the images in the slideshow below and you will see two of the girls modelling, plus a brave teacher Mrs Glanvill and Soroptimist Dragon Jane Slatter – and some sample packets of sweets. [new_royalslider id=”3″] In November, Team Elite from the St Albans Dragons‘ Apprentice Challenge were awarded an invitation to the launch of Fair Life Charity in Portcullis House Westminster with a visit to Parliament – with Soroptimist “Dragon” Jennie Redford (pictured centre). Dragons Apprentice Challenge were awarded a certificate for their work with students in local schools. The other team there was from Oaklands College. The Fairlife Charity raises

Human Rights Day Celebration in Beaconsfield

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club

Soroptimists from Clubs in the London Chilterns Region, including 8 Members of SI St Albans and District, gathered in Beaconsfield to mark Human Rights Day. Four candles were lit – one to remember those in the world who are denied their human rights, the second to celebrate the work of women across the world, the third to celebrate the work of Soroptimists acrossSoroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (follow this link to find out more about the Spoon Project )and the fourth to celebrate the work of Soroptimists across the world. Our first speaker was Janie Grover from SI High Wycombe & District who told us about her life-changing trip to Peru with the charity iProjects working on a construction project in Lima to improve the lives of a community. Poverty, crime and violence are rife in Lima which is home to 12 million people. Janie is now fundraising for

Making a Splash at the Malta Conference

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60th

Three Members of SI St Albans and District were excited to be able to attend Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland’s Conference in Malta this year – Denise Powell, Hilary Ratcliffe and Jane “Pinky” Slatter. The Conference was truly inspirational with fantastic speakers including Dr Helen Sharman OBE – Britains First Astronaut – there is more detail on the Conference website www.sigbi.org/malta2016 The1st photo shows President Denise Powell in the centre, receiving an award from Director of Membership Sue Williams (left) for the Club winning joint “Photo of the Month” from May Membership Month “Ask me why I’m a Soroptimist” campaign (winning pic also shown here). On the Friday morning of the Conference the 1000 delegates were asked to wear as much pink as possible and make a “pink splash” by the pool of the Conference hotel for Breast Cancer awareness and fundraising. The event was perfect

SuStAinable St Albans Evening – FoodCycle and Spice Drops

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The St Albans Soroptimist Club had an inspirational evening as part of SuStAinable St Albans 2016. Group Members plus many guests explored sustainability with informative talks from FoodCycle and Spice Drops – this event was part of Sustainable St Albans Week 19-26 Nov Ellie Jenkins from Sustainable St Albans said “I had a great time, everyone was very welcoming and I thought the quality of talks was fantastic-thank you so much for being involved in the week!”

World Toilet Day, 90th Birthday and Refuge Gifts – busy Club meeting!

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It was a busy Club Meeting on Nov 7th – the Club Marked “World Toilet Day” by having a bottle sale which raised £67.55 for “Toilet Twinning” www.toilettwinning.org – in addition Members took away disposable recycled coffee cups and will “spend a penny” between now and our Meeting on Jan 16th. For every £60 we raise we can twin a toilet with a loo halfway around the world, in a country of our choosing. On the same evening we celebrated Sheila Chadwick’s 90th Birthday with a beautiful cake. Sheila also gave a “life talk” – filled with so many stories of how she has benefited the St Albans Community with her career in social health and still continuing her support of the Armoral Hill Day Centre for the elderly to this day. Every year Club Members donate lovely Christmas presents for the clients at the St Albans and

Autumn Capability Brown walk around Ashridge

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This year is 300 Years since the birth of Capability Brown, so the Club set our on the 2nd of these walks to take in the beauty of Autumn. Our last one was in August – see: www.sigbi.org/st-albans/2016/brocket/ Although the air was cold, the warmth of the camaraderie was as warm as toast! After a cuppa at the café close to the Bridgewater Monument (pictured here) we split into 2 groups and my one went ‘the long way round’ to take in the College, Golf Course and woods. The colours of Autumn dominated the landscape, the colour of Summer dominated the sky. The chat was easy and flowing, underfoot was easy and (mainly) dry. We didn’t see any fauna but the flora more than compensated with its majestic trees covered in leaves of jewelled greens, yellows, bronzes, browns and reds. Our circular walk took about an hour and a

Workings of the Family Court – an enlightening evening

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On Monday 24 Oct we held an evening to learn about the Workings of the Family Court. Our Violence Against Women Programme Team, led by Club President Denise Powell (pictured here centre) arranged for Peter Spencer JP (pictured here right) and Gladys Cummings JP (pictured here left), long standing and highly experienced Lay Judges in the Family Court, to take us through the evening. Judging by the very lively question and answer sessions, the attendees found this to be a thoroughly absorbing subject which threw light on the hard work that Family Justices do to protect children to the best of their ability. With growing numbers of relationships breaking down, the Family Court has an increasing workload ensuring that arrangements are put in place for child placement and parental access etc, with the welfare of the children as the item of paramount importance. These cases often (but not exclusively)

Our President Travels and Meets Soroptimist Gold Coast Sisters

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Our Club President, Denise Powell, took the opportunity whilst on holiday in Australia (Ed: lucky Denise!) to make contact with our sisters from Soroptimist International Gold Coast. Denise reports back here: “Although they didn’t have a meeting during my time there, 3 of the Members (President Alison Robinson, Dorothea Banner and Elwyn Syers) took time out of their summer break to meet with me (over coffee and cake!). I gave them a gift of a book about St Albans, and they gave me a Club pennant to bring home and share with our Club. It was fascinating to hear about some of the programmes that their Club is undertaking, particularly in relation to the indigenous population. They have some neat little activities too, including keeping a ‘penny’ box into which their Members pop the tiniest of the coins at each meeting…..it apparently all mounts up…. A lovely warm group

Yolanda – back from the Maldives with GOLD

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Yolanda King gave an enthralling presentation of her trips with Guiding Overseas Linked to Development (GOLD) at our Club Meeting. Having participated in GOLD Guyana 2014, Yolanda achieved the Queens Guide Award in 2015 and was then selected to be Leader of GOLD Maldives in 2016. Girl Guides in the Maldives are keen to have help in building up their Young Leaders, they see retention and recruiting new Guide Leaders as key to the associations’ success. Yolanda and her team worked on 3 very different islands in the Maldives providing a wealth of different experiences. This lovely picture shows Yolanda on the Southern atoll island of Fuvahmulah where she demonstrated for the Guide Leaders how to run Training sessions for “Little Maids” and “Stars”. Girlguiding is part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), the world’s largest women’s organisation. Guiding principles are shared across

St Albans Soroptimists are in Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge 2017

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The Dragons Apprentice Challenge is run by CVS St Albans (Centre for Voluntary Service) . Over 80 ambitious students have taken up the Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge this year across St Albans and Harpenden; 11 different teams will compete over the next few months to increase their £100 start up cash into over £1000 by mid-February. There are 11 Teams of Year 12 students from schools across St Albans and Harpenden this year. The launch which was held on Tuesday 4th October and hosted by Loreto College, where the teams were matched with a Dragon and with a charity partner. This is the first year that St Albans Soroptimists have been Dragons and we are delighted to be matched with St Albans Girls School (STAGS) and the charity Rennie Grove Hospice The Club has close links with the school and has supported the charity for many years. Soroptimist Jennie

Obituary Mary Campbell

10 years ago in

Mary Campbell

Mary Campbell, former headmistress of the Royal School, Bath, and Member of Soroptimist International St Albans and District, died peacefully, aged 92, on 3rd September 2016. Her funeral service will be held at The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, in The Lady Chapel on Monday 26th September, at 1pm. Any donations are requested for ‘The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St. Alban’ or ‘The Alzheimer’s Society’ Mary cared deeply for her “girls” from school and maintained contact with many of them – sending and receiving about 400 Christmas Cards every year – each with a personal letter (she started writing her Christmas letters in October!). When Mary moved back to St Albans she became very involved with St Albans Abbey Cathedral, including working as a volunteer guide. She had many great friends at the Abbey. Mary was an active member of Soroptimist International. She joined the

10 Members find Herts Hidden Heroines

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10 Club Members went along together to the Hertfordshire Hidden Heroines exhibition at Verulamium Museum, St Albans. The project was initiated to discover, celebrate and present the stories of pioneering Hertfordshire women and there is more information on the HHH website: www.hertshiddenheroines.org.uk The Herts Hidden Heroines website includes three inspirational Members of SI St Albans and District – Hilary Ratcliffe OBE, Audrey Collins OBE, and Peggy Hodges OBE there is more about these wonderful Soroptimists on our Club website After the exhibition the group retired to the Inn on the Park Cafe to mull over the exhibition over a welcome cup of tea and delicious piece of cake. The cafe is close to the museum in Verulamium Park and a popular venue for our Club Members… Soroptimist International St Albans and District – Women Serving the St Albans Community Since 1957 The Club will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary in April

Perfect Day for Capability Brown Walk in Brocket Park

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Members had the perfect day for their Capability Brown Walk in Brocket Park. This year is 300 Years since the birth of Capability Brown and the Herts Gardens Trust has produced leaflets detailing 10 different walks www.hertsgardenstrust.org.uk/hgt-events-and-outings.html The Club is planning to do another of these walks in November to take in the beauty of Autumn. Amanda, who lives close-by to Brocket Hall, kindly hosted the group for a pot luck picnic lunch before the walk and tea afterwards where we were also rewarded with some of Joan Williams’ delicious home-made scones! Unfortunately Diana, who was the inspiration for the event, had a sprained ankle, so could only join us at the start and end of the walk (she was there for the scones obviously!). The first pic, taken by Jane’s Mum Joan, is of (l to r) Maria, Diana, Jane, Joan and Linda. Linda’s husband David joined us for lunch but he

Soroptimist helps StAR and HWSF sort donated goods for refugees

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#refugeeswelcome

Soroptimist Pamela Rochford (pictured 3rd from right at the back) spent a busy morning at the garage sorting out items with Herts Welcomes Syrian Families and StAR to take to refugee camps. The Club recently held a meeting to find out more about the refugee crisis from StAR and HWSF www.sigbi.org/st-albans/2016/hwsf/ and also supported a Curry-night fundraiser www.sigbi.org/st-albans/2016/curry/ Soroptimist International St Albans and District – Women Serving the St Albans Community Since 1957 The Club will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary in April 2017, and this event is a “60 for 60″ production……..

St Albans Soroptimists join Lewisham and SE London 50 Year Celebration

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Soroptimist International Lewisham and South East London celebrated the Club’s 50th Anniversary with a lunch at the historic Clarendon Hotel in Blackheath. Bea Lawes (pictured front row left) welcomed everyone and after a delightful meal, Federation President Margaret Emsley proposed a toast to the Lewisham Club, reflecting on their history, their noted member, Hilary Page, (who sadly was unwell and could not attend) and their recent project work (the Club may be small but really punches above it’s weight with great projects to improve the lives of women and girls). Regional President Pam (pictured centre back row) responded on behalf of the club and congratulated them on their anniversary and on a great event. Our club was represented by President Denise Powell, pictured here back row 3rd from right with some of the Lewisham ladies and Regional President Pam. Denise’s daughter Becca is a recent addition to

Girls Cricket – Abbots Langley U13 – Winners of Soroptimist Audrey Collins Trophy 2016 – for the 3rd Year Running!

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A grey start turned into a nice sunny morning as we watched 2 talented teams of U13 Girls battle it out for the Soroptimist Girls Under 13’s Audrey Collins Cricket Trophy. The finalists this year were the holders Abbots Langley and Stevenage. Soroptimist Club President Denise presented the Abbots Langley team with the shield and trophy and in the 2nd picture both teams of girls are intermingled as suggested by the girls’ coaches. A 20 over game based on the rules of Kwik Cricket, this is enjoyment for, and fair play by, all players in the team. Teams start the innings with 200 on the board and runs are added either by the batting side scoring runs or the bowlers bowling wides or no balls (2 run penalty awarded to the batting side). 5 runs are deducted when a batter is deemed to be out but the batter

£2075 Raised for the Womens Refuge!

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Liz Perry, Manager of the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge was delighted to receive a cheque for £2075 raised by the St Albans & District Soroptimists in the Club Year 2015/16. Liz is pictured here (centre) receiving the cheque from Club President Denise Powell (right), and the Club’s liaison with the Refuge, Jennie Redford (left). Liz said the money would pay for their annual trip to the seaside and for a visit from the amazing Ark Farm to the Refuge. She was very appreciative of the personal donations of refreshment items from the members. As well as fundraising, the club provides tea, coffee and sugar for the Refuge (because “there is almost nothing that can’t be made better by a cup of tea”) 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

Soroptimists Support Harpenden Highland Gathering

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St Albans and District Soroptimists supported the Harpenden Lions at the annual Harpenden Highland Gathering selling the Prize Draw Charity Raffle tickets which raised a super £670 in spite of a wet start to the day – sales really picked up once the sun came out! This year’s charities were Diabetes Advice and Support Hertfordshire (DASH) and PSP Association (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy & Cortico Basal Degeneration). This year the two organisations are working closely together because of the wonderful husband and wife team – John Powell is President of the Harpenden Lions and Denise Powell (pictured left below banging the drum) is President of Soroptimist International St Albans and District) – what a dynamic duo they are! Pictured here are Soroptimist Club President Denise Powell (left) Janet Audley Charles (also banging the drum) with a demure Jennie Redford on the right! Soroptimist International St Albans and

Revealing Refugee Update for Soroptimist Club and Guests

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#refugeeswelcome

What is happening about the refugee crisis in St Albans and Hertfordshire? was the question being answered at the Club’s meeting where Soroptimist Members and guests heard revealing updates from Herts Welcomes Syrian Families (HWSF), STAR (St Albans Refugees). A presentation about the Badael report on women’s peace initiatives in Syria gave context to the humanitarian crisis and hope for the future in Syria with women as the key to peace and rebuilding. In the photograph are Soroptimist Members of the SEW Team (Sustainability, Environment and Wellbeing) who hosted the evening, Liz Needham and Farhat Zia from STAR plus Catherine Henderson and Katie Seaton from HWSF. Catherine Henderson from “Herts Welcomes Syrian Families” hwsf.weebly.com #refugeeswelcome explained the scheme, sponsored by the Government’s Depertment for International Development (DfID), to resettle Syrian families with vulnerable family Members who will have the right to remain in the UK for 5 years. HWSF started out

SIStA Soroptimists – St Albans Supporting Southport

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#WhySoroptimist

A production of ‘Grumpy Old Women’ gave President Denise (pictured left) a reason to visit her sister Lainie (2nd from right), well known to us as a Member of SI Southport, and to help the Southport Club with their Membership Month activity. They set up a stall in the foyer of the Atkinson Theatre to attract the many ladies who were going to watch the show and inviting them to ask about Soroptimists with leaflets and sporting “Ask me why I’m a Soroptimist” badge #WhySoroptimist ? The Club, called their event ‘Hats Off for Membership Month’. It was Denise’s pleasure to don a hat and get to work. As you can see from the photo, the team were far from Grumpy, great fun was had – another class SIStA act!! Please also see the SI Southport website: www.sigbi.org/southport/2016/06/01/membership-month-in-southport/ Soroptimist International St Albans and District Women Serving the St Albans

Women’s Conference/Soroptimist Regional Meeting

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Alison Bird

The June Soroptimist Regional Meeting/Women’s Conference was hosted this year by the Milton Keynes Soroptimist Club (St Albans hosted last year). The Milton Keynes Soroptimist Club was only started a year ago, and they did a brilliant job on creating an inspirational day for everyone who attended! The MK Dons Ladies Football Club team (pictured here with Regional President Pam) were there to mingle with us and show us the trophy that they had received for being the South East Division winners of the Berks and Bucks Football Association for the third year running. Food for thought – the men get paid to play, the ladies have to pay to play! Sakura Japanese Ladies Choir The meeting opened with 6 Japanese Ladies singing some quite haunting Japanese Folk songs. Their beautiful voices and obvious enthusiasm and passion really set the tone for the day ahead. Jackie

Club Welcomes New Member Katherine Clark

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The Club was delighted to be able to welcome new Member Katherine Clark at their meeting in June. Katherine is pictured here between Club President Denise Powell (right) and Club Membership Officer Helen Byrne (left) having been given her Club badge and Membership folder of information. They are holding up the “Ask Me Why I’m a Soroptimist” flyer – Katherine’s answer is ” I feel passionate about all the issues the Club is working on”. Katherine is a Life Skills Coach with her own company ‘Essential Life Skills’ which is a specialist support and training service set up to work with people with mental health needs. Katherine has 15 years experience working with young people and adults with complex and enduring mental health needs. please check out her website to find out more and you will see why she will be another wonderful Soroptimist www.essentiallifeskills.org We have a

Successful Theatre Charity Night Raises £1000 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge!

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The Charity Night at the Abbey Theatre St Albans raised almost £1000 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge! Huge thanks to Soroptimist Jean Eaton who organised the event (pictured introducing The Charity Night at the Abbey Theatre St Albans raised almost £1000 for the St Albans and Hertsmere Women’s Refuge! Huge thanks to Soroptimist Jean Eaton who organised the event (pictured introducing the evening) and everyone who supported us! The picture below is of Soroptimist Club Members helping on the night – including adding £150 to the proceeds from the raffle – great work ladies. Charity Night in aid of www.stalbansandhertsmerewomensrefuge.org.uk . Soroptimist International St Albans and District Women Serving the St Albans Community Since 1957 The Club will celebrate its Diamond Anniversary in April 2017, and this event is a “60 for 60” production……..

Birth Companions: Pregnancy in Prison – the harsh truth

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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

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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

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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!

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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

10 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

10 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

10 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

10 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

10 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

10 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

10 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

11 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

11 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

11 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

11 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

11 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

11 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

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