St Albans & District Soroptimists have been supporting the Grove House day hospice in St Albans since 2003. With this year’s activities raising £2,500 that makes a grand total of £12,515 – what a fantastic achievement! Louise Miller from Grove House (pictured on the left) is clearly thrilled to receive the £2,500 from Soroptimist Club President Jean Eaton. Louise said “this is fantastic and will make a real difference to the lives of people being supported by Grove House. Thank you all so much”. Grove House day hospice provides free specialist care and support to people in St Albans, Harpenden and Dacorum whose lives are affected by cancer or another life-threatening illness www.grove-house.org.uk Club members, their friends, families and supporters of Grove House had loads of fun raising the money over year with events including a fashion show, a quiz night, carol singing at St Albans station, a “swap shop” and

Every year our members send Christmas gifts to the women at the St Albans Women’s Refuge.

Soroptimists from all around the London area took a “Pink Walk in the Park” in Hyde Park on Sunday 30th September. The event raised awareness of Breast Cancer, and funds for the Breast Cancer Campaign. Participants, wearing a potpourri of pink attire circuited the Serpentine raising more money and awareness with every step. Pictured here are 5 of the pink participants from SI St Albans & District preparing for the walk at 63 Bayswater Rd (the London Soroptimist Residential Club and Hotel www.soropclub63.org.uk ) – left to right Hilary Ratcliffe, Indira Biswas-Benbow, Jill Ogley, Jane Slatter and Jean Eaton.

The St Albans and District Club raised almost £300 for UNICEF UK’s Tetanus Appeal for Uganda. Sally Bear, Club members, friends and colleagues filled Smartie tubes with spare change and sent the money to UNICEF. Every Smartie tube filled helped to save 14 lives by protecting Ugandan mothers and babies from tetanus. Soroptimists in SIGBI raised a total of £22,870 for the appeal. Photo: Sally Bear holds a Smartie tube and syringe to show her support for the appeal. She is wearing a City of St Albans tabard and her Soroptimist logo and name pin. Note: Sally and her fellow ‘Fund for the Future’ bears were created by the former Mayor of St. Albans, John Peters to help fund the district’s voluntary sector.  

  St Albans Soroptimists conducted a follow-up survey in to find out how safe women feel in and around the St Albans area since the survey 5 years earlier. The results have been published, and show that women do not feel any safer now, and have modified their behaviour to avoid putting themselves at risk. Pictured here is one of our members interviewing a female member of the public at St Albans station. Details can be obtained by contacting the club: sistalbans@hotmail.com