For the 5th year running, Swindon Soroptimists have presented Christmas gift shoe boxes to the Swindon Nelson Trust Women’s Centre. The 25 boxes go to the vulnerable women who use the Centre, many of whom have difficult lives and often don’t get any Christmas gifts. The Club also donated clothes and household items well as Christmas chocolates for the hardworking, dedicated staff! The Club have few members but have had great support from Marlborough Ladies Who Latte and Live Laugh Love clubs and all are inventive in finding unwanted and freebie items that can be included! Member Gillian Reed generously hosted our wrapping and filling event, joined by members Lydia Cardew and Valerie Nuttall. Each box contained over 25 different items collected over the year by members and friends. Swindon President Valerie Nuttall, members Lydia Cardew and Gillian Reed with the 25 boxes As Lydia

For the 3rd year running Swindon Soroptimists have brought Easter cheer to the Swindon Nelson Trust Women’s Centre by presenting 25 individual Easter eggs for the women who use the Centre and its services, as well as boxes of chocolates for the hardworking staff. Team Leader Kate thanked the Soroptimists on behalf of the women and children who access the centre, saying “ it will make another holiday special for those who unable to share this time with loved ones”.   Swindon Club support the centre with practical donations of food, clothing, toiletries and kitchen items, but as with the Christmas Gift shoe boxes they do, feel it is just as important to give nice treats too! Vee from the Centre later updated “The eggs have all gone and we have some really happy and thankful women and children.  So, thank you very much for

The Swindon Soroptimists continued their support of Swindon Women’s Aid by donating some much needed bed linen, as they requested, to aid women setting up in new accommodation.  In addition we provided bras for the women and rucksacks / bags that the children could use for school.

Swindon Soroptimists were delighted to present a Certificate of 25 years service to Jenny King at our Club meeting on 11th April.  Club President Valerie Nuttall praised her contribution to many of the club’s programme action projects, including the Prison Reform Trust project, the recent 3 month Court Observation project monitoring Domestic Violence cases and the Club stall at Faringdon Library’s 100 women exhibition.

Swindon Soroptimists have helped Save The Children celebrate their centenary in 2019 by donating £100.  As a key Soroptimist aim is to help women and children, our Federation President Sue Williams had asked all Clubs to help STC celebrate by donating £100.  By coincidence we had already asked Fidelma Meehan, the local fundraising manager, to talk at our Soroptimist Dinner in March so were delighted to present her with a cheque for £100. Fidelma is a delightful and funny lady and impressed us with her enthusiasm and drive.  She gave a very informative talk and we were surprised to learn new facts about STC and how well established they are in so many countries, which gives them the ability to ‘hit the ground running’ when disasters strike.  There was so much more to find out we have invited her back to talk to us in

Happy World Book Day!  Swindon Soroptimists were delighted to kick off a week of WBD events at Drove School with a donation of an amazing 132 books, at a school assembly last Friday.  This is our 5th year of donations and we are grateful to Soroptimist Club members and Marlborough Ladies Who Latte for giving them.   We were very impressed by the quiet and orderly fashion the many children from Reception up to Year 3 entered the hall and sat attentively whilst Club President Valerie Nuttall explained who we were and why we were helping children like them. Assistant Principal Bryony Bardwell then read the story of “We’re Going On a Bear Hunt” and we were greatly entertained by the children reading along too, including actions!  The school are hoping one day to have a proper library but for now a crate of our

For the 4th year running, Swindon Soroptimists have presented Christmas gift shoe boxes to the Swindon Nelson Trust Women’s Centre.  The 25 boxes are for the vulnerable women who use the Centre, many of whom face hardship and are unlikely to get many Christmas gifts.  The Club also donated clothes and winter coats for the clients and Christmas chocolates for the hardworking, dedicated staff! Using items collected by the members of the Swindon Soroptimist Club, plus donations from Marlborough Ladies Who Latte and Live Laugh Love groups, 25 boxes were wrapped and filled at member Gillian Reed’s house recently. As Lydia Cardew, Club PAO says “These women have tough challenges. We want them to know someone was thinking of them.  We try to make the boxes useful and fun, with items such as scarves, toiletries, and pads / pens as well as a Christmas gift,

Saying NO! to domestic abuse, Swindon Soroptimist President Valerie and member Lydia, plus 40 Soroptimists from Tiverton, Bristol and Yeovil Sherborne and District clubs took the train to join the ‘Railing against abuse’ event arranged by Weston super Mare Club.  We marched to Grove Park handing out our Relationship bookmarks to the public and once there watched the Mayor unveil a statue to commemorate 102 women killed by men they knew, during the past year.  Members of Victim Support and Citizens Advice joined us as well as Tara Arkle and helped put orange ribbons on the fountain, in honour of the women and the UN Day for the Elimination Violence Against Women.    

Wiltshire Police and Crime commissioner, Angus Macpherson recently sent personal letters of thanks to member of Swindon Soroptimist Club, after the completion of a 3 month project observing  Domestic Abuse cases in Swindon and Chippenham courts. In the letter Angus stated “thanks for your work on the DA Court Observation project. I very much look forward to reading the final report and working with my colleague Vera Baird…to improve the experience of those suffering from domestic Abuse”. The project followed one instigated by Dame Vera Baird QC in Northumbria, who concerned at treatment of victims in rape trials, ran a similar period of court observations of Domestic Abuse cases and was keen to get another area in England to do the same so that results could be compared. As they were already known to him for their work on violence against women, Swindon Soroptimists were