Helen Harman came to give us a talk on Age UK. In all honesty it’s not the most joyful subject, especially when it is rather relevant!  But our marvellous weather puts a positive shine on everything and we were in good spirits. Helen was cheerful and kept our interest the whole time. It was a pleasant surprise to hear how much they do for older people in the community. They manage to help more than 7 million people every year, mainly with advice, support, companionship, health, care and wellbeing. They also run campaigns and conduct research. They are involved internationally in poorer countries. It is important to realise that Age UK is there to help, they want to help but you must pluck up courage to make contact if you need help. They will be able to make sense of information for you and and

Members, friends & family of the Torquay & District Soroptimist International took part in the annual fayre held in the beautiful old English village of Cockington. ‘Team Gaynor’ raised over £200 by selling teddy tombola tickets & grab a duck stall.  Over 80 teddies found new homes on Wednesday 1st August which we hope will be well loved by their winners. Didn’t they do well!

Charity Status   SIGBI News Briefing – 3 August 2018

20th June Babbacombe Fayre We had our Soft Toy Tombola and Decorated Flower Pots with Plants to sell. The cuddly toys went well but not so for the pots. It’s a challenging effort to make a profit as the cost of the site is £40. Six ladies did their best to encourage, cajole and smile all day. Our aim was to raise funds for Feminine Hygiene Products for those in need in Torbay and for Water Aid. We will continue to find ways to support these causes which we have made our main projects for this year. Linda Churchward

19th June Speaker Meeting It was a happy evening and started with a welcome to Lorraine McEvoy and Anita Davis. These ladies came to explain a little more about the Paignton Community Larder and to thank us for our support at their Garden Party. We were able to present them with a cheque for £20 Then we welcomed our main speaker Audrey Taylor from Brixham International Soroptimist Group Audrey gave us a full and interesting talk on the Meru Women’s Garden Project. We have been involved in fund raising and it is so good to know how successful the whole project has been. The aims are the same as our Soroptimist aims – to empower, educate and enable women and girls. This work is happening in Meru County in Kenya. The women have learnt sustainable gardening techniques and then become mentors in the community. They are

Saturday 9th June We were there! Yes, we arrived to give our support to the Paignton team as they were organising their first event. The teddies were with us. Cheryl Rider had gathered them all together to set up the Tombola table. About seven ladies from Torquay Soroptimists shared a rota for the day. The grassy venue was surprisingly large tucked behind Paignton Parish Church. There were many exceptional stalls, coffee and teas were on offer and a mobile catering van was near the entrance.We had music and live singing. There was even a masseur offering his services. There were a few pirates and princesses about and a parrot appeared amongst our teddies! The organisation was outstanding but sadly the number of visitors didn’t match such a wonderful effort. Everyone will know what to expect next time and the place will be teeming. We made an

Two ladies from the Ladies Lounge shared the evening with us and explained their commitment to the support of vulnerable women in Torbay. They covered the important aspects of the responsibilities they have and spoke with empathy and compassion. They are two of fifteen volunteers who have received extensive training to enable them to feel confident with the variety of concerns they deal with at the women’s-only drop in centre. They meet on Mondays and Wednesdays on the top floor of the Salvation Army building in Market Street, Torquay. It is a safe place for visitors to relax, to join in activities and to have lunch together. These ladies are trapped in destructive lifestyles and are often subject to abuse. Volunteers help them to feel more positive and to feel free from fear, anxiety and stress and ready to enjoy life. Linda Churchward 15th May

Sun block, water, comfie shoes and – a brolly. These were the essentials we advised our intrepid walkers to take with them for the special walk through Plymouth. The event was organised by a Plymouth Soroptimist and it was intended to mark the centenary of votes for women and to celebrate female achievers of the last century. Carole Ashley, Jane Pearce, Lesley Proctor and Veronica Prowse from our Torquay & District group travelled to North Hill, in Plymouth, to meet the rest of the ladies. They were each given a brightly coloured sash to wear and a card to carry with information about a particular lady from the past. Carole Ashley said, ‘We all enjoyed seeing who was representing who – gosh we have done a lot in 100 years! It was very enlightening and somehow empowering. Achievements across the board, in all walks of

Knitting for charity is a wonderful and rewarding project.  Members of the Torquay & District Soroptimist International continue to knit twiddlemuffs to help those with Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.  Twiddlemuffs have recently been given to Babbacombe Chiropodist Lorna Hill who is keen to distribute to patients who visit her Reddenhill Road Chiropody & Podiatry Clinic. A twiddlemuff is a bright knitted, tube with accessories such as ribbons and buttons sewn on to them. They are usually made up of various yarn textures, with beads, buttons, ribbons, toys, zips sewn on the inside and outside of the muff. This allows for the person’s hands to stay warm while they are able to twiddle with the bits and pieces. Twiddlemuffs help to ease agitation and calm the person’s mood, as they can keep their hands and minds occupied. If you would like to support our cause please

Members of the Torquay & District SI responded to a FaceBook post from the Torbay and South Devon Maternity Services asking for ‘Traffic Light Hats’ – red, orange or green for new born babies.   The hats will be used on the John Macpherson Ward to make sure that new babies are kept warm as soon as they are born.  All new babies will wear either a red, orange or green hat, making it easy for midwives to see how long each baby needs to wear a hat for – just like a traffic light system.   Maintaining the temperature of a new baby is important as babies that are warm tend to do much better in their first few hours of life.  By putting colour-coded hats on new babies the midwives can easily identify when the hat can be taken off and recognise any