Our AGM saw the installation of our President for 2024, Cat Mennell, who outlined an exciting year raising funds for her chosen charity, Survivors Network. The club also heard a presentation from the Regional President, Alison Driscoll, about her chosen charity for 2024 ABCD. The club was also enthralled by a presentation from club member, Kathleen Lynch-Howard, about her volunteering at the National Trust, Sissinghurst, which centred on the lives of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson. We were also delighted that the Regional President was there to welcome and pin two new club members, Cherry Whytock and Veronika Segal-Jones..
Regional President Elect and Club President Cat Mennell with our new members Veronika Segal-Jones and Cherry Whytock
March 2024
Our March club meeting was very informative with guest speakers Sue Dunn and Jan Berry from @protectionagainststalking. We learnt what #Stalking is and how it impacts on lives through real life case studies, many of which were #Kent based. Discussions took place on required changes in #policy. All in all, the evening was extremely valuable. Thank you @protectionagainststalking for all that you and your volunteers and advocates do. We were pleased to make a donation from club funds, continuing on from the #iwd donation as
training and support always need funding.
Sue Dunn and Jan Berry from Protection Against Stalking with Cat Mennell at club meeting
February 2024
Our February club meeting was lead by Sarah Salway, a local journalist and writer. Sarah guided us through writing exercises designed to generate ways to express issues that trouble us. In so doing, she also shared techniques to generate ideas on how to deal develop our activism through persuasion and well honed argument that has been worked out in writing first.
January 2023
DAVSS is a charity based in West Kent that supports victims of domestic abuse, aged 16 years and above. SITWD have long supported this charity with several club members being part of the DAVSS volunteer body. When SITWD members were alerted to a Valentine’s Day initiative that asked for donations of small items of personal use to put together packs for women and children experiencing domestic violence situations club members voted to support it. Items were brought to the January club meeting and one club member who volunteers with DAVSS undertook to deliver these to the local DAVSS collection point.
Items for DAVSS donation
November 2023
White Ribbon Presentation – President-Elect Cat Mennell spoke at our November club meeting about her role as a White Ribbon Ambassador. The campaign slogan of White Ribbon UK is #ChangeTheStory for women and girls by challenging ‘harmless’ male attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate violence against women and girls. They campaign to get men in workplaces and public organisations to promote white ribbon wearing as a symbol of their being prepared to take an active role in stopping violence against women before it starts. Cat’s presentation resulted in a full and lively discussion on the issue of VAWG and how to work to alleviate this problem in society through different approaches and organisations.
President-Elect Cat Mennell giving White Ribbon presentation
October 2023
At our October 2023 club meeting, chaired by President Elect Cat Mennell, we were delighted to welcome author and journalist Anna Whaton @whartonswords which took the form of a conversation with author Sarah Salway @sarahsalway. We were treated to an enlightening discussion on topics such as #ghostwriting and #dementia and learned of Anna’s experience in writing about subjects such as #fgm and #domesticabuse. Anna supplied much insight into the role of authorial voice in the writing process.
L-R Guest speaker Anna Wharton, Sarah Salway & President Elect Cat Mennell
July 2023
At our July 2023 Club Meeting we were delighted to be treated to an inspiring talk from Jason Lower, youth theatre director and lead of the Creative Engagement team at Trinity Theatre. Jason spoke about a number of community engagement projects run by Trinity across age groups. Jason gave an overview of the wonderful Speech Bubbles drama based intervention which runs in schools for years 1 and 2. Pictured with Jason is club member Kathleen Lynch-Howard, who was Jason’s drama teacher at school along with Badger, the trusty lion who helps run the Speech Bubbles sessions.
Kathryn Lynch-Howard presenting Jason with a cheque to support the Speech Bubbles initiative
May 2023
The guest speaker at our May 2023 club meeting was Jess Mookerjee who spoke to us about her childhood and early adulthood, her work in Public Health and her love of writing poetry, explaining how the three interact in her life.
Jessica is a poet of Bengali heritage, being brought up in Mumbles, Wales. She lived most of her adult life in London and who now lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. She has worked in Public Health for over 20 years and has a background in psychology and biological anthropology and socio-ecology. Her book Tigress (Nine Arches Press) was shortlisted as best second collection in the Ledbury Munthe Prize in 2021. Her book Notes from a Shipwreck is published by Nine Arches Press in 2022. In January Broken Sleep Books published her long poetic London poem: Desire Lines. Jessica is a board member of the Poetry Society and a Co-Editor of Against the Grain Poetry Press.
Jess Mookerjee – guest speaker May meeting
October 2020
Foodbank donation October 2020
Foodbank donation September 2020
March 2020
Club Donation to Nourish March 2020
Personal care items
We were very disappointed that we had to cancel our last Club meeting as we had a wonderful speaker lined up to come and talk to us.
Marianne from Nourish had a great presentation she was going to talk us through and she has very kindly sent us the power-point which was going to form the basis of her talk. This has now been sent to all Club members by email.
Please bear in mind that this was put together before Coronavirus hit and the subsequent repercussions will have a significant impact on their services with an obvious increase in demand and need.
Following the cancellation Tunbridge Wells Club donated the physical supplies which we had discussed previously and have since then made a further Club donation of £50 to Nourish. Some members have also donated on a personal basis.
Message from Nourish:” Thank you! And a massive thank you from Nourish for the financial donations, we are seeing at least a 50% uplift in referrals and we are running low on stock – but thanks to financial donations we are in the lucky position of being able to buy stock. Slight problem now seems to be in getting hold of said stock!”https://www.nourishcommunityfoodbank.org.uk
Once things return to normal we will invite Marianne to come and talk to us again as ‘The Impact of Poverty’ is sadly going to resonate through our community and society for many years to come.
July 2019
Soroptimist Tunbridge Wells & District were delighted to present our July club meeting speakers with a donation. Adam and Penny Bennett talked to us about Oasis India and their work in helping trafficked women and children in deprived areas of Mumbai, Chennai, Punganur and Bangalore. Oasis has worked in India for the past 20 years. Their mission statement states they are ‘committed to working in an inclusive, integrated empowering and comprehensive way so that all people experience wholeness and fullness of life.’
We were delighted to be in our new venue at Chamberlain Court and below is the flower presentation made to our club speaker Mandy Baker from Anna Chaplaincy. We made the most of the fine weather and the presentation was made on the enclosed balcony. Mandy, a lay preacher at St James Church in Tunbridge Wells, spoke about the development of Anna Chaplaincy, started in 2010 it is a joint church iniative.The organisation supports people with dementia, the lonely, the elderly and their carers.
Tony and Vale Fitzpatrick visited Si Tunbridge Wells to share with us their experiences helping in a rehabilitation school for disabled children in Tanzania. Tony and Val have volunteered on five or more occasions offering play therapy and story-telling, this helps them with their mental health and well-being. The centre, Kituo cha Watoto Walemavu Mlali, accepts 30-40 children under the age of 13 with varying special needs issues and they are visited regularly by a team of self-funded doctors from Italy who perform corrective surgery.
Si Tunbridge Wells presented them with a cheque to support their funds.
Club business- the Club agreed that we move to a new venue – Chamberlain Court, the day of the Club’s regular meeting is yet to be confirmed.
April 2019
Lorna Blackmore welocmes Caroline Auckland as Vice President
March 2019
We were delighted to welcome Farah, a trainee solicitor, who spoke of her journey in life so far. She described her early life with her mother , schooling and how she dealt with her traditional Asian marriage. Farah is now actively pursuing her career as a single woman.
January 2019
Mandy Flashman-Wells gave a presentation on the work of Mbedza Projects in Malawi and in
particular the Trees project, and it was agreed that the club make a further donation of £25 to Mbedza for the tree planting.
We have previously donated money for the stoves project in this area.
December 2018
November 2018
Number 63 (Soroptimist) Limited- Bayswater London
Extract from the SIGBI Chairman’s Blog-
On 29 November 2018 at Number 63 in the presence of Federation President and Patron Sue Williams, Federation President Elect Isobel, Federation Finance Director Ruth, several past Chairman and past Directors, and some of the Shareholders of
Number 63 gathered to witness the launch of the Platinum Appeal to mark 70 years since the iconic building was purchased by Soroptimists. At the launch Lorna Blackmore of Soroptimist International of Tunbridge Wells and District made a presentation of a watercolour painting of ‘63’ The Residential Club of Soroptimist International, it is by the artist, Roy Pettit.
The watercolour was generously donated to Tunbridge Wells and District Soroptimist Club by its owner and Club Member, Mrs Mary Alford, for whom Roy Pettit painted it specially, in appreciation of Mary’s encouragement and sponsorship,most particularly in drawing Roy Pettit’s work to the attention of Lord Gage of Firle Place, Sussex, for whom Mary had worked as an art restorer. The painting was unveiled by President Toni Wilkinson in January 2003.
The Board of Directors are indebted to Lorna for presenting the stunning painting which will take pride of place in Number 63.
November Meeting
We were delighted to welcome Soroptimist SIGBI Federation Councillor, Susie Forbes and our recent Region Programme Action Officer, Hilary Rowberry to our November Club meeting. We had a overview of roles, projects and future developments at local, regional and national level. Plus we collected our Soroptimists say NO to Violence Against Women badges. Here are Susie and Hilary holding the new badges. Don’t be afraid #OrangetheWorld
October 2018
At our last Club meeting- October 2018, we were delighted to welcome magistrate Pat Smith. Illustrating Soroptimist sustainable development goal 16, Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions, Pat gave us a fascinating insight into the process of becoming a magistrate, an exploration of the magistrate court and the issues dealt with. These include domestic and physical abuse cases, driving offences for drink, speeding and drugs usage. She considered the history of prisons and their reforms, the reasons for and experiences of being inside a prison and the alternative sentences of probation, community orders and curfews. Associated with the jurisdictional issues she discussed mental health issues and on reflection, whilst writing this summary, this seems to dovetail well with our new Soroptimist International theme set by President Sue Williams of #ThinkonIt .
Thank you Pat for an incredibly interesting and insightful evening into a consideration of human nature and processes of justice in the UK.
September 2018
July 2018
The History of Si Tunbridge Wells was presented by June Bridgeman.
Here is June, explaining the appeal of our traditional emblem used by other federations.
Local newspaper coverage of former Tunbridge Wells Soroptimists and below some of the leaflets Tunbridge Wells Club have published to help the local community.
June 2018
Club meeting – there was a talk by Alex’s daughter about her field of work which was fascinating but the contents of which remain within the group due to the sensitive nature of it’s content.
Two members attended the South East Regional meeting on the 9th June.
May 2018
An Evening with Dr Helen Pankhurst
Helen Pankhurst works partly in Ethiopia and partly in the UK as a women’s rights activist and senior advisor to the humanitarian and development agency CARE International. She is a Board member of ActionAid, and a Visiting Professor at the LSE and at Manchester Metropolitan University. Helen is the great-granddaughter of Emmeline and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst, leaders of the British suffragette movement and has been keeping their legacy alive including by with support to the 2015 film Suffragette and in 2018 publishing Deeds Not Words, the Story of Women’s Rights, Then and Now’.
Soroptimist International Tunbridge Wells & District in conjunction with#TWWomen100
FREE EVENT
Club Meeting May 2018
What an informative evening we had at our club meeting on Monday 21 May. Margaret Ginman came to talk to us about bees and her journey to become a beekeeper and how she has shared her knowledge to develop apprenticeship schemes with an equal gender balance of participants. Margaret is the general secretary of the Bee Farmers Association (BFA).
We heard about the history of honeybees and their relationship with man and how bees predate humans. Here is a link to the National Geographic film Margaret mentioned The Last Honey Hunter: Behind the Scenes about Bees in Nepal.
We were given an overview of Bee Farming in the UK. Heard about the uses of honey, as wax, for health benefits and how Stradivarius used propolis varnish to polish his instruments. She gave us wonderful quotes from Hippocrates, honey ‘ ….cleans sores and ulcers, softens hard ulcers of the lips, heals carbuncles and running sores.’
We also heard about the development of the BFA and the benefits and support it provides for members.
Plus we heard how Soroptimist International Eastbourne & District had developed a Bee Course for schoolchildren which has now been extended to other areas of the country.
Oh, and so much more including historical phrases such as ‘a swarm in May is worth a load of hay, a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon, but a swarm in July is not worth a fly.’
We then had a chance to taste lots of different types of honey and discuss our findings.
How fabulous was it that we held the meeting on World Bee Day! Coincidence or planned?
A number of us are now considering becoming beekeepers!
If anyone is interested in The Great British Bee Count organised by Friends of the Earth- here is the link to the app: The Great British Bee Count
March 2018
At the Club meeting in March, Alison MacKenzie extended the TW Women 100 theme as we continue to embrace International Women’s Day 2018. She presented details relating to key female figures in the Tunbridge Wells Community of 100 years ago. Louisa Twining, Amelia Scott, Susan Power, Sarah Grand, Nora and Annette Guthrie, Alice E Burton and Miss Maclean. In conclusion, we decided they all would have been soroptimists and local history is indebted to these women for the changes they made in society.
Regional Meeting : Maidstone
At our Regional meeting of SISEE today- we welcomed the news that club member Lorna Blackmore will become Regional President in 2019/20. Lorna was given her Vice President’s chain by Jane Webb.
President Jane congratulates Lorna Blackmore from SI Tunbridge Wells on being nominated as SISEE Vice President
Club Meeting February 2018
At February’s meeting Senior Midwife Jean Meadows from Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust visited us and talked about the pioneering Kangeroo Care project and its extension to China. We heard about the importance of skin to skin contact to aide the development of antibodies as well as nutritional issues in relation to child growth and mortality rates in connection with the consumption of colostrum . Also about myths associated with breast feeding attitudes and how essential it is for human development to colonise the gut with the correct bacteria. A fascinating evening- you can read more in relation to this topic here- https://www.mtw.nhs.uk/2015/12/midwives-answer-chinas-call/
December 2017
Regional Meeting : Maidstone
We joined other clubs in wearing orange to mark the United Nations 16 days of Activism to End Violence Against Women.
October 2017
Club Meeting 16th October
Alex Dawson, Emergency Planning Officer gave an interesting talk on Emergency Planning for the local area.
Regional Meeting
Saturday 7th October
Four members of Si Tunbridge Wells attended the meeting of SISEE Region held at the Hilton Hotel in Maidstone.
Lorna Blackmore presented an update on our club’s Programme Action including empowering women by our TED talk sponsorship here in Tunbridge Wells, providing work experience for a local graphic design student and the start of our project at Chapter One.
Barbara Bradford and Ann Greenfield were presented with long service awards for 25 years membership.
July 2017
Club Meeting
The Club were delighted to welcome Mark Moody from The Skinners’ School Tunbridge Wells. Mark introduced us to the fascinating concept of STEM with particular reference to sustainability. We were impressed with the outreach approach involving local primary schools and how the research has been developed as an extra curricular activity. We discussed Wind-turbines, the value of energy, down-cycling of oil and a closed loop irrigation system and Mark presented the ways students had had to think creatively outside the classroom.
We were also very interested in the work undertaken by the students on the air pollution levels on the nearby St John’s Road in Tunbridge Wells. The road forms a main artery into the town and is a walking route for many people including schoolchildren and children in buggies. Changes in use of existing buildings and proposed developments indicate that the road and associated building structures will form a funnel trapping fumes at street level. The environmental and health impact of the findings are very important and we are considering ways in which we can help information from their STEM projects reach a wider local audience with the aim of influencing change in planning considerations.
At our Club meeting on the 19th June we made a presentation of a cheque to Fegans, our charity for 2016/17.
Soroptimist Lorna Blackmore presented a cheque for £300 to Jenny Cole, Director of Finance. Fegans Jenny
gave a brief update on the work of the organisation. Fegans is a local children’s mental health charity who provides confidential counselling services to school age children. More details about their valuable work can be found here: https://www.fegans.org.uk/
Sarah Weller gave a most interesting talk on the development and history of Chapter 1, our chosen charity for 2017/18. She then answered questions and members discussed ways in which we can help and be involved. Here is a link to their website: http://www.chapter1.org.uk/calverley-hill–tunbridge-wells. We look forward to working with them closely over the coming year.
Reminder- Chapter 1 have requested old birthday cards to recycle for their craft sessions + ribbons and sequins etc.
Just a visual reminder of the opportunity to have a clear out of all those items you are hording for a rainy day project !
May 2017
Club Meeting
At tonight’s meeting club members welcomed 3 speakers from Si East Grinstead. Hilary Rowberry, Regional Programme Coordinator, spoke about her Grant of Friendship visit to New Zealand. Angela Edwards and Susie Forbes, Regional Councillors spoke about their roles and the difference it has made to their lives. Angela and Susie are pictured above with Club Meeting Chair Alex Dawson (centre).Thank you for an inspiring evening
…………………..
April
SITWD Friendship Weekend
15th-17th April 2016
To celebrate the club’s 70th anniversary, welcoming members and guests from our Friendship Link clubs, SI Beneden Maas (Netherlands), SI Wiesbaden, SI Corona (USA) and SI Kirkcaldy (Scotland) and current and former members of SITWD and of other SISEE clubs.
SI Tunbridge Wells & District Annual General Meeting
To take place at 7:30pm on Monday 25th April 2016 at Willicombe Park, Tunbridge Wells.
March
Monday 21st – Club meeting: Speaker Gill Evans – Life after a Brain Injury
January
Monday 18th – Club meeting: Speaker about Parkinson’s Disease
Diamond Education Grant
SITWD are helping to raise money for SIGBI Diamond Education Grant by Recycling for Good Causes (co-ordinated by SI Milford Haven)
SITWD to field a team at Tunbridge Wells Mayor’s Charity Quiz Night
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Club members will be competing as ‘The Quizzer Sisters’ at this popular annual event in January 2016
9-12 July 2015
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SITWD President & Secretary attended Soroptimist International Conference in Istanbul.
