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Meetings

The club programme of meetings for 2025/26 has been structured on the theme of
‘Making a Difference’.  

Planned meetings:

All are welcome to attend. Meetings take place at Chamberlain Court, 77 Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 8BS.

All meetings are from 7.30pm to 9.00pm.

If you are interested please email us at situnbridgewells@yahoo.co.uk

20th July Report on CSW proceedings at the UN Lorna Blackmore
17th August No meeting  
21st September Activist Women Artists Christine Wise

Feminism Historian
19th October Work of Imago, a carer’s charity Jen Williams, Imago Fundraiser
16th November* Strategy and Planning Session All
14th December Christmas Meal  
18th January Grassroots Activism Tool Kit Caroline Auckland
15th February Work of Porchlight, a homeless charity Deborah Kellond, Fundraiser
15th March Working in Turkey Amelia Dowler
19th April TBA  
17th May Club AGM  

 

Recent Meeting Reports:

 

May 2026  –  Women’s Safety Across the Rail Network

We were delighted to welcome Gemma Davis, Safeguarding Lead at Southeastern Railway (SER), to speak about the important work being undertaken to improve women’s safety across the rail network.

Gemma shared insights into SER’s safeguarding initiatives, including efforts to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, and outlined five key pledges made at the 2025 Rail Delivery Group meeting:

  1. Increase the number of bodyworn cameras
  2. Introduce staff training on sexual harassment
  3. Develop a standardised reporting system
  4. Appoint a safeguarding lead on the SER Board
  5. Create a dedicated passenger group focused on the safety of women and girls

A particularly encouraging development is the creation of a new passenger-led forum, designed to ensure women’s voices are heard, strengthen collaboration between SER and British Transport Police, and develop practical improvements informed by lived experiences of harassment and intimidation.

The discussion prompted valuable conversations around SER’s pioneering work on repeat offending and sexual harassment, alongside members sharing their own experiences and concerns as female passengers. We are grateful to Gemma for such an open and informative session, and thank Ann Greenfield for expressing the Club’s appreciation on behalf of members.

We’re also pleased to learn that five clubs in the SE Region have been invited to participate in the new initiative, and SITWD has confirmed its wish to be involved. We look forward to contributing to this important work and helping shape safer journeys for women and girls.

April 2026: ‘Talk on Tanzania’ 

Jean Meadows had been invited as a Club member to give a short talk about her recent visit to Tanzania. 

Jean explained that she has been involved in a ‘Church and Community Mobilisation Project’ that her local church runs in Tanzania. This is based in Kondoa, one of the poorest areas of the country, which she visited three years ago and again last year. The project is aimed at shifting mindsets to help transformation and capacity building including by empowering local people to grow crops to feed themselves and their own community. It also has strong links with a Mothers Union project which supports women’s empowerment. Club members were very interested to hear about the wide range of self-help groups that are now run by the community and the entrepreneurial and self-sustaining nature of the project.

March 2026: A wonderful evening with club member Idske.

From IT to intricate miniatures, Idske shared her inspiring journey and passion for creating beautifully detailed dolls’ houses. Her creativity, skill (and love of tools!) truly brought her work to life.
We also loved hearing about her Mayfield girls’ group and the amazing community work of MAYFACS Shed.

 

July 2025: Tunbridge Wells supports Soroptimists’ Fight for Justice for Sub postmasters

The Post Office Horizon story has been described as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in UK history. Between 2000 and 2014, the Post Office prosecuted 736 Sub postmasters, based on accounting anomalies. In April 2021, the Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 39 former Sub postmasters for theft, false accounting, and fraud with hundreds of others potentially on the way. It has proved to be a lengthy battle to prove that the Horizon IT system, on which the convictions were based, was flawed. The TV drama, ‘Mr Bates v The Post Office’ transformed a long running but relatively underreported scandal into a national reckoning. However, for victims of the scandal, the ordeal is far from over. SITWD wanted to know more.

Forensic accountant, Dr Kay Linnell OBE and her business partner, Barbara Jeremiah JP MSc, longstanding Soroptimists from SI Winchester and District, spoke very powerfully to SITWD members about the Post Office Horizon IT scandal and their part in the long fight for justice. Their involvement began when Barbara supported their local subpostmistress, Jo Hamilton, who was wrongly convicted in 2007. Barbara introduced the case to Kay, eventually persuading her to apply her forensic accounting skills to the campaign in 2012. They have unrelentingly, pro-bono, dedicated years to gathering and analysing financial evidence to provide justice and redress for the victims. It was a great privilege to hear how Barbara’s initial concern sparked the investigation and Kay’s financial expertise, and campaign momentum then helped form the legal and evidentiary foundation of the postmasters’ fight. They continue to be actively involved, heavily criticising the compensation frameworks.

Club members were shocked that justice has still not been served, and public concern has moved on. In honour of two outstanding women, the club donated £50 to a charity of their choice. Many members also brought the book written by Jo Hamilton, Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton? In it, she acknowledges Kay and Barbara saying, ‘Kay Linnell and Barbara Jeremiah are two unsung heroes and there is no doubt that without your forensic skill, expertise, determination and the thousands and thousands of free hours you dedicated to this cause, we wouldn’t be where we are today.’

May 2025: SITWD Supports Imago Dei

In May we welcomed representatives from Imago Dei to our club meeting. The charity, Imago Dei was set up in 2016. It supports and encourages women through a range of rehabilitative courses and mentoring whilst in prison and upon their release. It works in four women’s prisons in the Southeast alongside chaplaincy departments, supporting women of all faiths or none. There are currently four projects: the Prison Ministry, ID Essence, working with young women aged 18-25, Grace House UK, opening in the summer in Maidstone as a pilot scheme offering housing and life skills training for women leaving prison, and #She Matters, a community based initiative with a charity shop in Tunbridge Wells offering work experience for women coming out of prison.

Tracy Sickel, CEO and founder of Imago Dei and her colleague, Immy, Community Fundraiser and Communications Officer, gave an informative presentation about the charity’s work. This was followed by a Q&A session.