Projects and Activities 25/26
Overview
Women’s Health
Feeback obtained as part of the Listening Project revealed that women’s health was high on the list of concerns amongst people locally and to address this, club members have put themselves forward to join the Patient Participation Group attached to their GP surgery. By participating in these groups club members will have the opportunity to draw attention to women’s healthcare by contributing to newsletters and information programmes and help ensure that women’s voices are heard when the recently published NHS 10 year plan is implemented on the ground. One surgery in the town is planning to hold an information event about the menopause which a Soroptimist member is helping to organise.
Carer Support
The Listening Project revealed the view that support available to carers needed to improve and as the lion’s share of caring work tends to be done by women, addressing deficiencies in this area has the potential to make a difference to their lives. A few club members with first-hand experience of caring for a relative or friend have identified some areas to be investigated and will be engaging with provider organisations in both the private and public sector to take matters forward.
Women’s Safety
SITWD is represented on the Independent Advisory Group (IAG), a community-led organisation which acts as a “critical friend” to the police and seeks to build a bridge between them and the community. In this capacity, SITWD has created a Women’s Safety Collective comprising representatives from six women’s organisations in the town to engage a broad cross section of women in the creation of a dialogue of equals with the police on the issue of women’s safety. The first step in creating this dialogue has been to hold an event (“Women’s Voices”) where 70 women of different ages, backgrounds and ethnic origins heard how best to ensure their own safety, assert their right to be safe and define what safety means for them and the outputs from this event will be used to embark on discussions with the police and associated organisations.
SITWD are also active participants in the 16 day world -wide campaign against gender-based violence (GBV) which runs from 25th November to 10th December. In past years they have held awareness-raising events and in 2025 they are constructing an exhibition at the Amelia Scott in Tunbridge Wells which showcases the work of the Soroptimists, displays information about GBV and provides signposts to organisation which are either fellow campaigners or supports victims. 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence A display is also being organised at Southborough library about prominent women from Southborough through the ages. In addition, club members will, as usual, be participating in the Reclaim the Night walk on 25th November and in a Silent Walk being organised by SI Canterbury on 29th November.
Christmas Tree Festival
Each year the church of King Charles the Martyr, Tunbridge Wells’ oldest church, holds a Christmas Tree Festival in which organisations in the town are invited to “adopt” a tree, decorate it and submit it to auction with the proceeds going to a charity of the “adopter’s” choice. SITWD is taking part in 2025, with the proceeds going to Home Start SW Kent, a Southborough-based charity which provides early years support to local families. A group of skilled craftswomen collaborated in the design of the decorations with the theme of women uniting across the world.
Local Government
As part of the national reorganisation of local government, scheduled to take effect in 2028, where County and Borough Councils will be replaced by Unitary Authorities, the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells is taking steps to ensure that it will be given permission to form a Town Council which will represent the interests of the 500,000 residents of the wards which at present do not have either a Town or Parish Council. SITWD has secured representation on the group driving this initiative forward, thereby ensuring that the female voice has an opportunity to make itself heard in the forthcoming discussions.
Plastic Free Communities
In support of two of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – sustainable cities / communities and responsible consumption / production – SITWD is embarking on a campaign to reduce and eventually eliminate the town’s use of plastic. This will involve a wide range of institutions and organisations in the town in fundamental changes in how they live their lives and the team driving the initiative will draw on experience gained on an earlier project which resulted in the town achieving Toilet Twinned status.
Mayor’s Toy Appeal
As in previous years, SITWD is supporting this appeal which ensures that disadvantaged children receive at least one toy at Christmas. Club members volunteer to join a “shopping team” and buy toys to the value of £100 from stores in the town
SITWD Listening Project
In August 2024, SITWD held an ‘Away Day’ to reflect on past achievements and plan future projects. We decided to go beyond just gathering input from club members, and to actively support issues reflecting the wider needs of women & girls in the Tunbridge Wells area.
What did it involve?
To better understand those needs, we set out to engage directly with a diverse group of local women and girls, to find out how they feel about living in the area. Thirteen club members collaborated to design a ‘Structured Conversation’ template to guide conversations with individuals or groups.
The conversation starts with two key questions: the first encourages participants to share what they feel is going well in their community. This positive framing has proved powerful. Many women take time to reflect, and their thoughtful responses are often uplifting and empowering. The second question invites ideas for improvement, with a focus on constructive suggestions rather than complaints.
So far, we’ve heard from 110 women and girls from a wide range of backgrounds. We talked to women at community coffee mornings and mum & toddler groups for example. We collated and analysed responses to identify recurring themes, which will help to shape our future projects.
What We Learned
Overall, feedback has been heartening. Many women expressed positivity about Tunbridge Wells and their local communities. Suggestions for improvement were varied, with no single dominant issue; concerns commonly raised included public transport, accessibility, and the condition of the town centre. To help take these concerns forward, we’ve arranged a meeting with the CEO of the local Borough Council to share our findings from women across the town.
One particularly impactful result arose from our engagement with the local Muslim Women’s Group, who expressed a wish for access to women-only fitness and swimming sessions. In response, we approached the local Leisure Centre, whose manager agreed to introduce a weekly women-only swim session with female lifeguards. Around 25 women now attend each week, and participants consistently describe the atmosphere as more relaxed and welcoming than mixed sessions
The Soroptometer
Where structured conversations aren’t practical, we deploy an interactive visual tool we call the Soroptometer, which allows women to express their thoughts about common issues affecting their lives. Used at public events, it’s an informal way of gauging valuable insights into women’s priorities. For example, concerns raised about local women’s healthcare have prompted several members to join their GP’s Patient Participation Groups, ensuring that women’s voices are heard at both a local and a strategic level.
Being large & colourful, the Soroptometer invites attention and interaction, raising the profile of the club in the town.
SITWD Collects and Recycles Aluminium
SITWD have been collecting and recycling aluminium cans for some years, originally to support its toilet twinning campaign which concluded in November 2022 when Tunbridge Wells became a Toilet Twinned Town. Since then, club treasurer, Louise Taylor, with her environmental credentials to the fore has continued these endeavours, becoming a collection point for all things aluminium. This is part of the club’s continuing commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those dealing with the Planet ie Clean Water and Sanitation, Responsible Consumption and Production and Climate Action. When sufficient quantities of aluminium had accumulated, Louise contacted club members to ask for help taking them to the local recycling facility to be sold. On this occasion, club secretary, Ann Greenfield, and members, Lucy Raj and Cherry Whylock went with Louise. As a result of SITWD collecting aluminium waste, large numbers of cans and associated aluminium products are sold to a local recycling facility two or more times a year.This paragraph appears when the title is clicked.
Grassroots Activism Podcast Series Project
Soroptimist Tunbridge Wells are delighted and honoured to receive this certificate from Soroptimist International with the following message ‘Your Club’s outstanding project, “Grassroots Activism Podcast Series” has been selected as an exemplary initiative and included in SI’s our HLPF 2025 Report.’
‘Women’s Grassroots Activism in England and Ireland: 1918 to the present’
Women’s Grassroots Activism Podcast Series
Grassroots activism is rooted in the belief that lasting change comes from the ground up. By organising at a local level, women can create networks of solidarity, built coalitions and work toward long-term solutions that align with the real needs of their communities. Sharing stories is an important element of this work.
SITWD has continued it’s collaboration on the important academic research project into Women’s Grassroots Activism. The podcast series is funded by the United Kingdom Research Innovation (UKRI) Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as part of the grant awarded for Agency and Advocacy: Locating Women’s Grassroots Activism in England and Ireland, 1918 to the present (Project Reference: AH/X008606/1, August 2023 -January 2025). The research team is made up of Principal Investigator Professor Caitríona Beaumont (London South Bank University and Visiting Full Professor at University College Dublin), Co-Investigator is Dr Anne Logan (University of Kent), Dr Ruth Davidson (Institute of Historical Research, University of London), Dr Anna Muggeridge (University of Worcester) and Rachel Collett (University of Liverpool).
This podcast series tells stories of women’s grassroots activism across the island of Ireland and in England from 1918 to the present. This stage saw a production of a podcast series which highlight the diverse ways that various women’s organisations, including Soroptimist Tunbridge Wells & District , and SIGBI contribute to enhancing the lives of women and girls locally, nationally and globally.
Episode 3
Women’s Grassroots Activism: SIGBI campaigns and educational work against gender-based violence
In this episode, Dr Ruth Davidson, Caroline Auckland, former President of the Tunbridge Wells and District Soroptimists Club, Kent, and Eadaoin Lawlor, national past President of Soroptimists Republic of Ireland discuss how Soroptimists have campaigned to end Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). We consider the ways this work is achieved through advocacy and campaigns around policy and education at local, national and global levels. We also discuss campaigns including the ‘Safe Home Safe Community Project’ and how SIGBI supports the United Nations ‘Orange the World’ campaign, launched in 2008 to end violence against women and girls.
Episode 4
Women’s Grassroots Activism: stories of environmental activism
In this episode, Dr Anne Logan, Chrissie Booth, Vice-Chair of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), and Lorna Blackmore, past regional President of the Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Southeast Region, discuss the myriad ways in which women’s organisations have campaigned, and continue to campaign, to protect and improve the natural environment. Topics we discuss include the formation of the iconic ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ campaign by the NFWI in 1954 and the current NFWI campaign for ‘clean rivers for people and wildlife’. We also discuss SIGBI support for ‘toilet twinning’ and for solar-powered cooking devices to reduce deforestation and hopes for a future less dependent upon single-use plastic items.
Episode 4 Women’s Grassroots Activism: stories of environmental activism.
Understanding and acknowledging women’s contributions can help shift cultural norms that have historically sidelined or undervalued women’s roles. It helps promote gender equality and ensures that everyone, regardless of gender, is treated fairly and with respect, By acknowledging the impact women have, we move closer to eliminating systemic discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all.
All links to the podcasts can be accessed here: https://historyhub.ie/womens-grassroots-actvism-podcast
Episodes 3 & 4 relate to Soroptimist Tunbridge Wells & District and also Soroptimist South East Region.
This collaborative project would not have been possible without the rich legacy of current and past Tunbridge Wells Soroptimists who have informed these podcasts and also our sisters in Ireland and other areas of the country who contributed so much in our quest to NOT be the best kept secret. We enjoyed working with other women’s organisations by using the podcast as a method of demonstrating advocacy for change, bringing influence on decision making and making positive contributions to our communities. The podcast is an exciting format to use, once published details of our soroptimist work can be accessed at the listeners leisure. The conversational format makes for a more in-depth informative listen and has more permanence in a social media bite-size driven world of communication.
Caroline Auckland and Lorna Blackmore receiving the certificate in recognition of their work on the project
Soroptimist International (“SI”) recently published its 2025 High-Level Political Forum Report to the United Nations which showcases the best practice projects delivered by clubs. The Grassroots Activism Podcast Series, carried out in 2024-25 and featuring SITWD members, is referenced under the Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality. SITWD are delighted and honoured to receive a certificate from SI in relation to this ‘exemplary initiative’ and applauded Caroline and Lorna for their work on this at the club’s 2025 Planning Day where they were presented with the copies of the certificate.
16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence
16 Days of Activism Display at The Amelia Scott
The Soroptimists of Tunbridge Wells & District invite everyone to visit their powerful and thought-provoking display at The Amelia Scott, running from 25 November to 10 December 2025 as part of the UN’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
This international campaign begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and ends on Human Rights Day, symbolising the vital connection between ending gender-based violence and achieving equality, safety, and justice for all.
The display, located on the first floor of The Amelia Scott, highlights the realities of gender-based violence and celebrates the work done by the Soroptimists both locally and globally to improve the lives of women and girls.
Through photographs, artwork, and information panels, the Soroptimists aim to raise awareness and inspire action. The exhibition encourages visitors to reflect, talk, and consider what each of us can do—whether it’s supporting local charities, challenging harmful attitudes, or simply starting conversations that matter.
Violence against women and girls affects every community. By visiting this free public display, you are joining a worldwide movement calling for change.
Come, learn, and add your voice. Together, we can stand up, speak out, and help build a future free from violence.
Call To Action – What can I do?
Many of the facts about gender-based violence are shocking. There are some simple things you can help.
Join Soroptimist International Tunbridge Wells & District.
Look at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council webpage for information and help for victims of domestic violence.
Support local charities working to support victims of domestic violence, like DAVSS.
Tell friends and family about Safe Havens. Look for businesses in Tunbridge Wells with a Safe Havens sign. This includes The Amelia Scott. They can help people call a taxi, charge their phone, or contact someone in an emergency.
Put the next local Reclaim the Night March in your diary. It is on 25 November every year.
Talk to your children or younger friends and relatives. Help them to know where to find help if they need it.
The facts
We are displaying one fact or statistic every day between 25 November and 10 December. These are all the facts and their sources.
1 Violence against women and girls makes up just under 20% per cent of all recorded crime in England and Wales.
National Police Chiefs’ Council
2 From April 2023 to March 2024, about 1.6 million women in England and Wales suffered domestic abuse. Around 712,000 men also faced abuse.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales for year ending March 2024 (Office of National Statistics)
3 Between 2009 and 2018 in the UK, 888 women were killed by a current or former partner. Of these, 43% had separated or tried to separate from the person who killed them.
Femicide Census, 2020, Women’s Aid
4 One in five women aged 16 years and over has been a victim of stalking. Younger people are more likely to be stalking victims.
5 Worldwide, 22 million people are in forced marriages. Two out of five of these people were children.
Global Estimates of Modern Slavery Report 2022
6 In 2022, the cost of domestic abuse in England was almost £78 billion. This includes both social and economic costs.
Women’s Aid 2023 Investing to save: the economic case for funding specialist domestic abuse support
7 About 86% of women and girls live in countries where the law does not stop violence or unfair treatment.
ACT to End Violence against Women, UN Women
8 Over 60 per cent of countries still lack rape laws based on the principle of consent.
9 The police in England and Wales recorded 2,755 ‘honour-based’ abuse cases between April 2023 and March 2024.
Home Office Statistics on so called ‘honour-based’ abuse offences, England and Wales, year ending March 2024
10 In 2022-23, Women’s Aid report that refuge services in England helped around 10,824 women and 12,989 children. Community support services helped about 120,518 women and 156,673 children.
11 Women’s Aid report that for every £1 spent on domestic abuse services in England, the public purse saves £9 or more.
Women’s Aid 2023 Investing to save: the economic case for funding specialist domestic abuse support
12 Every 3 days a woman is killed by a man in the UK.
13 Around the world, 140 women and girls are killed by their partner or a close relative. This means one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes.
14 Between April 2023 and March 2024, Home Office data shows that only 2.6% of rape cases resulted in a charge or summons.
House of Lords Library: Rape: Levels of Prosecutions 2025
15 Between 2022 and 2024, the British Transport Police recorded more violent crimes against women and girls. The number went up by 50%.
16 Between April 2023 and March 2024, the police in England and Wales recorded 851,062 domestic abuse crimes.
ONS Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview: November 2024