{"id":5673,"date":"2026-03-12T13:57:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/tunbridge-wells\/?page_id=5673"},"modified":"2026-04-28T08:13:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T07:13:56","slug":"meetings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/tunbridge-wells\/meetings\/","title":{"rendered":"Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The club programme of meetings for 2025\/26 has been structured on the theme of<\/span>
\n‘Making a Difference’. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Planned meetings:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

All are welcome to attend. Meetings take place at Chamberlain Court, 77 Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 8BS.<\/span><\/p>\n

All meetings are from 7.30pm to 9.00pm.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are interested please email us at situnbridgewells@yahoo.co.uk<\/span><\/p>\n

May<\/b> \u2013 Gemma Davis, Southeastern railway safeguarding lead, to speak about women\u2019s safety<\/span><\/p>\n

June<\/b> \u2013 AGM<\/span><\/p>\n

July<\/b> \u2013 Lorna Blackmore to talk about her UN\/New York visit as a Soroptimist delegate at the Commission for the Status of Women session.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sept <\/b>\u2013 Christine Wise, a researcher on women artists and activism, to talk about Ernestine Mills who designed our President\u2019s insignia<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recent Meeting Reports:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

April<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>2026:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0‘Talk on Tanzania’\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1777098876991-a7d24043d26df0e59d657e6ce241ab6a-0″ include=”5779,5780″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/span><\/p>\n

Jean Meadows had been invited as a Club member to give a short talk about her recent visit to Tanzania.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jean explained that she has been involved in a \u2018Church and Community Mobilisation Project\u2019 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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

March 2026: <\/span><\/strong>A wonderful evening with club member Idske.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1777098877096-b6e443d5bef35f50108a8b5caf0ca5cf-6″ include=”5723,5722″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]<\/span><\/p>\n

From IT to intricate miniatures, Idske shared her inspiring journey and passion for creating beautifully detailed dolls\u2019 houses. Her creativity, skill (and love of tools!) truly brought her work to life.<\/span>
\nWe also loved hearing about her Mayfield girls\u2019 group and the amazing community work of MAYFACS Shed.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July 2025: <\/strong><\/span>Tunbridge Wells supports Soroptimists\u2019 Fight for Justice for Sub postmasters<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

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, \u2018Mr Bates v The Post Office\u2019 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s initial concern sparked the investigation and Kay\u2019s financial expertise, and campaign momentum then helped form the legal and evidentiary foundation of the postmasters\u2019 fight. They continue to be actively involved, heavily criticising the compensation frameworks.<\/span><\/p>\n

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 \u00a350 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, \u2018Kay 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\u2019t be where we are today.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

May 2025: SITWD Supports Imago Dei<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Tracy Sickel, CEO and founder of Imago Dei and her colleague, Immy, Community Fundraiser and Communications Officer, gave an informative presentation about the charity\u2019s work. This <\/a>was followed by a Q&A session.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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