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History of SI Tynedale

In 1990 the seeds of Soroptimist International of Tynedale were planted when Norah Thornthwaite and Lesley Marsh met at a Soroptimist conference in Blackpool.  Norah belonged to Penrith club and Lesley belonged to Newcastle club.  They had a chat about the possibility of starting a club in Hexham and, after a couple of months and a frantic promotional effort, we recruited 33 potential members and started meeting at the Broomhaugh Hotel in Riding Mill.

On the 16th of March 1991, we had our Charter Dinner at the Gosforth Park Hotel Newcastle as there was not a venue big enough in Tyndale.  There were 195 Soroptimists and friends attending, it was a glittering occasion.

Programme action – some highlights

During our first year, we provided refreshments and gave support to the initial Headway meeting in Hexham for carers and victims of head injuries.  We also arranged a fashion show resulting in the princely sum of £1,500 which enabled us to provide funding for the Tynedale Talking Newspaper, an organisation for people who have little or no sight.  We have provided a team of readers and help with administration for the past 29 years and have collected money on their annual flag day.

In 2003, Jane Hastings, Eleanor Glendinning and Margaret Miller travelled to Australia to attend the Sydney International Conference in Australia to give a presentation about the Ghanaian project ‘Reaching Out’ for which they received a Best Practice Award.

In 2017, we had a fund-raising speaker meeting to support Shelter Box.  We later provided comfort bags filled with a change of clothing and toiletries for women who had been trafficked.

Our current Programme Action activities include raising awareness of domestic abuse (lobbying and supporting our local charities), collecting books for our local hospice charity bookshop, and helping out at the local foodbank.  Keen knitters in our group have made “teddies for tragedies”, items for newborn babies in Rwanda, worry-monsters for children of domestic abuse victims and scarves for the homeless.

Outstanding achievements

At the beginning of the Gulf War, one of our founder members Dr Frankie Walters went as a volunteer to RAF Munster in West Germany to look after the medical needs of service families.

In 2009, one of our members, Josephine Chexal, was awarded the Cross of Merit by the German government.  She served for 18 years as German Honorary Consul for the North East and Cumbria.

In 2019, one of our newest members, Helen Milner, was awarded the MBE for services to education and the community in the North East in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Service to the northern region

Although we are a small club, seven of our members have taken regional office including four Regional Presidents.

International goodwill and understanding

In 1995, one of our members had been giving financial support to a young Ghanaian man providing him with a wheelchair.  This extended to helping his school in Yelwoko and providing hand-controlled sewing machines and sewing requisites for the ladies of the village to earn a living.

We have worked with a local nurse who supports charities in Malawi, providing first aid equipment, toys and school jumpers.

Meeting highlights

We meet monthly for dinner and invite a speaker to address the group.  Some of our most interesting topics have included polar exploration, mountain rescue, beekeeping, art and local history.  Numerous charities have also taken time to talk to us, including Shelterbox, Northumberland Domestic Abuse Service, the Hextol Foundation and Northumbria Blood Bikes.

Celebrations

1996 – Several members attended a buffet lunch at the House of Lords to celebrate 75 years of Soroptimist International, where we were welcomed by Baroness Miller who is also a Soroptimist.

1999 – We hosted and celebrated the regional conference at the Mart in Hexham.

2016 – We celebrated our 25th anniversary at Horton Grange along with a number of members of the northern region.

This is just a brief record of the history of Tynedale club.  We have raised thousands of pounds for charities both here and abroad and have enjoyed being part of such a worthwhile organisation.