We were delighted to welcome to our July meeting Borsha Sarker, consultant sonographer, and Kerry Barnett, advanced nurse practitioner, both from Sunderland Women’s Hub. Borsha and Kerry explained how they have transformed gynaecological services using advanced ultrasound. Their pioneering work has led to more rapid diagnosis and faster treatments and this has had a significant impact on the lives and health of many women. Their approach is a model of good practice in women’s health, helping to address the many health inequalities that still exist. Gynaecological issues are not just ‘part of being a woman’ and this view needs to change. To find out more about health inequalities, you might like to read the UN Women’s article, ‘Six uncomfortable truths about women’s health’ at https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/six-uncomfortable-truths-about-womens-health

Some of our members enjoyed a lovely afternoon today to raise funds for the Shoes for Smart Works project. The optional dress code was tea dresses for afternoon tea, and the gorgeous summer florals were out in force. As well as tea and LOTS of cake, members were able to browse a book stall for summer reading and choose from a selection of home made preserves. We raised another £177.10 for shoes. Thanks to all who came along, and many thanks to Jane for hosting.  

Members recently enjoyed an afternoon tea, with quiz and raffle to raise funds for our club charities. This year, we are supporting baby banks across our locality and the event raised £114. Thanks to Rachel for hosting and to all who helped with the catering – the cakes look fab.    

We held our annual open evening on 11th May, and what a wonderful time we had. It was great to welcome so many of the organisations and volunteers we work with, including Whitley Bay Fiesta and The North Shields Heritology Project. These two groups make such a wonderful contribution to the community and we are proud to help them when we can. We welcomed staff from Riverside Primary School who shared with us the work they have done in creating The Den, a sensory space which is already making a big difference to children. If you follow us, you might remember that raising funds for The Den was one of our biggest projects last year. The space looks wonderful and we’re delighted we could support this important resource for the school. This year, we are supporting the much needed baby banks in our area. Fundraising

We are keen supporters of SmartWorks, the marvellous charity that supports women into work through coaching and styling for interviews – https://newcastle.smartworks.org.uk/ Shoes are always needed for the clients so we’re raising funds to donate at least 50 pairs. Members joined together on 7th May for an afternoon of vintage fun, testing our knowledge of antiques in activities planned by our club expert, Helen. She also makes a very good cocktail. We raised £193 for our shoes for SmartWorks project and hope to be dropping off some shoes soon.

Welcome to another new member, Carolyn (with the flowers on the right) with new member Christine (on the left) with Louise, who has been a member for a long time! Being a Soroptimist gives us the opportunity to be involved in events and activities from which we learn so much and it’s a lot of fun too. We hope our new members enjoy being a Soroptimist in our club.  

Our club was once again sent gifts for Mother’s Day to women who have found a safe space in a local women’s refuge. It may seem like a small thing but we hope this sends a message that they are remembered and supported by us and that there are people who are working as part of the Soroptimist movement to end violence and abuse against women.  

It’s International Women’s Day today, 8th March, an opportunity to celebrate women and all their achievements and to call for action on gender equality. This year’s theme is Give to Gain, reminding us that generosity and collaboration leads to opportunities for all women. We can all give something; offering our time, our attention, our knowledge and experience and our solidarity helps to create a supportive network where all women thrive. Members of our club have been out and about in the area today, giving out roses to women and girls to celebrate International Women’s Day. It was a pleasure to find that many women we spoke to knew about International Women’s Day and we enjoyed making this contribution to building that network.

We were delighted to induct a new member at our meeting on 9th February – welcome Christine, pictured below with Anne, a long standing member. One of the lovely things about being a Soroptimist is finding out more about each other and the wealth of knowledge, skills and expertise that each person brings to the club. Our members are our greatest asset and the successful Programme Action carried out over many years is a testament to their talents. Our speaker last night was one of our members, Jane, whose professional career was in the field of immunology. She gave a really interesting presentation about immunology and why it matters, and explained some of the differences between women and men in the fight against infection. Jane’s talk prompted lots of questions and discussion and we all learnt something. Thank you Jane for such an interesting and

Thanks to the generosity of members, friends and families, our club has again been able to deliver Christmas presents for the families currently in safe accommodation provided by Harbour, our local charity supporting individuals affected by abuse from a partner, former partner or other family member (https://www.myharbour.org.uk/). Each woman will receive a festive bag of beautiful toiletries and there’s a gift for all the children (27 this year). Each child will get a pair of pyjamas, a book, a toy or game and a selection box. On behalf of all our club members, Merry Christmas to you all.