June 2024 Orange Café This month 5 members of the club visited a local Sainsburys Supermarket Café. We had been given permission to display information about “Orange Café” and Soroptimist International and the “STOP Violence Against Women and Girls cards. Members spoke to 10 women about the purpose of the café and answered questions regarding Soroptimism.
President Julie has challenged members of Wakefield and District to complete 90 challenges during her presidency to celebrate the club’s 90th year. Members have recorded individual challenges as well as ones for the club. Julie set herself a personal challenge of swimming in open water. Julie has been training since January 2024, and completed the on 8th June when she took part in the Great North Swim in Lake Windermere. This project is multi-faceted as it encourages members to challenge themselves and benefit others as well, in this instance it will raise funds for a young person’s charity, Julie had worked with Gold From the Stone Foundation to raise funds by asking people to sponsor her. This foundation provides Christmas Lunch for young people who have left care, to ensure they have a meal and a gift. Watch out for more challenges throughout the year!
SI Wakefield and District members worked with others from the Yorkshire Region and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to collect small plastic items from Scarborough South Shore Beach on 6th June 2024. We were reminded that small plastic including cigarette butts, these contain toxins and can take15yr to disintegrate. Items collected also included socks, underwear, drink cups and a nail!
On 24th May SI Wakefield and district members held a successful Orange Café at Sainsburys Ings Road to promote the work of soroptimists, raise awareness of the 16 days of activism and raise awareness of Domestic Abuse and the support services available. Leaflets and Cards have provided information about the purpose of Orange Cafés. To find out more about Orange cafes and what they are all about see the SIGBI blog at https://thehub.sigbi.org/blog/view/Orange_Cafes__why_are_they_important_5qg
We were honoured to have no less than three SI presidents at our recent AGM. Our new club president Julie Clarke received her chain of office for this year in the presence of Yorkshire president and fellow Wakefield and District club member Sally Westwood, plus we were also honoured by a visit from national president Ruth Healey! The theme of the evening was orange in support of the UN campaign to end violence against women. Find out more at https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite/orange-the-world
Wakefield and District Soroptimists celebrated the 90th anniversary of their founding in 1934 recently. The celebration event was a luncheon hosted at Wakefield Town Hall on Saturday 2nd March 2024. Soroptimism in Wakefield was celebrated with guests from across the region, Ruth Healey SIGBI president, Susie Westwood Yorkshire president, the Mayor and Mayoress of Wakefield and guest speaker and star of Great British Bake Off Karen Wright. Congratulations to Cynthia, Marjorie and Susie who all received recognition certificates for long service to soroptimism.
Soroptimists from Wakefield and district club volunteered together to help with the tree planting effort at Bullcliffe Wood on the 21st February 2024. Soroptimists planted 60 trees between them on the day as part of a much bigger project to plant the White Rose Forest across West and North Yorkshire over the next few years. Anyone can volunteer as part of this winter’s tree planting programme, further information can be found at https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/woodland
Members of Soroptimist International Wakefield and District met at the Spring Cafe, Barnsley Road on Thursday 25th January for an orange afternoon tea to show solidarity against and raise awareness of domestic violence and its impact on the lives of women and girls.
This week thanks to eager knitters from SI Wakefield and district, 18 knitted blankets were donated at Pinderfields hospital for use on wards across Wakefield, Pontefract and Dewsbury wards via MY hospitals charity. Members knitted hundreds of squares which were then stitched together to form the blankets. Thank you to all members who lent their creativity and passion to this project.
Members of Soroptimist International Wakefield and District along with our very own Yorkshire President Susie gathered to share a Christmas meal with our partners – Soropti-misters and friends to round off the year. The White Horse-Sharlston did us proud with a delicious festive feast and our annual Christmas quiz also proved a hit. Wishing everyone a peaceful and Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2024.
