Dorothy Clark and our new member Ann Maloney

SI Weybridge and SI Woking got together at the end of September 2015 to organise a Charity Bridge Afternoon to raise funds for the Volunteering in Pretoria (VIP) project. On a sunny afternoon in Pyrford, bridge enthusiasts gathered at the Church of the Good Shepherd to ply their card-playing skills on behalf of the Soroptimist International Southern England Regional project to send a volunteer to South Africa to gain experience working with charitable projects and experience the hospitality and beauty of the country.  The successful candidate will benefit from the strong friendship links between SI Southern England and SI Tshwane and SI Durban in South Africa. We sold books and raffle tickets and provided a delicious afternoon tea.  £540 was raised for the Volunteering in Pretoria VIP project.

  Si Elmbridge member supported SI Woking ‘on the bridge’. Purple ribbons were given to passers by to raise awareness of International Women’s day – making it a very colourful event.

International Women’s Day – 2014 Si Elmbridge member supported SI Woking ‘on the bridge’. Purple ribbons were given to passers by to raise awareness of International Women’s day – making it a very colourful event.

Two members recently visited SI Almelo on a Friendship weekend also attended by members from clubs in Norway (Kristiandsand) and Germany (Munsterland Sud). It was a wonderful weekend to meet old friends and make new ones.   There was a fascinating visit to the studio of the clubs artist member who specialises in mixing unusual materials such as rubber and gold. This was followed by a fashion show organised by another member who owns a bioutique. The most interesting part was a  visit to the area in Enschede that was devestated by a fire at a fireworks factory. It has been rebuild in a wonderful modern style with the input of the original residents playing a major part in its design. A community restored from the ashes of such a tragedy provided a very unusual and uplifting experience.  

New Friendship Link SI Columbo We have now confirmed our friendship link with  SI Columbo,Sri Lanka. Dorothy Clark has done much to promote this link with her work to support the two girls orphaned in the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004.  Dorothy has recently visited Sri Lanka and attended an SI Columbo club meeting where she commemorated the establishment of the friendship link by presenting SI Columbo with a glass photo frame containing a photo of club members present at the recent AGM.  In addition she gave a SI logo badge to each Columbo member.

Our speaker was at the last PAC meeting was Chris Drew from the Surrey Appropriate Adult Volunteer Schemer (SAAVS). Chris is the SAAVS leader forGuildforddistrict. SAAVS assists and supports those vulnerable members of society, children, at-risk adults and those with varying mental health problems, as their “appropriate adult” whilst being questioned by the police at the police station.  In certain circumstances the police investigation cannot proceed unless an appropriate adult is present to support these people.  Sadly, it is often the case that family, friends and Social Services are not available to provide much needed support.  We were told of several high profile cases  where someone had been accused, and indeed imprisoned for many years, for crimes, which in some cases, there is now serious doubt as to whether they were ever guilty.  If these individuals had had someone competent and knowledgeable to stand up for

Public PAC event on the topic of Managing Pain Soroptimists of Elmbridge and Woking hosted a very successful public meeting which looked at the topic of Chronic Pain.  Aproximately 50 people attended the meeting and heard Lorraine Nanke, Clinical Psychologist, speak about her work in Pain Management for the NHS. Chronic pain affects about 7.8 million people of all ages in the UK and yet there are no evidence-based remedies for pain management. Chronic pain is defined as long-term pain that persists for more than 12 weeks or for a period after the time that healing would have been thought to have occurred following trauma or surgery. This is distinct from acute pain which demands urgent attention and then eventually disappears. Chronic pain focuses attention on the body.  It can lead to physical and mental withdrawal from social activity and the individual can struggle to make