Whitstable & District Soroptimist club officially began in October 2023 after many months of preparation. Since that time we have welcomed members from Whitstable, Herne Bay and Faversham.
The idea came from a long standing Soroptimist and member of the Canterbury club who lived in Whitstable along with five other members. Canterbury is a cathedral and university city where there have been Soroptimists for more than 60 years. It’s seven miles from Whitstable, which is a fishing port with an artistic community and many newcomers. The two locations have very different histories and characters and we recognised the environmental and financial cost of travelling to Canterbury for meetings, programme action and social events and the value of meeting locally to support local projects.
Four women with Soroptimist experience soon joined us and an open meeting attracted several more.
The club was chartered by the Federation President on 1 October 2023 with 16 founder members. We planned an informal event overlooking the Whitstable coastline, with local touches and guests from several other clubs. It was a lovely day and guests mingled in the sunshine, enjoyed a delicious meal followed by a sea swim for some.
Our vision is for a relaxed, inclusive club where people of like minded views support and offer friendship to one another and to the women and families of our local community. We want to adhere to our Soroptimist mission and principles whilst making new friends, learning new skills, gaining satisfaction and having fun.
Each member is enthusiastic and actively involved in programme action work, raising funds and spreading the word locally.
We quickly became involved with Maya’s Community Support Centre, an amazing charity in Herne Bay, are working to revive the Plastic Free status of Whitstable. Read more about our programme action projects here:
