Members of SI Widnes travelled to Bournemouth at the end of October 2019 for the Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Annual Conference. The Conference was held over three days with the opening ceremony taking place on the evening of Thursday evening 24th October. This was a heart warming event as the flags of all the countries who are part of SIGBI (this includes many of the Commonwealth countries) were paraded on stage. Following the welcome speeches, we were entertained by the Rock Choir, who had everyone up in the aisles, singing and dancing. On Friday and Saturday, we were privileged to listen to some excellent speakers who had experience in the field of mental health. A standing ovation was given to fifteen-year-old Katy, after she had spoken about her struggle with anxiety and social phobia, which began when she was very young. Last year Katy had the opportunity to travel with ‘Toilet Twinning‘ to meet a 14-year-old girl, Monica, who lives in rural Zambia and whose family did not have a toilet. Katy’s visit to Africa made a huge difference to her. She discovered that the lack of toilets at the homes of families can create anxiety and dignity issues for girls, who are fearful of being discovered as they crouch in the bush to go to the toilet. They also fear being attacked or bitten by snakes. Katy spoke about how travelling to Zambia has been a significant part of her journey to improve her mental health. Katy’s motivation is “if Monica can deal with her problems, then I can deal with mine”. and her closing words were, “I’m Katy. I am 15 and I’m happy.” Katy showed us a short and excellent film of her work in Zambia. Watch Katy’s video of her trip to Zambia here.
Our member, Yvonne Gibbon, played her part in the presentation of the 
Programme Action Best Practice Awards. As Assistant Programme Director for Education, Yvonne introduced the presentation by Nisha Gosh of SI Pune Metro East, which is working on a project giving a range of educational opportunities to underprivileged young women in India.
Yvonne was, later, 26th October installed as Region President for South Lancashire at the Change of Insignia Ceremony on the Saturday evening and invited all members of SI South Lancashire Region to a ‘Drinks and Nibbles’ reception at her hotel to celebrate the occasion.
