PAUSE Following our first successful event on PAUSE where we had a raffle,which raised £120, we were invited to attend a graduation for 30 ladies. At the Belfast conference we commissioned 32 “makeup” bags from another club at a cost of £116.46, which the raffle monies will cover. The monies for the bags will go to the Kori Project, Sierra Leone. We have filled the bags with toiletries sweets and trinkets. We were given 32 sachets for tissues which were made by past Federation President Barbara Dixon prior to her death. We also included the poem below. Thank you all for your support. “standing on tiptoe and looking ahead We try to discover the path we should tread, Or looking behind us, lamenting the past We yearn for the things not intended to last Postponing the present with all that it holds We miss all

  Soroptimist International of Widnes is collecting used, new or unwanted bras for the charity ‘AGAINST breast cancer’ at our stall at the Haven Festival on Sat 1st July 2023 at the Barnyards from 11.00am. For every tonne of bras collected, the charity, ‘AGAINST Breast Cancer’, receives £700 enabling the funding of lifesaving research projects at some of the UK’s most respected academic establishments leading to improved outcomes for women throughout the world. The bras are prevented from going to landfill and are sent to small businesses in developing countries in Africa and around the world. The bras are given a new lease of life in countries such as Ghana and Kenya where bras are expensive to produce locally, and this provides an income for struggling families. Being able to access reasonably priced bras, boosts the self-esteem of women and girls in developing countries but more importantly,

Adult Skills and SI Widnes are  supporting Superdrug Pharmacies’ Little Packs, Big Impact’ scheme by collecting empty medicine blister packs. Superdrug are accepting empty tablet strip packs and working in conjunction with TerraCycle who will convert the packaging into reusable raw materials preventing empty packs spending a lifetime in landfill. What’s more, Superdrug are supporting Marie Curie for each empty blister packet that gets recycled as part of the ‘Little Packs, Big Impact’ scheme. For each kilogram of blister packets collected, Superdrug are rewarded with 100 TerraCycle points. Each point is worth £0.01 for a charity of their choice – Marie Curie. It’s easy – it’s free and it’s a double whammy – recycling and supporting a fantastic charity too.

We celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by having a delicious afternoon tea at our Meeting on 27th June. We were joined by Kate Davies from Liverpool Women’s Hospital, who popped in to collect our second donation of women’s pyjamas for the hospital’s ‘Care in a Bag’ Appeal. Sadly, many pregnant women arrive at the hospital with heavy bleeding caused by miscarriage or other non pregnancy emergencies. The Care in a Bag project provides the women with some dignity by giving them toiletries, sanitary towels, wipes and pyjamas or leggings to wear to go home in. The demand has increased to the extent where the staff are struggling and have reached out to the local communities. This is an ongoing project and if you would like to doante items, please Contact Us.  

Our first face to face fundraising event since the pandemic took place in April this year. As we hadn’t been able to hold our usual Christmas Bingo, we opted for an Easter Bingo, which we held at Holy Family Social Club curtesy of John Brennen. Family and friends of SI Widnes joined us for this fun filled evening with line, house and quickies called and amazing prizes to be won. There was even a raffle and surprise gift bags for sale; plenty for everyone! All funds raised are for our ‘Supporting Vulnerable Local Families’ project. We also sold blue and yellow ribbons to raise money for Ukraine. The eveing was a great success and we look forward to our nect bingo at Christmas. Why not join us?

  A donation of £50 was made by the club and together with donations from members, 120 men’s toiletry items were purchased. We continue to donate clothing and linens from our homes.

Desk top PCs, laptops and tablets, from members and friends of SI Widnes, ready for donation to Alpha Computers, Birchfield Rd, Widnes for wiping and regifting to local families and schools to support with home schooling. A big thank you to Michelle from Alpha for providing this service free of charge to support local children. #alphacomputers@btconnect.com

For the 16 Days of Activism against gender based violence, starting 25th November to 10th December, Soroptimists everywhere were asked to #OrangetheWorld. Each of the 16 Days we celebrate marks a step towards women’s rights and a safe space for them. Soroptimist International believes that women’s rights are human rights and through our work in the communities we work with that objective. Beginning with the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25th November, Soroptimists follow UN Days to transform lives of women and girls. We rally against Child Marriages, Human Trafficking, Modern Day Slavery, Rape, Sexual Exploitation, Female Genital Mutilation, and Sexual Harassment at Workplace and in support of Human Rights Defenders . On 10th Dec the last day, we honour the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each day is a call for action and provides a focus for our projects. Commemorating

As the COVID-19 lockdown continues, members of SI Widnes have enjoyed meeting up ‘virtually’. Our Executive and Business Meetings have been held using Zoom and we have also enjoyed ‘Zoom Bingo’ and a ‘Zoom Quiz’ with more planned for August. Our latest offering is a ‘Zoom craft and coffee’ session starting on Friday 31st July at 10.30, when we will be making ‘Hearts for Heroes’. If you would like to join us for any of these events please see our Club Diary Dates page and contact us for the link.