Commemorating 80 years since the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan which ended WWII, Winchester is a member of the International Mayors for Peace. A reception was held at Abbey House, the Mayor’s official residence in Winchester on 6 August.
SI Winchester was invited to attend and gave a short presentation, along with Rotary, Winchester University and Peace Jam. The speech given by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui was translated and read out at the start of the presentations. Mayor Sudhakar Achwal of Winchester had travelled to Hiroshima last year where he met Mayor Kazumi. The tone of the day was very much awareness of nuclear power today, in the hands of the two most powerful nations USA and Russia, and the hope that they will never be deployed. The atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima are the only two which have been deployed in war and the aftermath is still continuing.
Thanks to Tref we have images from a public park in front of Hiroshima Castle where the Soroptimists there have donated benches, inscribed with the club name. 
There were also several ladies from the Ukrainian Cultural Association in Winchester who were very keen to know more about us and whether we can hold joint events in the future. 
One of the ladies sang a very haunting song about her son going to war and they have held fundraising events in the city. There were lots of origami cranes, in particular blue and yellow which worked for us and Ukraine. Peace Jam held a workshop 
after the presentations.
Rotary Winchester presented after us and we are still hoping to work with the council regarding the 
siting of their International Peace Pole in the Abbey Garden Soroptimist Sensory Gardens. At the Hat Fair we installed the pole temporarily and there was a good deal of interest.
You can see the club presentation here
Winchester Radio interviewed Julie Blackwell and you can hear this interview on Friday News 8th August on this link https://winchester.radio/winchester-now/ episode 141 from 5minutes in.