January 2025
Happy New Year! A time to look forward and make resolutions…
…We began the year with a very convivial Social Meeting, with a lot to tell each other about the holidays and quizzes to reawaken our brains.
But we did not forget the things that give us cause for concern.:
We chose ‘environmentally-friendly’ clothes to wear, remembering that ‘fast fashion’ is a contributor to global warming.
We brought food items for the Your Sanctuary store cupboard. These donations are useful when victims of domestic abuse need immediate help.
And we gave money instead of sending many Christmas cards, raising a total of £200. We are splitting this money between the charity chosen by Woking Mayor Louise Morales: The Lighthouse – and the Soroptimist International Foundation.
Domestic and other abuse of women and girls
Healthwatch Surrey has a project about domestic abuse and is asking people to complete a survey.
The ‘Does your GP understand?” survey can be completed any time up to 31 March 2025. Go to the Healthwatch Surrey website for details about the research project.
The Centre for Women’s Justice campaigns to show the part government must play to eradicate violence against women and girls.
More here
Celebrating Women
We heartily congratulate our sister club, SI Sunderland. Members campaigned for over 8 years to get a very special memorial in Sunderland.
This statue pays tribute to 700 women who worked in Sunderland’s shipyards during World War I and World War II. They took the place of the men fighting to keep the shipyards going. They made a huge contribution to the war effort and to the shipbuilding industry. #SISunderland
Better treatment for women
Many women are not prisoners because they are violent. In addition the prison is often far from their families. The UK Government has now said it will develop a new policy with the aim of keeping women out of prison if possible. More here:
Women’s Justice Board begins plans to send fewer women to prison – GOV.UK