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November 2020 News – Remembrance Day, breast cancer, Woking Debates, modern slavery, domestic abuse

November 2020 News – Remembrance Day, breast cancer, Woking Debates, modern slavery, domestic abuse

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November 2020 news Remembrance Day  BBC Asian Network marked #RemebranceDay with  a look at the South Asian women who contributed during the First and Second World Wars. Author Anita Anand taled about  renowned suffragette Princess Sophia Duleep Singh and how she helped injured soldiers in Brighton.  #LestWeForget Local charity Walk the Walk Walk the Walk is raising money to help breast cancer sufferers.  £5 buys a balloon – and 50 acupunture needles! Acupuncture can bring relief to patients in pain. The balloons will fly virtually over the Serengeti Park.  There are prizes for the balloons that go highest and furthest. Women who made a difference BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour Power List 2020: See their take on seven women who made a global difference.  About this and more here  Woking Debates The Woking Debates meeting in early November 2020 took the theme ‘Should we all

October 2020 news : endometriosis, domestic violence, feminism, town twinning

October 2020 news : endometriosis, domestic violence, feminism, town twinning

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In the news in October 2020 Endometriosis is a miserable disease that only affects women.  Many years ago, radical surgery was often only the option.  We hoped that much better treatments were on  the way.  But the newspapers show that the situation hasn't improved very much at all. The Daily Telegraph published an article with a grim title: ‘It took 14 years for my GP to take my endometriosis seriously’ It's a condition that affects one in 10 women in the UK and yet it can be astonishingly difficult to be correctly diagnosed by doctors The Daily Telegraph interviewed Eleanor Thom in an article that seemed to show that doctors have real difficulty finding the correct diagnosis, let alone the right treatment: 'Doctors said endometriosis was all in my head'  And Emma Barnett interviewed in The Guardian,  waited even longer than Eleanor Thom for a
Riding for the Disabled group (RDA) SAMBER – Woking and Chobham – Urgent appeal!

Riding for the Disabled group (RDA) SAMBER – Woking and Chobham – Urgent appeal!

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Why did Woking Soroptimists gave £75 to Riding for the Disabled group (RDA) Samber in October 2020 Disabled children and adults in Woking and Chobham  can usually enjoy the pleasures of riding – thanks to the Riding for the Disabled Group (RDA) SAMBER.  Volunteers help them  to go riding every week at Higher Park Farm in Chobham. Alas, Covid-19 has stopped them from riding for the moment.  We know that disabled people have suffered more than others during lockdown.  And now, even though open-air activity is possible, they still can’t go riding. This is because they need close-up support in order to be safe.  So everything’s on hold. RDA SAMBER Secretary Louise Bettinson is hoping to restart the riding as soon as the pandemic allows.  But now there an extra threat is hanging over RDA SAMBER.  Their base in Chobham is in trouble. Louise says: 

Poems in a Pandemic

Poems in a Pandemic

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Poems in a Pandemic  - what's that? Social care and support staff working in care homes, the community and in all-care settings are at the front line of the coronavirus fight because they are working alongside the NHS and supporting the country’s most vulnerable people.  They have not been able to ignore the Covid-19 pandemic: "The eye - it cannot choose but see, We cannot bid the ear be still, Our bodies feel, wher'er they be, Against or with our will" (William Wordsworth) What they have given deserve to be recognised, what they have experienced needs to be shared.  They have stories that should be told.  So a coalition of social care providers, supported by Care Talk, invited the whole of the social care sector to express their feelings and share their experiences in poems and in illustrations and paintings. The result was the 'Poems
Purple Community Fund

Purple Community Fund

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What is the Purple Community Fund? It's a charity that helps children and families in the Philippines.  The children can go to school, the parents can earn money to keep their families. The Purple Community Fund was set up by Jane Walker MBE.  She saw children scavenging in rubbish dumps -looking for things to take home and use or sell - when she visited Manila.  She wanted to do something to make their lives better.  So she started a school in a warehouse at the dumpsite for the children.  They needed to learn everything - not only to read and write, but also basic living and social skills. How does it work? The parents agreed to send their children to the school because the children were given food credits to take home.  The parents were able to use the vouchers to buy food every week. 
What’s nice about sending a newsletter?

What’s nice about sending a newsletter?

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What's nice about sending a newsletter?  Getting news back!  So here's some of the news we got back News from young women we have helped to make an educational trip Emma had a successful visit to China and is coming to tell us about it in September.  But we will, have to wait for a report from Kelda – her trip has had to be postponed for a year because of the pandemic.  Fingers crossed it will work next year, Kelda! News from women who deserve our thanks and congratulations Jabeen of Shifa deserves hearty thanks from us all because she has continued to work throughout the pandemic as a health link worker.  She represents the many whose names we do not know. And congratulations are due to our newest member, Anne, who has successfully completed her course of study. News from charities close to
Women, Water and Leadership

Women, Water and Leadership

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Women, Water and Leadership - The Soroptimist International President's Appeal 2017-19 Soroptimists are all about Women and Leadership.  But why Water? Because water is vital - without a regular and clean supply, making things better for people is tough. The 2017-19 Soroptimist President, Mariet Verhoef-Cohen is committed to enabling women to help their communities.  She knows that if you help women to  be leaders in their community, you can help everyone to improve.  And she saw that a project in which women are helped to give their community a good water supply would give good results.   So for the two years of her presidency, Mariet championed the Women, Water and Leadership project.    Soroptimist Cooperation can achieve a lot! Many Soroptimist International Clubs around the world helped to raise the money needed to run this project in several different countries.  Some Clubs were very active
Love Parks Week – 12-18 July 2020

Love Parks Week – 12-18 July 2020

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Love Parks Week, 12-18 July 2020 This is a great time to visit your local park, but not forgetting the social distancing that is so important now.  Woking Park is close to the centre and easy to pop into before or after shopping.  It's nice to take a turn after visiting the swimming pool or the Leisure Centre. Soroptimist Bench When you go, look out for the Soroptimist Bench.  We gave the bench to Woking Park to celebrate our Pearl Anniversary in 2006.  It's in a peaceful spot overlooking the open space of the lawn - really good for a quiet moment of meditation before you go back to work.  Really good for one's mental health. Our photo shows Jackie Theobald, Rozanne Rose and Anne Ansell in Woking Park.  It was taken during the presentation ceremony. Trees please! We must never forget how important trees
Do I have to look perfect?

Do I have to look perfect?

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How does body image affect you? We have been discussing body image in our Club.  We wanted to explore how we form our ideas about how we look.  We also talked about whether body image affects mental health.  We think body image is not only a big issue for girls and young women but for women throughout their lives.  Do you agree? Girlguiding's annual Girls' Attitudes survey backs up our view about young girls.  This year's report will come out soon but The Guardian wrote about some of the results on 27 August 2020: "A third of girls and young women will not post selfies online without using a filter or app to change their appearance, while a similar proportion have deleted photos with too few “likes” or comments, research has found. About half regularly alter their photos to enhance their appearance online and “find