The month of May began in style at SI Wakefield’s Coronation Party. This was swiftly followed by SI Selby’s lunch where Hilary demonstrated her acting/modelling talents. Excellent food, good company and a fascinating speaker made for a relaxing afternoon. On the following day SI Bingley hosted a lunch for Incoming Presidents. The sun shone and the room buzzed with conversation and smiles. I hope the incoming presidents found the event useful and I wish them well in establishing their chain gang and benefitting from the fellowship this can bring.   The 17th May found 48 members (and friends) from across the region enjoying the Friendship Day at Newby Hall. I

“But he calls down a blessing on the blossom of the may, because it comes in beauty and in beauty blows away.” W B Yeats Good morning everyone. I hope that you have all experienced an enjoyable May Bank Holiday weekend. April began with a lively and productive Regional Programme Action Meeting with most clubs being represented. I hope the ideas around the 16 Days of Action, court observations, the beach clean and Safe Places filtered back to everyone in our clubs. I hope you have all seen the Orange Café and Membership Poster sent out to you. The 2nd April and I enjoyed the hospitality of SI Skipton at their 73rd Charter Lunch. Ever looking for an opportunity to promote our work and gain support, it was good to see Linda Davis getting Councillor Simon Myers on our side with regard to Safe Places

MOTHERS UNION & SOROPTIMISTS WALK FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY  Brayton Mothers’ Union and Selby Soroptimists walked together to mark International Womens Day on Wednesday 8 March. They were joined by other women, some men and two dogs !  The walks were circular from and back to St Wilfrid’s Church, with a shorter and longer version. Refreshments followed in the Parish Hall. Before the walk, a photograph was taken of everybody hugging themselves to #EmbraceEquity. SI Scarborough, Malton and District stewarded in Inspiring Women event at the Scarborough Stephen Joseph Theatre and provided a workshop SIGBI Programme Action Director and SI Selby member Lindsay celebrated at the UN in New York and told us: The celebration at the UN today for IWD was amazing, music, dance and superb speakers. We all came away uplifted and energised. We were told to #actintime   SI Keighley (above) publicised

March has been an interesting and challenging month. It has also been a succession of social engagements. Thank you again to everyone contributing to and engaging in International Women’s Day whether that be donning odd shoes, joining in theatre events, enjoying a walk or joining in various Zoom webinars. Please note that the Flash Mob will now take place on Wednesday 11th October, United Day of the Girl Child, at the Trinity Centre in Leeds. More details to follow before the end of April. The 11th March found me at the Scarborough lunch after needing to dig ourselves out of our knee deep snow covered lane. Well worth the exercise for the company and entertainment experienced. We came home with not a cobweb in sight having had a bracing walk along the beautiful beach of Whitby. The 19th March found more than 70 of us

This video was launched and much enjoyed at President Jane’s first RCM last November. You can watch it by clicking here. While you are watching you can copy the Youtube link so that you can add the video to your own club website. Now SI Yorkshire has a Youtube channel we’d be delighted to share your videos too. Contact communicationssiyorkshire@gmail.com to share your work across the region.

March Newsletter from President Jane. Having successfully submitted a design for a poster for the Convention (thanks to the technical help and skills of Linda Gerraghty) I have experienced a quiet yet informative February. Membership Standing Committee Zooms continue. Part of the ongoing work has been to look at different website areas within SIGBI. Our Yorkshire one compared favourably against the ones I was given to consider. A huge THANK YOU to Sue Butler for all the work she is doing on our behalf. Please ensure that you send her any information and photographs that would reflect the work taking place across the region. On the 13th I attended the Zoom organised by SI Scarborough and listened to the articulate views of Divya Alya. The journalist spoke about violence against woman and girls in India and painted a knowledgeable and frank picture of life in

            Below is a photograph of part of my kitchen window sill which includes the tiny delicate crocus I was given at the Harrogate Lunch. Thank you for this sign of spring to come. At the beginning of January I attended a talk arranged by SI Keighley looking at the initiatives taking place throughout Bradford and designed to reduce the health inequalities, improve health and well being and create a secure and sustainable food supply chain that strengthens the local economy. Some of the statistics given were shocking. I want to share only one message with you, however.  That was, that if a person wants to be fitter/healthier. The one thing they can do is not to sit for more than 20 minutes at any one time. Get up. Move about or stand instead of sitting. Your body will be

  December was delightful. We were still turning the region orange and becoming ever more creative in doing so. I am thinking of SI Keighley with their large television screen showing the slide show of information in the shop window of the town. There are other examples too many to mention. THANK YOU to all those involved in lighting up, dressing up, leaflet distributing, hanging up and speaking out. On Sunday the 4th December I found myself singing at the Carol Service organised by SI Dewsbury. My husband Chris and I thoroughly enjoyed galloping through the carols to the sound of the brass band. On Monday the 5th December I was singing at a more gentle pace in the castle with SI Skipton. Thursday 8th December brought me the honour of sharing the 90th birthday celebration of Elizabeth Hughes. We were entertained by a group