www.sigbi.org Women inspiring action, transforming lives

FEBRUARY 2015
Soroptimist
News
Every
child has
the right
to go to
school
SIGBI
Conference
Glasgow
2015
Eliminate
violence
against
women and
girls
SIGBI Focus: This issue reviews your work in two programme areas
SI Convention and SIGBI Conference: all the latest news
Women inspiring action,
transforming lives
www.sigbi.org
Welcome to
Soroptimist
News
from the Editor
Soroptimist International
Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Ltd.
Company Number: 07058666
Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland
is an organisation in Special Consultative status
with the United Nations Economic and Social
Council (UN ECOSOC) since July 2013. This is
in addition to the General Consultative status
held by the umbrella organisation Soroptimist
International. Soroptimist International is a
recognised Non-Governmental Organisation
(NGO) representing women from all over the
world.
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President: Jenny Vince
Immediate Past President: Margaret Oldroyd
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Every child has a right to go to school, says
the United Nations and every Soroptimist
would agree, which is why there are so many
examples of the wonderful work by SIGBI
Clubs in this area of Programme work.
Equally important in the SIGBI member’s
mind is the challenge to eliminate violence
against women and girls – another United
Nations goal.
But, reading through the stories and looking
at your photos submitted for these two goals,
it is clear that nothing daunts a Soroptimist
when faced with these challenges, whether
local or Federation-wide, you are there,
delivering a difference – a real difference.
www.facebook.com/SoroptimistSIGBI
Soroptimist News February 2015
On the cover: Every child deserves to go to school – our report showcases some
of your support of that goal.
3
A message from SIGBI President Jenny Vince
4 SIGBI Focus on Learning Opportunities
Change of address?
Please contact SIGBI Federation Office to
change your details.
12 SIGBI News: all the latest from SIGBI HQ
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2 FEBRUARY 2015
www.twitter.com/SIGBI1
CORRECTION: In Special Days in our December issue we stated that ‘All 18 Clubs in Wales held an
awareness campaign for Anti Slavery Day.’ This should have said that ‘All 18 Clubs in Wales South
and 9 in North Wales (CNWW region), 27 in all, took part in an awareness campaign.’
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Disclaimer
Opinions expressed in this magazine do not
necessarily represent those of Soroptimist
International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI)
Ltd., or of the Editor.
Four months on from the SIGBI Conference
in Harrogate, the SIGBI machine is now on full
power to finalise arrangements for the next
one! This year we are all looking forward to
going to Glasgow – a long journey for pretty
much everyone except the Scottish members,
but well worth it!
I can’t wait to hear the key speakers;
Dame Stella Rimington will be riveting, Sarah
Montague will be fascinating and Jo Fairley
will quite possibly make us all want to into the
chocolate business, it’s not to be missed.
Until then, keep sending me your reports
and photos (hi res please), they are all amazing.
6
SIGBI Focus on Eliminating Violence against Women and Girls
8
SIGBI Conference 2015: Get set for Glasgow
10 SIGBI President Elect visits India and Nepal
17 Special Days
18 SIGBI Club news.
21
Friendship Link news
22 SIGBI Celebrations
23
SIGBI’s latest retail opportunities.
24 Soroptimist International Convention: Istanbul is a must in 2015
NEXT ISSUE: 1st May 2015, deadline for submissions: 1st April 2015.
There will be two Featured Objectives.
Objective 1: “Improve access to economic empowerment and sustainable opportunities for the
employment of women.” (Rayner Rees, APD Economic Empowerment)
Objective 2: “Promote SIGBI’s consultative status at ECOSOC” (Pat Black, APD ECOSOC)
The Soroptimist News Schedule for 2015 is in the Members’ area of the SIGBI website.
When sending a submission for this magazine, please ensure that photos are high resolution and good
quality, we cannot print tiny files. Photos should not be embedded in a text document, they need to
be sent as separate attachments to your email.
Delivering the
Difference
President’s message
Dear Friends
I do hope that many of you were able to listen to UKPAC Chairman Kay Richmond talking about the work that Soroptimists have undertaken in
the UK with the Prison Reform Trust, when she was on Radio 4’s Women’s Hour – congratulations Kay on putting over our message so well.
This work has been incredibly worthwhile, with its focus on:
•
highlighting how women are treated within the UK justice system
•
raising awareness of the alternative measures to imprisonment
•
showing the knock on effect on these women’s children and housing
We continue to keep the situation in Sierra Leone in our thoughts – the plight of the sufferers of Ebola virus, and the work done by SI Freetown
and by SI Thames Valley in this area. The World Health Organisation has extended its estimate of when it might be possible to eradicate the virus in
West Africa to the end of 2015. I wonder if this is really achievable by then. We rely on our sister Soroptimists in the area to keep us informed as to
what the situation is on the ground.
A team of sixteen members from SIGBI is making preparations to attend
the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), taking place in early
Every piece of service that Soroptimists do –
March in New York. We are allowed 16 places because of our ECOSOC
whether it be for the local women’s refuge,
status and everyone attending will contribute in different ways. This is an
opportunity to lobby governments; our team this year includes members
for girls education in our schools, for raising
from the Caribbean, Africa and India as well as the UK, so we will be truly
awareness of women’s health issues, or by
representing the voices of our Federation.
working in conjunction with other organisations –
This year the Millennium development goals will be replaced by
this all adds to delivering the difference
Sustainable Development Goals – currently there are 17 of these, but
and gives continuing credibility to our role
the final number and wording is still to be established. There will be
an opportunity at each geographical caucus to give input from our
nationally and internationally, with
organisation.
governments and the United Nations.
The last issue of Soroptimist News included information on the SIGBI
Club Membership Growth Plan. It is encouraging that Clubs have nominated themselves to take part in the pilot programme available to 30 Clubs
in England. This is an exciting new development for our organisation and an opportunity to try a new method of increasing membership. We will
keep you posted as to progress.
Finally, I want to flag up the choosing of a new Federation project. Clubs are invited to submit projects for consideration, and the final project will
be voted upon and chosen at the Glasgow conference. Do you have a project that would benefit from Federation wide support? Please consider
submitting it on the application form, so that we can consider it. We have had such successful national and international projects in the past from
the BIG project, Project Sierra, Limbs for Life - the list goes on. It is an ideal opportunity for Soroptimists to showcase the work they do.
(Application forms and all details available from the SIGBI office, closing date 30 April 2015)
It is sometimes difficult to keep the national and international picture of Soroptimism in our minds, as we attend Club meetings and are involved
in the local community and local projects. However, every piece of service that Soroptimists do – whether it be for the local women’s refuge, for
girls education in our schools, for raising awareness of women’s health issues, or by working in conjunction with other organisations – this all adds
to delivering the difference and gives continuing credibility to our role nationally and internationally, with governments and the United Nations. So
remember at your next Club meeting that you, personally and collectively, are delivering the difference.
In friendship,
Jenny Vince, President SIGBI
Jenny
Come to Glasgow in November:
booking opens next month!
FEBRUARY 2015 3
Programme
Goal:
Increase access to
formal and
non-formal
learning
opportunities
SIGBI
Focus
Janet Hodgson, Assistant Programme
Director, Learning Opportunities
Millenium Development Goal 2: Achieve
universal primary education – Every child
has the right to go to school but millions
are left behind.
So how have we done? There are over 30
million more children in school than in the
beginning of the decade. There have been some
remarkable success stories.
Primary school enrolments have increased
dramatically in sub-Saharan Africa as well as in
South and West Asia. In Ethiopia there are three
million more children in school than in 2000,
thanks to an ambitious rural school construction
programme and the abolition of primary school
fees. This looks good doesn’t it?
However, there are 72 million children still out
of school. Nearly half of these children live in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Education must be on the agenda for post
2015 and we must do our part in highlighting
education for girls.
technology can promote and further the
education of people today. Looking at all the
work that you the members are doing I feel so
proud of this organisation.
Soroptimists in our Federation are
encouraging learning and development in so
many ways. In the UK, skirting science is being
taken up by more Clubs and I am delighted to
see that clubs are doing a lot to encourage girls
to take up more diverse careers. We saw this at
the 2014 SIGBI Conference in Harrogate with SI
Barbados’ New Horizon’s project.
Promoting gender equality through
technology, turning priorities into action
Since the launch of “Women in African
History: An E-Learning Tool” in November 2013,
Amanuella Alemayehu Mengiste, secondary
school student in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has
been using and sharing multimedia content
highlighting African women’s contribution to
development with her friends on their mobile
phones and computers; downloading digital
comic strips, and reciting songs and stories from
audio modules.
Amanuella says, “The more stories you hear
about women who are doing stuff on their own
and following their dreams and doing what they
want to do – I think it is inspirational.”
I think that this story shows how modern
Relationships & Education
The Resolution that was passed at the 2013
SIGBI Conference in Newcastle has been well
received and many Clubs have taken on board
healthy relationship issues.
The results of the questionnaire were part
of the deliberations of the House of Lord’s
committee (in the UK) on education and they
have been published.
SI Pretoria is working with other agencies
which included helping children to think about
what makes a good relationship.
They helped to develop a programme of
activities which included literacy, art/craft,
performing arts, lifeskills and learning for carers.
The results were children (boys and girls) who
have thought deeply about what constitutes
SI Pune Metro East
4 FEBRUARY 2015
“I’ve learned that people
will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou, writer and civil rights activist.
April 1928 – May 2014
SI Chennai
a healthy relationship... especially across the
genders.
SI Chennai is teaching pupils about healthy
relationships. They sponsored a summer
camp both for The Rehabilitation School,
Vysarpadi and The Shine Trust, Vysarpadi.
The Rehabilitation School held the camp at
Thirukalakundaram in the Kanchipuram district.
The three day camp beginning with interactive
talks on self improvement and going on to
storytelling, poetry, art, camp fire, drama,
games, painting, being one with nature and
yoga. 25 children including 12 girls took part.
SI Pune Metro East: Girls Moving Forward
is one of the most successful and ongoing
projects of SI Pune Metro East. This project
began in June 2010, with a view of filling in
the gaps in the formal education of girls from
underprivileged strata of the community.
The girls are taught in modules about
various issues which include Self-awareness,
Gender sensitisation, Personality development,
Communication skills and many more. There
are certificates at the end of each course which
helps to motivate the girls.
SI Pretoria
Learning
Opportunities:
SIGBI Clubs
and their
projects
SI Cardiff & SI Kenilworth
I have, over the last four years visited many
Clubs and Regions and I thank you all for your
kindness and hospitality. Just one request: when
you hold an event open to the public, please
have plenty of SIGBI leaflets to give out!
Special Days
Thank you to all members who have raised
money, supported and put on events for the
International Day of Literacy and World Book
Day. SI St Alban’s regularly hold a book stall in the
town and SI St Austell and SI Plymouth give away
books every year. Great ideas and a good way to
advertise what Soroptimists are doing.
Ebola & Sierra Leone
Wasn’t it wonderful how Soroptimsts rose to
the challenge at Harrogate and raised enough
money to send two containers of essential
goods to Sierra Leone? I met Alison Sutherland
FCC for Sierra Leone just before Christmas to
deliver some Teddies for Tragedy from SI Rugby.
Although the Aid agencies are doing a fantastic
job there will be problems even after Ebola is
“tamed.” When you are planning programme
please think about the education of the many
children who have lost parents through Ebola.
We must do all we can to help these young
people to try to get back a life and to achieve
their potential. We see what is happening in the
refugee camps around the world when children
lose their parents, please see if you can help the
young girls of Sierra Leone.
SI Grange Over Sands: Singing for the brain
To mark its 60th year SI Grange set up a
service project to improve the lives of local people
with dementia. They worked under the umbrella
of the Alzheimer’s Society to set up their “Singing
for the Brain” programme. When communication
through speech becomes difficult, people with
dementia can still be actively involved in vocal
expression through singing - especially through
singing familiar songs. The Singing for the Brain
programme uses familiar songs and new pieces
so that it facilitates recall and stimulates learning.
Members raised the funding and now run
the programme. Members trained to be the
singing leader, the group facilitator and others
act as volunteers. The initial 10 sessions were
very successful and incredibly rewarding. The
SI Grange Over Sands
numbers are increasing and feedback has shown
how much it means to people with dementia and
their carers. The next 10 sessions start in January.
The Alzheimer’s Society hopes to use the Club’s
model to establish other groups this way on the
west coast of Cumbria.
SI Bilston: Public Speaking Competition
For the second year Bilston Club organised
and sponsored a competition for young girls at
Bilston Academy, Wolverhampton. Participants
had been given the topic of Modern Day Slavery
to research. They met on 21st October for a
training day led by President Lynne and member
Barbara Emanuel. The sessions included strategies
for planning a presentation, activities to help
confidence and an opportunity to share with the
trainers their findings on Modern Day Slavery.
SI Bilston
The girls then had a few weeks to develop
their talk and create their own visual aids. On
27th November, parents, friends and Soroptimists
gathered in the lecture theatre at the Bilston
Academy. Three Bilston members formed the
judging panel. Each student had researched the
topic thoroughly and they all gave interesting
presentations. Without exception the girls spoke
with passion and feeling.
The panel had a very difficult task deciding on
the winner and runners up, but five girls received
vouchers as a prize. The whole event provided
an opportunity, in a small way, for Bilston
Soroptimists to help develop the girls’ skills and
confidence by education, and empowerment and
the girls learned more about the important topic
of Modern Day Slavery.
SI Cardiff & SI Kenilworth: Cape Verde
In December 2014 four members of SI Cardiff
and a member of Friendship Link Club SI
Kenilworth spent a week on the island of Sao
Vicente, Cape Verde, witnessing how girls are
accessing secondary education as a result of
funding from UK Soroptimists.
The project was set up by Jill Delgado and
members of SI Cardiff in 1997, and became ‘The
SI Cardiff and District Education Trust’ when it
was granted charitable status in 2006.
Currently, 16 promising girls from very poor
backgrounds are in the process of finishing
their schooling, thanks to financial support
from SI Cardiff, Kenilworth, Swansea, Bridgend,
Aireborough, and individual Soroptimists.
During the visit, a tour of the poorer areas
of Mindelo emphasised the living conditions of
these girls and their families. It became clear
that, without intervention, these girls would,
undoubtedly, have to stay home to care for
younger siblings or carry out household chores.
Education provides the opportunity to escape
from this poverty.
The girls involved are aware of the standards
expected and are encouraged in the knowledge
that many graduates from the project are now
in professional employment. Visits were made
to schools and a residential home, offering
teenagers an improved after-school learning
environment. The UK visitors were very impressed
by the commitment of the teachers, and the
standard of education available, in spite of the
lack of funding, for what we would consider
to be, essential resources. Jill, her contacts and
Esperança the local organisation ensure the
smooth-running of the project.
SI Cirencester: Annual Literacy Competition
SI Cirencester held its Annual Literacy
Competition for local primary school children at
the Royal Agricultural University in November.
Club members Margaret Munroe and Marietta
Crockford organise the annual project and
marked over 1,000 entries. The winners were
chosen by the children’s author, Tracey Corderoy,
who presented the prizes.
The first, second and third winners in each
age group were acknowledged on the evening,
receiving gold, silver and bronze coloured medals,
presented by the Mayor of Cirencester, Cllr. Joe
Harris. The school of the winning entry in each
year group was given a shield to keep for a year.
SI Cirencester
FEBRUARY 2015 5
Programme
Goal:
Eliminate violence
against women
and girls and ensure
women’s participation in
conflict resolution.
Jan Hemlin, Assistant Programme Director, Violence & Conflict Resolution
Yet again, last year Soroptimists across
the Federation have done so much to raise
awareness of Violence Against Women, the
issues of Domestic Abuse, Human Trafficking,
Early and Child Marriage, Forced Marriage and
Honour Killings and Female Genital Mutilation.
Domestic Abuse has been in the news again.
In December 2014 the UK Government
announced that emotional abuse and
controlling behaviour is to become illegal
under new domestic abuse law later in 2015.
At the moment the government’s definition
of domestic violence recognises the impact of
threatening behaviour but it has never been law.
Good news too from Brussels early in the
New Year that victims of violence – those who
have suffered domestic violence or stalking –
will be able to guarantee themselves better
protection in any EU Member state. The new
rule means that restraining, protection and
barring orders issued in one member state are
now quickly and easily recognised across the EU
through simple certification.
I was heartened to read in a EU document
that Awareness-raising is a fundamental
component of primary prevention strategies
aiming at:
• Changing attitudes, behaviours and beliefs
that normalise domestic violence among the
general public;
• Preventing men and women from
becoming victims or perpetrators of abusive
relationships; and
• Informing the wider public and especially
victims and perpetrators about resources
available to tackle the problem.
Awareness raising campaigns are recognised
as the most efficient and effective means of
communicating information especially to the
general public. In 2014 Soroptimists took every
opportunity to raise awareness from a stand at
the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in
Conflict to Clubs marking International UN days
in their own communities.
A21 – see infographic above
I recently heard about an interesting
organisation called A21 which aims to
prevent trafficking by raising
awareness, educating the next
generation and interupting the demand.
A21 also runs a repatriation project for
victims of trafficking who wish
to voluntarily return home to countries
where A21 currently operate. Visit:
www.theA21campaign.org
Human Trafficking is the world’s fastest
growing criminal industry, it affects every nation
across the globe. Every second, someone
becomes a victim of modern day slavery. I was
shocked to read that there are more slaves in
the world today than at any point in human
history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage
across the globe and more shockingly only 1 –
2% of victims are ever rescued.
January 11th 2015 National Human
Trafficking Awareness Day is dedicated to
raising awareness of sexual slavery and human
trafficking worldwide. It started in 2007, when
the US Senate designated January 11th as
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Although it is a US initiative, the United Nations
has begun to highlight this topic and working
towards global awareness.
Purple Teardrop Campaign
Many Clubs across the UK and overseas have
used Purple Teardrop Campaign (PTC) resources
to raise awareness of Human Trafficking.
The latest news from Pauline Monk and PTC
Operations Group includes:
• In 2015 Purple Teardrop campaign will be
extending their safe house support and will
be seeking active support from Clubs to work
with a number of safe houses to administer
how funding can be best spent using the PTC
agreement template.
• Incoming Presidents and Programme Action
officers may well consider the issue of Human
Trafficking for a Club project or charity in 2015
particularly now that there is so much good
practice on the S I Database and PTC website
and in light of the UK Government Modern Day
Slavery Bill potential legislation.
• PTC have Love Me/Love Me Not bookmarks
and cards available to order: grooming and
relationships is likely to be a hot topic in 2015
due to the debate on relationship studies in
schools and the on going dissent regarding
the child abuse enquiry. Again there are Clubs
already working with these resources and much
good practice on their use in the SI network.
UK Border Force
In December the SIGBI office was contacted
by a Border Force Officer working at London
Heathrow Airport – working to improve the
links between them and NGO organisations
overseas that help support potential victims of
trafficking. Currently if a potential victim refuses
consent to the National Referral Mechanism in
the UK and does not qualify under other means
of entry they have no option but to return them
to their country, but they want to ensure they
are supported and protected and any offence is
investigated. Border Force aims to develop these
links to better protect victims on their return
home and to help victims we may be removing
to contact those organisations for support.
Countries in our Federation included Nigeria,
and Bangladesh, 11 countries in Europe and
two in the Far East. I contacted Soroptimist in
those countries. Many SIGBI Clubs work closely
with partners, to raise awareness and support
victims of Modern Day Slavery.
“SIGBI agreed to support the motion on Modern Day Slavery at the 2013 Conference in Gateshead and since then many Clubs have worked
in many different ways to raise awareness and support victims of trafficking either at Club level or through government initiatives, petitions
or with other organisations working in the field. Sadly the system still tends to send everyone back to where they came from – solving
nothing. Victims fear authority, having previously been warned against the police and other agencies.Soroptimists must continue to work
with all agencies to stop this dreadful trade in human beings.” Barbara Dixon, APD, Food, Security & Health
6 FEBRUARY 2015
Violence &
Conflict Resolution
SIGBI Clubs and their projects
SI Barnstaple
SI Hamilton aimed to increase awareness of
human trafficking locally and of the Purple
Teardrop Campaign. Members created display
boards using Purple Teardrop materials which
were used in a number of venues in Hamilton to
mark anti-Slavery Day.
SI Barbados Caribbean Network
To mark the UN Day of Modern Day Slavery
on 18th October, members held a New Horizons
session for the girls at the Government Industrial
School for juvenile offenders. Their aim was to
educate girls on Human Trafficking, Modern
Day Slavery and transactional sex and how to
identify an individual seeking to coerce them
into these activities.
They gave the girls a Human Trafficking sheet
from www.globalfreedomcenter.org which
included topics such as: the Basics - what is
Human Trafficking; The Statistics governing
trafficked persons; The methods of control used
by Traffickers; The Type of Traffickers; The Types
of Modern-Day Slavery.
They also discussed the issue of transactional
sex – being forced by a family member or carer
to have sex with a relative’s boyfriend etc, in
exchange for money or material goods. Their
hope was, that following this course, the girls
would be able to detect persons who may want
to target them to coerce them into activities
such as human trafficking, modern day slavery
and transactional sex.
SI Barnstaple
Following the closure of a multi-agency
forum, which had previously raised awareness
of Domestic Violence, members of SI Barnstaple
decided to hold an event to mark the UN Day
for the Elimination of Violence against Women
on 25th November.
Members were joined by the Mayor of
Barnstaple, representatives of statutory
agencies, the Police, survivors of Domestic
Abuse, residents of the local Refuge and staff
of North Devon against Domestic Abuse.
White ribbons were handed out following a
reading of a poem by a survivor, speeches by
the Mayor and the MP for North Devon, petals
were scattered in the River Taw to remember
those women and children who have survived
Domestic Abuse and those who haven’t.
SI Surulere
Many women and children in Nigeria are
most often internally displaced and don’t have
anywhere to go while they sort themselves
out. These women are most often victims of
Domestic Violence, people displaced by natural
disasters of flood, fire and widows displaced
from their family homes.
Members had become concerned about their
plight and had been providing care for these
women in rented accommodation. Following
eviction the Club raised funds to build a
permanent structure to provide accommodation
as well as training opportunities. The new centre
will provide a hairdressing salon, a charity shop,
a skill acquisition centre as well as temporary
shelter. A longterm fundraising project.
SI Malta
Members of SI Malta identified a need to
raise awareness of the need to stop violence
against women where it is used in conflict
areas as a weapon of war and also to advocate
for women who experience violence in other
situations e.g. domestic violence. As a result of a
public forum held on Violence Against Women,
a resolution was signed by all present and
presented to their MEP (Member of European
Parliament).
On 25th November the resolution was
presented to the EU Parliament as part of a
report to the European Parliament Plenary
calling for a Resolution to be adopted on
combating violence against women, laying out
several proposals in order to achieve better
results in the protection of women across the
EU Member States and beyond. As a result they
hope to see the establishment of an EU Year to
End Violence against Women to be established
within the next three years.
SI Cape of Good Hope
Members had become increasingly concerned
about the lack of facilities and care for women
who had been abused.
Working in partnership with the Department
of Social Welfare they have assisted in providing
refuge for abused women at the Saartjie
Baartman facility and particularly cultivating a
garden area to allow them a calm therapeutic
space to improve their emotional welfare.
SI Stafford
On 25th November, the United Nations Day
for the Elimination of Violence against Women,
members of the Stafford Club (in partnership
with Staffordshire Women’s Aid) organised a
Vigil in Market Square, Stafford.
The Vigil was to highlight the campaign SOS
Save Our Refuges --- Save Lives. The Vigil was
also used to collect signatures for The Purple
Teardrop Petition to ban ‘Sex For Sale Adverts’.
30 people attended the event (members,
family, friends and supporters of The Women’s
Refuge.
SI Tenby and SI Lewes
SI Tenby’s Friendship Link Secretary, Iris Davies,
in collaboration with SI Lewes, has overseen the
embroidery of over 40 name tags to protest at
the continuing murder of hundreds of women
in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Iris and her fellow SI Tenby seamstresses each
collected a needle, silk thread and two name
tags to stitch; one for a named Mexican known
to have disappeared and one unidentified
“unknown.”
The completed and fascinating embroidery
has been now framed ready to be sent to SI
Lewes to contribute to their Programme Action
project in support of Desconocida Unknown
Ukjent.
SI Tenby has been campaigning against
Modern-day Slavery, FGM and Human
Trafficking for the past ten years and is very
proud to make a small contribution to SI Lewes’
inspirational project.
SI Tenby & SI Lewes
SI Hamilton
SI Stafford
FEBRUARY 2015 7
81st SIGBI Conference
Clyde Auditorium Glasgow (SECC)
5th -7th November 2015
Glasgow: The Conference venue!
Delivering the Difference
www.sigbi.org/glasgow2015
President Jenny writes:
“Delivering the Difference” –
I look forward to you joining us
to really explore what this can
mean.
The scale of ‘the difference’
may be large or small but
every impact is vital, and every
one of our speakers will share
with you their personal way of
ensuring that they and others
‘deliver’.
I hope you will enjoy the
opportunity to listen to
as many as possible of the
speakers, as I am sure we can
each learn from their insight,
whether it be in the field of
MI5, business entrepreneurs,
the law or media.
and Black’s organic chocolate
with sales of £100 million
worldwide. One of the UK’s
leading entrepreneurs with
outstanding practical marketing
skills and vision, Jo left school
with minimal qualifications.
Sarah Montague: Sarah
attended Bristol University
and began her career as a
stockbroker. In 1991 she became
a reporter with Channel
Television and is now a high
profile BBC broadcaster and
presenter. Sarah has a special
interest in education and
presented a three part radio
series looking at how advances
in technology have altered
the way the education system
works.
Our keynote speakers will
present to Conference on Friday
morning and after coffee will
form a panel with questions,
submitted in advance, from
Clubs. Further details will be
available in the May edition of
Soroptimist News.
What’s Glasgow like?
Glasgow is one of Europe’s most
exciting destinations, combining
the energy and sophistication
of a great international city
with some of Scotland’s most
spectacular scenery. In Glasgow
you can enjoy:
• 20 museums and art galleries,
most offering free admission
• An outstanding choice of
restaurants and bars
• Special delegate offers and
discounts for attractions, tours
and dining
• The best shopping in the UK
outside of London’s West End
• The works of world renowned
architect and designer, Charles
Rennie Mackintosh.
Glasgow is easy to get to:
There are more than 30 direct
flights and 20 direct trains a day
to Glasgow from major UK cities
every day.
Keynote Speakers
Dame Stella Rimington:
Director General of the Security
Services (MI5) from 1992 to
1996. Known to millions of
people worldwide as the role
model for ‘M’ played by Dame
Judi Dench in the James Bond
007 films. She is also a very
successful author.
Jo Fairley: Co-founder of the
internationally successful Green
8 FEBRUARY 2015
Dame Stella Rimington
Jo Fairley
Sarah Montague
Why you
should come
to Glasgow
Glasgow Science Museum
Conference Chair Johanna
Raffan writes:
I hope you will join us in
Glasgow for this Conference – the
highlight of the SIGBI year.
Your conference team is working
hard to make sure this is a brilliant
event – there are so many good
reasons to come:
• A full day on Programme
Action with a variety of
interesting speakers
• A reception at the Science
Museum
• Traditional Scottish music
• Purpose built conference
centre with the
conference hotel, the Crowne
Plaza, in the same complex
• A time to catch up with old
friends and to make new
ones! Please - do join us.
Important information
There are three other functions
going on in the SECC at the same
time as our conference and this
will affect the accommodation
available in Glasgow and the
provision of lunch.
Accommodation: The Glasgow
Marketing Bureau has reserved
1000 bedrooms (1500 beds) across
Glasgow for our conference.
They are running a booking
service for members free of
charge – no cost will be incurred
by delegates or the FMB for this
service. There is a direct link from
the Conference Website to the
Glasgow Bureau and many Clubs
have already used this facility.
Delegates don’t have to use
this service – they can book hotels
direct, though the rates from the
Bureau are very favourable and
delegates can make as many
changes as they wish. This facility
does mean that enough rooms are
guaranteed for us at this busy time.
Lunch arrangements
The pressure on the SECC
with four major conferences on
at the same time will mean that
the catering facilities will be very
limited. The Clydebuilt Restaurant
holds 270 and the only other
facility is a Deli Bakery, which is
a busy takeaway. The only other
eating opportunities will be in the
few hotels close to the conference
centre – not ideal in the middle of
November!
The SECC has agreed to provide
a packed lunch for all delegates at
a cost of £8.50, this will include a
The bright lights on the River Clyde
sandwich, fruit, cake or bar and
water. This will need to be ordered
when you register for conference.
There is plenty of space to eat
your lunch including the main
auditorium. The Conference
Committee would urge you to
consider having a packed lunch for
this conference.
Travel
The Glasgow marketing Bureau
has a negotiated a deal with Virgin
trains with a reduction of 20% on
rail travel to Conference.
Drinks Reception
There will be a drinks reception
at Glasgow Science Centre, hosted
by the Provost of Glasgow, on
Friday 6th November immediately
after conference finishes for the
day,. This will give delegates plenty
of time to network and to play
with the displays!
Programme Action Day
The life blood of Soroptimism is
Programme Action, therefore we
have made sure that Programme
Action at Conference will be an
exciting event. We have allocated a
full day on Saturday 7th November
2015 which will be jam packed
with key note speakers, Club
projects and a film which “Deliver
the Difference.” More details will
be available in the coming months.
Early Bird Registration
You will be pleased to know that
the rate for Early Bird registration
is held for a third year at £125.
Registration forms will be available
in March.
First timers: There will a £50
discount for the first 100 delegates
booking for the first time. You will
also have the opportunity to have
coffee with the President and the
Federation Management Board on
the Friday or the Saturday.
Social Media Training
A Social Media Workshop will
be held on Thursday 5 November
2015. Clubs will already have
received an invitation to register for
this event.
There will be two sessions,
morning and afternoon, and places
are limited to 50 per session, so
please return your expression of
interest form as soon as possible.
www.sigbi.org/glasgow2015
Shoppers’ paradise – Sauchiehall Street
FEBRUARY 2015 9
SI India Installation of President Shreelatha Naraynan
SI India celebrations
A SIGBI visit to India and Nepal
Ann’s story
November was a busy month for me. No
sooner had Harrogate Conference finished,
than I was at home packing another suitcase to
travel to India and then to Nepal to visit our sister
Soroptimists.
It was a privilege to visit these two countries
on behalf of Federation President Jenny who was
unable to make the trip.
Margaret Baker, Regional President of South
Lancashire accompanied me and you can hear
more about our travels in her article.
It’s fair to say that we packed a great deal into
the three days in Chennai, India. We arrived on a
warm evening and were welcomed by incoming
National Association President Shreelatha
Narayanan and Mallika Venkataraman.
The following morning, members of the
Chennai Club took us to visit a project, which
was working with PCVC International Foundation
for Crime Prevention and Victim Care, to support
the recovery and healing of burn survivors of
domestic abuse.
This project was initiated in 2003 at the
Kilpauk Burns Ward for Women and Children.
Many of the patients are survivors of acid or fire
attacks from their partners, in-laws or attempted
suicide. Counselling, emergency medicines and
care including providing attendants or food forms
part of the project.
After the person is discharged, the
project looks at rehabilitation of the survivor
(psychological and physiological therapies), legal
assistance, providing surgeries and medicines and
transport to the hospital for follow ups.
More pictures of SI India’s celebrations
10 FEBRUARY 2015
The visit was a truly moving experience and
one where you can instantly see the difference
that Soroptimists can make to the lives of women
and girls by working in partnership with such
organisations.
Later in the afternoon, I attended the National
Association’s Executive Committee Meeting. It
was immediately clear that it would be a lively
meeting because there were so many committed
and passionate Soroptimists in the room.
A report was given by each officer of the
National Association on the work that has been
completed by them, the highlights for me were:
• The viewing of the new National Association
website that should go live shortly.
• The circulation of a NASI Newsletter to
members present
• The work with young women through a
group known as Juvenoptimists.
And of course, there was much to celebrate
given SI India’s success at the Harrogate
Conference for their programme action work.
SI India won the award for Violence and
Conflict Resolution for their work on Gender
Sensitisation in Pune Metro East, Chennai,
Kodaikanal and Bangalore.
This excellent work involved getting not just
young people but also parents and the public
to be more aware of issues affecting gender,
from behaviour to safety and more. Clubs used
creative ways such a street plays to get their
message across.
The good news did not stop there as SI India
went on to win the overall award, which was
shared with Si Republic of Ireland, so I had the
pleasurable task of giving out certificates to each
of the Clubs concerned.
The next day was spent at the National
Association Change of Insignia Meeting where
Shrelatha Narayanan became the National
Association President.
The celebrations were followed by a meeting
of the National Association where I was able
to speak about what was happening in the
Federation and the founder of the PCVC
International Foundation for Crime Prevention
and Victim Care was able to talk about their
work.
This was followed by a Question and Answer
session which gave everyone the chance to ask
any question of their National Association.
A whistle stop trip to India filled with
friendship, colour and information about great
programme action work will remain in my
memory for a long time. Thanks to everyone who
made the visit so enjoyable.
Onwards to Nepal
It was then time to journey to Nepal. It was
great to see so many familiar faces as I was
privileged to attend their charter ceremony in
2012. The Club is doing well and their project
continues to thrive.
Margaret Baker’s article on the next page tells
you more about how they are helping to educate
young girls from the rural areas just outside
Kathmandu. It is a great example of programme
action work and when you visit the schools
you can immediately see how the project could
expand further subject to available resources.
Margaret and Ann at Mount Macchapuchhre
The schoolgirls in Kavre
Ann Hodgson, SIGBI Vice President and Director, Organisational Development
and Margaret Baker, Regional President, SI South Lancashire, report
In the meantime, the lives of 11 girls are being
changed forever.
Margaret Baker and I were in Nepal at the
time of the 16 days of activism in support of
the abolition of violence against women. So on
the last day, the Club held a meeting to raise
awareness.
This was well attended by the Club members
as well as other friends. It was a fitting end to our
visit which was followed by an evening of fun
and friendship as they prepared to send us on
our way back to the UK.
Thanks to everyone who made us so welcome
and for all the fantastic programme action work
that you are doing to help improve the lives of
women and girls.
Margaret’s story
I started writing this whilst sitting in
Kathmandu airport waiting for a 30 minute
flight to Pokhara.
Federation Vice President Ann and I were
taking 24 hours out of the city and away
from the intense schedules we had followed
for the last few days in Chennai, India and in
Kathmandu, Nepal.
However, although flights were leaving
Kathmandu airport which had been closed
because of the weather for several hours, the
airport at Pokhara was then closed... we began
to think that our 24 hours would be spent at
the airport!
Standing in for Federation President Jenny
Vince, Federation Vice President Ann Hodgson
attended the installation of NASI President
Shreelatha in Chennai and also to visit the
young Club at Kathmandu.
In India we were hosted by the incoming
President Shreelatha and her friend Mallika
(now NASI Secretary) and we were very warmly
welcomed by all.
Ann attended the Executive Council and I
was able to be there too as a silent observer.
Not that there was anything silent about the
meeting itself!
It was a very lively affair with many varied and
strongly held opinions enthusiastically aired.
There are so many superb projects going on
throughout India they should be very proud.
The installation of President Shreelatha was
a colourful and interesting meeting as the 13
Indian clubs came together to celebrate the
previous year and to look forward to the future.
It is a huge geographical region which inevitable
brings challenges but President Shreelatha is
determined to bring even closer unity amongst
them.
After the installation the Chennai Club
members hosted a dinner at the home of one of
the members. Before we ate, a couple of hoops
and a willingness to rise to a challenge proved
good fun in the courtyard.
Nepal: a very different picture
In Nepal the situation was very different.
There is only one Club at the moment and we
were very lucky to able to visit their excellent
programme centred around the education of a
group of 11 girls in the Kavre district about an
hour’s drive outside the city.
The project started by supporting the
education of a group of very disadvantaged girls
through their education but has now moved
on to enable them to maintain attendance at
school and give support in the home where
needed.
It now includes solar lighting in the homes
etc., and is developing to meet the changing
needs of the girls as they grow up, particularly
the two teenagers in the high school.
The hospitality and care afforded to us on
our visits was wonderful. Our sisters working
in these two countries face many different
challenges to us but we all share the urge to
support those less fortunate than ourselves and
of course to educate, empower and enable
women and girls worldwide.
There was much discussion, into the early
hours on occasions, as we looked at our
different cultures, but similar needs and desires,
and learned much from one another to enrich
our own lives.
It was an amazing experience and we left
with friendships deepened and new friends
made and a deeper understanding of each
other’s lives.
After a three hour delay at the airport
Ann and I made it to the beautiful city of
Pokhara (a 30 minute flight away) and enjoyed
our 24 hours spent under the shadow of
Macchhapuchhre and the Annapurnas.
There was, of course, a two hour delay on
return too to balance things out!
I send my thanks to everyone who made this
visit so wonderful.
FEBRUARY 2015 11
SIGBI
News
Membership/Conference
Database - going live dates
We advised you that SIGBI had commissioned a new Membership and
Conference Database – see page 13 of December’s Soroptimist News.
The Website features of the new Membership and Conference Database
will be going live in three stages. This will give Members an opportunity
to familiarise themselves with each part before the next stage is released.
Instructions on how to use each feature will be issued in the Club Mailing/
SIGBI News Briefing before the feature goes live.
Comments and suggestions are welcome from Members when you have
had the opportunity to use each feature. You can complete the Feedback
Form in the Members’ area of the website to send in Feedback on the
features. This is a huge step forward for SIGBI, but we understand that
there may still be things that Members would like to be able to do that will
not be available in this first release. We will be holding an annual review
with Wildfire Systems Ltd, the company that have produced the database
and website facilities, and will consider any suggested improvements for
future releases.
By 20 February 2015: Search Facilities
The ability to search for Members/Clubs/Regions/National Associations/
Networks goes live on 6 February 2015. Contact can be made via a simple
Contact form, which will be emailed to the Member or Club/Region/
National Association/Network Officer.
As all members will be able to be displayed on the system, no addresses,
phone numbers or email addresses will be displayed. We may review this
after the system has had time to settle in, and depending on comments
from Members.
By 2 March 2015 – Conference Registration Form
Members are used to completing the online Registration Form, which
has been in operation for the past four years, but now the form will input
Members directly onto the Conference Database. Members must be able
to pay by credit card using PayPal, and if PayPal rejects their payment for
any reason, their Conference Registration will not be submitted. They
will receive an email to let them know, and should then contact Joanne
Wagstaffe at SIGBI HQ regarding sending a Conference Registration form
and making payment.This should speed up processing of Conference
Registration forms and posting Conference Passes to Members.
By 20 March 2015 – Update Facilities
Club Presidents/Secretaries/Membership Officers will be able to update
the contact details of their current Members, add new Members, remove
Members who have resigned and request transfers for Members using this
system. They will also be able to print a clean copy of their Annual Returns,
once all their membership changes have been made, to post to SIGBI HQ
with their capitation fees cheque, or send by email if they are paying by
bank transfer.
The same Club Officers will also be able to update their Club Officers
directly onto the database. Region/National Association/Network Officers
will also be able to update the Region/National Associate/Network Officers.
Members will be able to update their own contact details if they move
house or change their telephone number or email address.We hope that
you will enjoy using the new system and that it will make things easier for
all Members.
If you have any queries, please contact Sally Higgins,
SIGBI Membership and Website Officer at [email protected]
12 FEBRUARY 2015
SIGBI
Charters
A new SIGBI Club is Chartered in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
A pioneering group of women, led by Irene Kholosa, reached their goal on
Saturday, 22nd of November, 2014. SI King Sabata Dalindyebo, the first
Soroptimist Club in this deep rural area of the Eastern Cape was chartered!
SI South Africa (SISA) President, Lisette Genseberger, who had steadfastly
mentored the women’s group over three yeara; Lieske Bester, a SI member
of 35 years standing; Gail Charalambous, SISA’s Vice President and Sally
Currin, SIGBI FCC, proudly welcomed a further 18 Soroptimists into the
National Association. In true Xhosa tradition there was much singing, praise
and enormous generosity.
After the formalities and sustenance the whole group visited Irene Kholosa
in hospital (main photo above) – a cruel irony that she had not been able
to attend the chartering of SI KSD and witness its welcoming into the SIGBI
fold. The group then moved on to Bethany Children’s Home, one of the
main projects of SI KSD.
Soroptimists ended this special day with a visit to Qunu, the village of
Nelson Mandela’s (Madiba) childhood and area of his final resting place.
A tour of the museum had to compensate for the disappointment that we
could not get close to his homestead and grave.
SISA knows that Madiba would be deeply satisfied if he knew of the
establishment of a Soroptimist Club in the area that remained profoundly
important to him. SI KSD is positioned to build on his legacy.
A new SIGBI Club is Chartered in Uganda
On Sunday 30th November 2014, a second Club was chartered in
Uganda. Members of the existing Club, SI Masaka, as well as members
from neighbouring Rwanda, (which is a member of SI Europe), travelled to
Mayuge to join in the celebrations. The Honourable Minister of Gender was
also a guest.
SI Mayuge, was Chartered by Immediate Past SIGBI Director of Finance,
Constance Mutunhu, from Zimbabwe. Teddy Nakintende, Programme
Action Officer of the new Club, said, “We had a fantastic day and I can’t
believe we are now part of the Soroptmist family.“
SI Mayuge has already made its mark in campaigning for menstrual hygiene
and making re-usable sanitary pads. The members also have plans to set up
a Vocational Institute to teach life skills to young girls.
SIGBI
Communications:
How to get noticed
in a busy world
Jane Slatter, SIGBI Director of Communications
BRANDING: SI Kirkcaldy has sponsored the Kirckaldy Rugby Club!
Websites A good website is
an essential way to tell people
who we are and what we do.
When websites are up to date
and informative they attract
prospective Members and partner
organisations.
To get some ideas please look
at some of the great websites
maintained by Clubs, Regions
and Countries. Information about
the most popular sites is in the
Members’ area of SIGBI website
under Clubs.
The SIGBI Website is being
further improved this year.
The Home Page is undergoing a
complete makeover incorporating
a rotating slideshow of pictures
and better information in a more
compact format, so do look out for
these changes.
In addition the Club Finder has
been improved to include links
to Regions, Countries, National
Associations and Network
websites, where available, when a
Club’s details are displayed.
Members are our eyes and
ears so please tell us if you see
something on a SIGBI website that
needs to be amended or deleted
and if there is something you think
we need to add, by emailing Sally
Higgins, SIGBI Membership and
Website Officer at [email protected]
or using the Website feedback
form in the Members’ area of the
SIGBI website.
Social Media is a great way to
get noticed. Clubs that are using
Social Media best are using it to
draw attention to Programme
activities and issues and to their
Club websites.
All SIGBI websites have the
excellent facility to share news
items on social media which is
another good reason to have an
attractive website.
Social Media Guides, on Twitter,
Skype and Facebook, have been
produced by Lisa Roscoe, the
SIGBI Communications Officer.
These have been circulated in
Club Mailings and SIGBI News
Briefings and are also available in
the Members’ area of the SIGBI
Website.
There will be a Social Media
workshop on Thursday 5th
November, before Conference
begins in Glasgow. Clubs have
been asked to nominate someone
to attend one of the Workshops
(there will be one workshop in the
morning and one in the afternoon)
and the closing date for registering
is 1st June 2015. Places are limited
so it will be important for as many
SI Heswall sponsored the kitchen of a school in Malawi,
member Sue Donovan, is pictured stirring the porridge.
Clubs as possible to take up their
allotted places. In addition there
are also lots of public courses and
seminars available around the
Federation to learn about Social
Media and many of them are free.
Branding Are we using the
SIGBI logo and strapline to its
best effect? The aim of a brand
is to work as an identifier so that
people immediately recognise the
organisation just by seeing the
logo.
When we launched the design
and artwork we also issued “Brand
Guidelines” which should be used
to ensure that we increase our
brand recognition. The artwork
and guidelines are available to
download from the Members’ area
of the SIGBI website under Clubs
and are needed by print companies
etc.
We know that lots of Clubs
are using the new logo to great
effect, which is why we launched
a quarterly competition so that
Members can all share ideas with
one another. Please send a photo
of what your Club has done to
[email protected].
Information about how to buy
some of these promotional items
is in the SIGBI Shop section of
the Members’ Area of the SIGBI
Website.
Partnerships promoting
Soroptimists – do our partners
promote us as well as they
could? Does your Club have
partnerships with charities and
other organisations? Do they
include information on their
websites about Soroptimists e.g.
Soroptimist website addresses and
the Soroptimist logo? Have you
spotted a partner organisation
or electronic notice board with
incorrect Soroptimist information
and logo and can you get it
corrected? If you need help please
ask Lisa [email protected]
Photo competition – the Photo
of the month competition has been
great so far, thank you so much to
the Clubs who have shared their
wonderful images. Please carry on
sending them into [email protected]
The images are already attracting
attention through Social Media
and will be really useful in future
promotional items.
There is a page on the SIGBI
Website under “What We Do” that
includes all of the winning images.
If you would like any of the images
in high resolution for use by your
Club then please ask.
SI Lichfield produced dresses from donated materials for an
orphanage in Kenya
FEBRUARY 2015 13
SIGBI Development Day
STOP PRESS – HOLD THE DATE!
Exciting News - at the latest Board Meeting, we agreed to
hold an inaugural SIGBI Development Day on Saturday 3rd
October 2015.
The SIGBI Development Day will offer an insight into how
Clubs can overcome the challenges being faced in recruiting
and retaining members. Come and join us! Our goal is to
ensure you leave with ideas, tools and knowledge to help you.
The Venue: East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham
Cost £35 (subsidised by SIGBI to encourage attendance)
Watch out for details on how to apply in your Club Mailings
and in Soroptimist News.
In the mail
21 November 2014 – Clubs/Regions/NA/Networks
1) Growth Plan For SIGBI
2) SIGBI Associate Membership
3) SIGBI Federation Project 2016-2019
4) Federation Vacancies
5) Charter Of Two New Clubs In SIGBI November 2014
6) Reports From Harrogate Conference 2014
7) Complaints From SIGBI Conference Harrogate 2014
8) Glasgow Conference 2014 Leaflet & Website
9) SI Convention Istanbul 9-12 July 2015
10) SIGBI General Meeting 2014 Minutes
11) SIGBI Governing Documents 2014
12) UK Government Beijing +20 Survey
13) 2015 Friendship Tours With Shirley Randell
14) Expo 2015 Milan 1 May To 31 October
5 December 2014 – Clubs/Regions/NA/Networks
1) Memorial Fund Award 2015
2) New SIGBI Membership/Conference Database
3) Membership Matters December 2014
4) Glasgow Accommodation List
5) Club Promotional Product Competition
6) Twitter Guide
7) Soroptimist News Schedule 2014-2016
8) SIGBI Federation/Region/NA/Network Directory
9) UKPAC Chair
10) SI Convention Istanbul July 9-12 2015
19 December 2014 – Clubs/Regions/NA/Networks
1) Closing Dates For SIGBI Hq Over Christmas
2) Pakistan School Murders – Time To Act!
3) Time To Act! Bookmarks
4) FPAC Minutes
5) SI Convention In Istanbul – Discounted Flights
6) SI Board Meeting Istanbul 2015 – Silent Observers
7) Club Retailing Page
8) Website Usage Statistics Year 3
16 January 2015 – Clubs/Regions/NA/Networks
1) General Meeting 2015 – Call For Resolutions Letter
2) SIGBI Federation Project 2016-2019 And Programme Resolutions
3) Federation Vacancies 2015
4) Donations To The Big Project
5) Membership Matters January 2015
6) New Members Pack 2015
7) Notices From SIGBI HQ
8) Grant Of Friendship And Invitation From A Club In Another Federation
9) Invitation To Her Majesty The Queen’s Buckingham Palace Garden Party.
Women inspiring action, transforming lives
14 FEBRUARY 2015
SIGBI Benevolent Fund 2015
Pam Dowell, Chair, Benevolent Fund and Judith Lewis,
Director of Finance, write:
On behalf of the Beneficiaries and Trustees of the Benevolent Fund we
would like to thank “Soroptimists in Conference” for restoring the full
Levy of £2.00 to the Fund. At our recent AGM in December we were able
to proceed, with confidence in the future of the Fund, in supporting the
Beneficiaries, all of whom are extremely grateful for any assistance we can
give.
We are very conscious that we must be economical and adhere to strict
guidelines relating to income and savings. The good news is that several
Members are now in better circumstances and have been able to become
totally independent of the Fund.
One Member who was forced to leave work to care for a relative and
“managed” whilst in receipt of Carer’s Allowance is now in receipt of a
full State Pension and is happily independent again. Another Member has
sent sincere thanks for support which she had received. She says “I cannot
tell you the difference the payment made to our lives.” It took away
the immediate worries and allowed her time to investigate the Benefit
situation. This took 12 months to be resolved. She has now been awarded
Personal Independence Payment and Carer’s Allowance and is delighted
that she no longer needs our help.
We believe that these stories [and there are many more] show that
Soroptimists know that charity begins at home. This is a good opportunity
to remind all UK Members who pay this levy as part of their capitation
fee that as a charity the Benevolent Fund is able to claim Gift Aid on the
donations.
Gift Aid increases the value of your donations and means our charities
can benefit even more at no extra cost to the donor. If you’re a UK
taxpayer add Gift Aid whenever you make a donation and we can reclaim
the basic rate of tax on your gift - that’s a whopping 50p for every £2
donation to the Benevolent Fund. Information about Gift Aid is available
on the UK Government website: www.gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid.
Currently 2,900 Members have signed Gift Aid Declarations for the
Benevolent Fund. All new Members are asked at the time of joining but
we would like to see the percentages of Members signed up for gift aid to
increase substantially.
If we could get an additional 2000 Members to sign up it would
increase our income each year by £1,000. Gift Aid Forms are available on
the Members’ Area of the SIGBI website under Clubs/Gift Aid Forms. This
page also contains a PDF of all Members who have signed up to Gift Aid,
for easy Reference. We suggest that as Clubs are completing their annual
returns they ask those Members not on this list, if they are eligible to giftaid their donations, that they do so.
The same applies to our other charities SIGBI Diamond Education Fund
and SIGBI Emergency Relief Fund and numbers signed up for both these
are substantially lower. Both these charities also do excellent work, giving
life-changing grants to women wishing to study to improve their career
prospects, enabling us to give immediate aid to relieve suffering caused by
natural disasters worldwide.
Please may we make a plea for all Members to look at this and
wherever possible a Gift Aid Declaration is signed and sent to our SIGBI
HQ to grow the income of our charities. Governments do not give much
for nothing let’s maximise what we can get!
Finally a gentle reminder that Past President Margaret Oldroyd
suggested that to commemorate our 80th Anniversary Clubs should
consider making a donation to our own charities. We ask Clubs to
reconsider this request as they distribute charity donations at the end of
the Club financial year.
Thank you.
SI Thames Valley:
Kori Project
At the SIGBI Conference, SI Thames Valley
was given special permission for a bucket
collection for our Kori Women’s Development
Project in Sierra Leone where the Ebola
virus had reached our village. We were
overwhelmed by your generosity – you raised
over £8000. Apart from the obvious effects
of the epidemic – the sickness and death of
many people in our area - we learned that due
to the prohibition on gathering in groups and
shops, people were unable to get food, were
too weak to farm and many children were left
as orphans. People were dying of famine as
well as from Ebola. A local businessman gave
us a ton of rice so we used some money to
get this rice out quickly to the needy in the
Kori area. We paid to have it distributed to the
old and very young and the local people were
immensely grateful. In the photo are some of
the recipients and you can see their gratitude.
They ask us to thank you. We will continue to
inform you of what we are achieving with your
money. So thank you Soroptimists!
Jackie Paling: Thank you
I send a big thank you to Ruth Bruce and
her friends Linda Beddows, Edna Haselden
and Marion Fogarty from the North West and
Isle of Man Region, for their prompt assistance
whilst I was at the Harrogate Holiday Inn for
our Federation Conference. I was chatting with
them when I had a heart attack. If I hadn’t
been in their company, I dread to think what
the outcome could have been. Ruth kindly
accompanied me to the hospital and didn’t get
back to the hotel until 5am the next morning.
I have several others to thank – please
accept my apologies if your name should be
here and isn’t: Margaret Clark, Yinka Soetan
and Noreen Goss who looked after my daily
needs, cleared my room and sorted out my car;
Barbara Dixon, who shocked patients and staff
with her pink hair and whose husband offered
to be my “temporary” next of kin whilst my
brother could be located; my Club, SI Slough
Windsor and Maidenhead, for their support
during my recovery; Programme Director
Sue Biggs and the Programme Team for their
forbearance and filling in for me; Janet Hutton
and Val Michie from SI Harrogate for doing
my washing. I also extend a big thank you to
everyone who sent me Get Well and Christmas
cards. I did not send any cards this year to
temporarily reduce my stress levels, and I am
sure you will understand.
I have since spent a second period in
hospital and am not out of the woods yet,
but am getting there, and hope to be back in
action as soon as I safely can.
I am proud of you all.
Jackie Paling, (2010-2014 APD Violence
and Conflict Resolution)
SIGBI
Growth Plan
for Clubs
Exciting news about SIGBI Growth Plan for Clubs and
SIGBI HQ Marketing and Communications Plan
Sue Williams, Director of Membership and Ann Hodgson, Director of Organisational
Development, report
We bring you an update on the progress we
have made in relation to SIGBI’s Growth Plan, and
the news is both encouraging and exciting!
Remember, The SIGBI Growth Plan is twofold
– a SIGBI Growth Plan for Clubs and a SIGBI HQ
Marketing and Communications Plan, to promote
the organisation as a whole. Both plans need to
work in tandem to ensure that we reverse the
decline in membership that we are experiencing,
which as you know is about 4.4% annually.
There is no cost to Clubs for this “sign up”,
SIGBI will recover the fee from the Government’s
Growth Accelerator Grant, when each of the
“signed up” Clubs in the Pilot achieve agreed
success criteria around engagement in the
scheme and increased membership.
What is being piloted?
1. A bespoke plan for Club membership growth.
The first involvement the pilot Clubs will have is
when they are contacted by one of three women
consultants to start the planning process for
SIGBI Growth Plan for Clubs - Progress on
growth! The Clubs will be helped to create a plan
our request for 30 Clubs to join the Pilot
for organised, organic membership growth based
scheme
on best practice principles.
We have had 58 Clubs express an interest; this
2. A toolkit of best practice tools, templates and
is a fantastic response from Clubs in England and
processes for every Pilot Club.
represents all 13 Regions, which is wonderful to
3. Membership of the government-sponsored
have this spread across the country. NB: It was a
Growth Accelerator programme committed to
condition of funding that only Clubs in England
increasing its membership, and is designed to aid
can take part in the Pilot.
organisational growth.
With 58 Clubs applying, we were then in the
4. The Pilot Clubs will be using a best practice
wonderful, but challenging, position of selecting
programme and process to address membership
30 Clubs to take part in the Pilot.
growth, which later can be replicated across the
We decided that a criterion would be to ensure
Club structure, regardless of location.
there was one Club from each English Region,
We hope that the pilot Clubs will take
and the next criterion was to take applications on
opportunities at Regional meetings to be able
a first come basis. We are therefore delighted to
to share their progress as the toolkit develops
inform you that the following 13 Clubs have met
for them and as they see tangible rewards for
these criteria and have been identified to take
the time and commitment they have shown in
part in the first tranche of the project.
supporting the Pilot Growth Plan
Club
Region
for their Club.
SI Runcorn, Frodsham & Dist. SI Cheshire, North Wales & Wirral
If you would like to know
SI Southend on Sea & Dist.
SI London Anglia
more about SIGBI Growth Plan
SI Lewisham & SE England
SI London Chilterns
for Clubs please check out the
SI Stourbridge & District
SI Midland Arden
website for the FAQ’s section:
SI Sutton Coldfield SI Midland Chase
www.sigbi.org/members/files/
SI Derby
SI Midland East
SIGBI-Growth-Plan-QuestionsSI Garstang
SI North West England & Isle of Man
and-Answers-Version-3-22SI Middlesbrough
SI Northern England
December-2014.pdf
SI Medway Towns
SI Manchester
SI Barnstaple
SI Weybridge & District
SI Sheffield
SI South East England
SI South Lancashire
SI South West & Channel Islands
SI Southern England
SI Yorkshire
These 13 Clubs will receive a letter confirming
that they have been successful in taking part
in the Club Growth Pilot. Unsuccessful Clubs
will have had their “expressions of interest”
acknowledged with grateful thanks. A second
tranche will be selected from the 58 Clubs who
have registered their interest.
The next step for the first tranche of 13
Clubs is for contracts to be signed with Affilius
Limited, our external consultancy partner. A fee
of £1500 plus VAT, will be paid by SIGBI for each
participating Club by the end of March 2015.
SIGBI Marketing and
Communications Plan
We are about to enter phase
one of our SIGBI Marketing
and Communications Plan in the
coming months. Success criteria for the SIGBI
Marketing and Communications Plan are also in
the development stage but are likely to include
profile enhancement on social media and in the
press, which has long been a desire of members
across our Federation.By the time you receive this
edition of Soroptimist News, the Board will have
taken further steps to secure the future of SIGBI,
as part of the overall Growth Strategy, so please
watch out for further updates on progress via the
mailings, Membership Matters, the website and
through your Federation Councillor.
FEBRUARY 2015 15
SIGBI Conference 2014:
Memorial Fund
recipients say
‘Thank You!’
An Invigorating Conference Experience
by Keisha Fraser, SI St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The Harrogate Experience
by Meenakshi Ray, SI Calcutta
An email from SIGBI arrived on a hot summers day
Telling me the Memorial Grant had indeed come my way!
I was selected to go for the Harrogate Conference,
Which promised to be a most thrilling experience!
Then came the visa, the bookings and itinerary,
The planning for the project turned my life extraordinary .
It was finally November and I had reached Heathrow,
Braving the cold, with lots of good wishes in tow.
The Conference opened with grandeur and pageantry ,
With 29 national flags representing so much of humanity.
1300 ladies, full of enthusiasm and cheer,
With great projects, and warmth, and friendship so dear.
The three Keynote Speakers encouraged us to believe,
That WE ALL had the ability and strength to ACHIEVE!
The Programme award for India was the icing on the cake
But the honour was saddened by the Ebola outbreak.
It was heartening to note that during the meetings
£8000 was donated for the suffering victims.
The Conference ended with the new Board of Directors,
Here’s wishing them the best in their Soroptimist ventures!
The party ended too soon, and it was time to bid adieu
To Harrogate, SIGBI and friends, old and new.
We are back to the grindstone full of daily strife,
But feel energised , refreshed and ready to TRANSFORM LIVES!
Thank you SI Calcutta, and SIGBI for making this happen!
2000 Club
Winners November 2014
SI Bristol
£100 SI Bristol
Barbara Evamy £100
SI East Yorkshire
SI Bristol
£50
SI Bristol
Lorraine Fras
£50
SI Dunfermline
Mr J Evamy £25
SI East Yorkshire
Joan South
£25
SI Reading, Wokingham, and Bracknell
Winners December 2014
Marilyn Jack
£1000
SI Hamilton
Lesley Rich
£500
SI Maidstone
Pearl Allen
£500
SI Bristol
Moira Watson
£250
SI Oxford & District
B. Benton
£250
SI West Bromwich
Winners January 2015
Johanna Raffan
£100
SI Thames Valley
Jenifer Lawrence
£100
SI Birmingham Central
Janet Tancock
£50 SI Weston-super-Mare
Mary Weston
£50
SI St Austell
Hilary Page
£25
SI Lewisham 16 FEBRUARY 2015
After months of anticipation, I arrived in Harrogate to experience my
first SIGBI conference. My excitement mounted and I wish to express my
utmost gratitude to SIGBI for the opportunity to attend the Conference as a
Memorial Fund Awardee.
On arriving at the Conference Hall, it was evident that a lot of thought,
organisation and hard work had gone into the Conference preparation –
everything worked in harmony. The opening ceremony was a splendid affair
climaxing to the beautiful sounds of the North Yorkshire Premier Brass Band.
The Conference Speakers never failed to capture our attention as
they shared their journeys to becoming the women they are today. I was
motivated and encouraged to further strive for high ideals by the stories of
these women. Thank you Sahar Hashemi, Professor Susan Vinnicombe and
Dame Jenni Murray – you have inspired me!
I listened captivated at the order of the General Meeting, it was so
professionally conducted, the highlight for me was the proposition of the
resolution for allowing associate membership. I listened as Ann Hodgson
proposed as strongly as possible the need for associate membership and felt
her profound pain when the resolution did not receive enough votes to pass.
I was further moved by how well Soroptimists can work together when
faced with a challenge to overcome. The theme ‘Women Leading Change
Together’ certainly came alive when we were challenged to raise enough
funds to help our dear friends in Sierra Leone, their story told to us by our
dear Rose – whom I met and took fondly to...not a dry eye was spared
as she shared what was taking place in her hometown. This was truly an
empowering moment for me and I felt a sense of pride knowing that we
were able to help in such a great way.
I still savour the feeling of attending the Change of Insignia and Closing
Ceremony and was filled with gratitude for this marvellous experience.
This night culminated to the beautiful sounds and theatrics of The White
Rosettes...I absolutely enjoyed!
This was truly a learning experience for me and my interest in Soroptimism
is strengthened. I look forward with great anticipation to future Conferences.
Thanks again SIGBI for entrusting me with this award and for making the
Conference as memorable and rewarding as I had hoped it would be.
Grant of Friendship
Working to develop a spirit of friendship and unity among Soroptimists
of all countries, Northwestern Region of Soroptimist International of
the Americas started a Grant of Friendship Project in1990, bringing
international Soroptimist guests from other countries and/or Federations
to promote and encourage cultural exchanges and foster
International Goodwill and Understanding.
SIA’s Northwestern Region, which includes Alaska, Washington,
Oregon, northern Idaho and Montana, is pleased to again offer a
Grant of Friendship to one or two Soroptimists or a Soroptimist and
her partner from outside the United States. The Grant is for a 2-3 week
period beginning in April 2016. This Grant will include the Soroptimist
Northwestern Region Conference, 21 - 24 April 2016 in Spokane,
Washington. Visitors will be responsible for their own travel expenses
to and from the United States. Lodging, meals, hospitality and travel
between Clubs will be provided by the Northwestern Region. Spoken
English is required. Interested Soroptimists should request an application
by April 1, 2015. Please address inquiries to: Carol Kerkow, Chair - Grant
of Friendship Committee, Northwestern Region, Soroptimist International
of the Americas 419 S. McKinley Street, Kennewick, Washington 99336
USATel: 509-783-1634
E-mail:[email protected]
Please include the letters “GOF” in the email subject line.
Special Days
25th November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence
against Women
SI Grange-over-Sands handed out over 600 White Ribbon stickers and
cards to men and teenage boys in Ulverston. The stickers and information
were well received particularly among the teenagers who were on their
lunch break from school. A fact sheet from the White Ribbon website was
available to highlight issues or answer queries.
Lynne Coles and Sally Minchom are pictured with Stan Laurel (born in
Ulverston) and Oliver Hardy!
SI Crosby organised a focus event, “It’s a Matter of Survival.” Delegates
included members of the public, South Lancashire Region Soroptimists, and
a group from the Club’s friendship link in Yorkshire, SI Keighley.
In a comprehensive and challenging programme, speakers covered
several aspects. Kaya, a young ‘survivor’ (as she calls herself) of forced
marriage gave a powerful and emotional account of her circumstances.
Representatives of two women’s aid organisations, plus an officer from
Merseyside Police, outlined the range of community-based support
available.
Afrah Qassim from Savera Liverpool talked about recent developments in
work with women from local black and minority ethnic communities.
Finally, Dorothy Zack-Williams (SI Liverpool) spoke as a ‘voice’ for the hidden
victims of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
1st December: World AIDS Day Barbara Dixon, APD Food Security
& Health reports: New HIV infections have fallen by 38% since 2001
and the number of AIDS deaths has fallen from to
1.5 million in 2013. While this is significant progress,
there are still an alarming number of people, 35
million, living with HIV. Every day more than 5,700
people contract HIV, nearly 240 every hour.
SI Enniskillen provides support for Kate
Community Centre in Mekelle, Ethiopia. One case
study mentions Brahan Asfawe, aged 75, who had
four children, all of whom died of HIV/AIDS and
she now looks after her five grandchildren, one of
whom is HIV positive.
Lack of accommodation as a result of illness or
death in the family, sometimes as a result of AIDS, can be a big problem.
Working with the RUSH community in Kenya, SI Beckenham built a
hut for one such family.
SI Barbados conducted a session on Family Life Education: Sexual and
reproductive health (STDs, HIV/AIDS, what they are and how to prevent).
New born babies often born prematurely with AIDS. Premature babies
born in the neonatal unit in Paranetwya Hospital, Zimbabwe are
often without clothes or warm covers. SI Lewisham and South East
London are knitting cot covers so babies will have a better chance of
living through the first dangerous days of their lives. HIV/AIDS does not
just affect health. It affects livelihoods, leading to poverty, inability to
provide food and a downwards spiral. It is encouraging to know that
SIGBI Clubs are helping such communities in so many ways.
10th December: Human Rights Day & International President’s Appeal
SI St Albans’ annual Christmas carols and bucket rattling at St Albans
City Station was a great success, raising £400 for the St Albans and
Hertsmere Women’s Refuge. Funding cuts and increased demand mean
that the Refuge needs additional funding now more than ever before.
Over a warming supper Club Members made donations of £115 to the
International President’s December 10th Appeal “See Solar, Cook Solar” in
lieu of sending one another Christmas cards.
SI Cannock supports International President Ann Garvie’s Appeal, ‘See
Solar, Cook Solar’ with donations in lieu of sending Christmas cards to each
other. At the December meeting, Club member Shirley Brown and Father
Christmas, entertained members raising £145 for the Appeal.
International Day of Peace,
SI Penrith: A photo correction
from December issue.
UN Peace Day was marked
by SI Penrith at the United
Reformed Church, joined by
John Thompson, Chairman
of Eden District Council,
members of the Trefoil Guild
and Brownie Movement and
supporters from other churches.
President Jane, SI Penrith read the Declaration of Peace and lit the peace
candle. Soroptimist Kath Hetherington explained how Peace Day began in
2002 and how the numbers have grown to 500 million worldwide.
Following the service, peace roses were planted in commemoration of 80
years of Soroptimism in Great Britain; 100 years since the establishment of
the British Association of Rotary Clubs and 100 years of Girl Guiding.
2015 dates
SIGBI will run news items on the
website for Special Days. If you
have an event planned, send details
to Lisa Roscoe: [email protected] two
weeks before the event. Send the
event date, time, location and
theme. It can also be included on
our SIGBI Calendar. Send photos
immediately after the event. The
news will be updated with the
photos and brought to the top
of the Latest News box, but the
interest in each date only lasts
about a week after the date has
passed, so act quickly to keep the
website current.
Dates for 2015:
23 February - 8 March: Fairtrade
Fortnight
1 -31 March: Ovarian Cancer
Awareness Month
5 March: World Book Day
9-20 March: CSW59
8 March: Int. Women’s Day
22 March: World Water Day
7 April: World Health Day
5 June: World Environment Day
19 July: SIGBI Day of Action
8 September: Int. Literacy Day
21 September: Int. Day of Peace
1-31 October: Breast Cancer
Awareness Month
3 October: SI Club Friendship Day
11 October: Int. Day of the Girl Child
16 October: World Food Day
17 October: Int. Day for the
Eradication of Poverty
18 October: Anti Slavery Day
25 November: Day for the
Elimination of Violence Against
Women
25 November-10 December: 16
Days of Activism against Violence
Against Women
1 December: World AIDS Day
10 December: Human Rights Day
10 December: Int. Presidents
Appeal Day
ALSO: Sign up for… The Great
Manchester Run 17th May. Or
Unite and Bike Against Cancer
in Cuba, 15- 23 October 2015.
FEBRUARY 2015 17
SI Canterbury members are
dusting off remaining copies of
Voices in Verse and Tellers of Tales
following the sudden death, in
November, of their compiler Jacque
Emery - Immediate Past Regional
President of SI South East England.
Jacque, trained as an opera singer
at the Royal College of Music,
then became a teacher and an
Education Advisor. She was also an
accomplished poet and when the
Club was contemplating fundraising
for Project SIerra, Jacque suggested
publishing a book of poetry.
Voices in Verse was born. Jacque
as Chief Examiner for the London
Academy of Music and Dramatic
Arts had experience of publishing,
and the rest is history. When SIGBI
launched the BIG Project, Jacque
suggested that the Club publish
another book: Tellers of Tales.
Although it was purely a SIGBI
project, authors from all Federations
submitted stories and it raised
£4,000, bringing the total for the
two books to £11,000.
There are still some copies of both
books available and all the proceeds
will go towards a literary award, a
fitting tribute to Jacque and raise
the Soroptimist profile among
young women. Please visit: www.
sigbi.org/canterbury to buy a copy.
SI Amber Valley recently packed
another 15 holdalls for Barnardo’s
Leaving Care Service Derbyshire,
after being very moved to receive
their first letter from a recipient,
thanking them and asking if it
would be possible to include a small
saucepan. After adding a wooden
spoon as well, there are now 40
items in each holdall.
The starter pack is the sort you send
your own offspring with when they
leave home.
The recipient wrote,“I left foster
care with very little in the way of
possessions and your bag had some
much needed things in there which
were a great help in getting me set
up.” He said he had been battling
depression and we had shown him
that “there are some still people out
there who are willing to help people
in need.”
18 FEBRUARY 2015
papers and a member spoke on BBC
Radio Essex to advertise the event,
so many more people arrived during
the day to add their shoes to the
Pyramid, along with members from
the Region including the President
and two representatives from
Handicap International. The Mayor
and Mayoress of Chelmsford also
arrived to offer their support.
SI Asaba, Nigeria, shared the joy
of Christmas which is a time for
giving, by visiting the less privileged
in Asaba and Ibusa. They visited
Pro Labore dei Asaba and Shallom
Orphanage Asaba.
SI Bangor Northern Ireland
Northern ireland’s award winning
‘walled garden’ will soon have
a Soroptimst hue as members,
undeterred by bad weather, planted
1000 spring bulbs to mark SIGBI’s
80th anniversay and its own 70th
anniversary in 2015/16.
SI Blackburn presented Lancashire
Women’s Centres with £763 at
its Friendship Evening at Wilpshire
Golf Club. Lancashire Women’s
Centres is the Club’s charity of the
year, Rebecca Steele, Families and
Communities Manager at LWC
said “Our work with SI Blackburn
has provided a chance to inform
members about our work to reduce
the imprisonment of women,
creating new relationships between
our two organisations – both of
which work to improve the lives of
women and girls.”
SI Buxton heard a thought
provoking talk by Nicola Pepper,
a Street Pastor. She spoke of the
work in making the street safer
for residents, in particular giving
young people a chance to engage
with adults who would be nonjudgemental.
When young people indulge in
drink and drugs, they become
so incapacitated that they place
themselves in serious danger. The
street pastors help by supplying
water to drink, flip flops to wear
when they walk barefoot, and a
listening ear to those who need it.
SI Cardigan raised £1150 at a
charity lunch and Margaret Smith
presented it to Tony Stephenson,
Community Peer Support Officer
for the Spinal Injuries Association
in Wales. Tony suffered spinal
cord injury after contracting TB
Meningitis: after rehabilitation by
SIA he lives independently and
works actively for the Association.
SI Croydon was joined by family
and friends to perform a medley of
Christmas Carols and raised over
£100 for Nightwatch, one of the
Club’s chosen charities. Nightwatch
does an amazing job providing food
and other help for homeless and
vulnerable people in the borough.
SI Central Birmingham is very
close to the Queen Alexandra
College Birmingham, which runs
courses for young people with
varying degrees of disability. Last
year the Club initiated the SI Central
Birmingham Club’s Achievement
Award for the student deemed to
have achieved most in the academic
year. Charlotte Fisher was selected
as the winner. Her autism and
dyslexia was not diagnosed until she
was16. Queen Alexandra College
turned her life around enabling her
to build up a social circle and to
pass Level 1 Functional Skills in ICT,
English and Maths. She also excels
at Art. The cup and an Amazon
voucher was presented to Charlotte
by Pat Kirby, Co-President of Central
Birmingham Club at the College
Annual Award Ceremony.
SI Chelmsford celebrated 10 years
since SI Chelmsford and London
Anglia Region helped Handicap
International (HI) build a pyramid in
Trafalgar Square, by building a nine
foot pyramid.
They had splendid help from their
local shopping centre manager,
who had a wooden framework
built to get the pyramid started.
Sacks full of shoes were received
from region members and from
Clubs throughout the Region,
who brought them to the Regional
Council Meeting the week before.
The Pyramid was reported in local
SI Darlington again supported
Handicap International’s Forgotten
10 Challenge, to send a petition
to the Prime Minister asking that
UK Aid to war-torn countries
be used to fund risk education
about unexploded munitions.
By spreading the net wide and
involving neighbours, clients, other
organisations and the Darlington
Quaker Meeting, they collected 521
signatures on the petition.
SI Denbigh, Ruthin and
District was given an informative
presentation with discussions on
Cyber Bullying to coincide with Anti
Bullying Week in November 2014.
Karen Evans, a former head teacher,
Denbighshire County Council’s
Head of School Improvement and
Inclusion and Dr Melanie Ackers
of Denbighshire County Council’s
Educational Psychology Service who
has completed a thesis on Cyber
Bullying, explained how we cannot
underestimate the pressure that
young people are under to behave
socially in a certain way.
Club News
SI Downpatrick recently welcomed
Lady Christine Eames as their guest
speaker. Lady Eames has a long and
distinguished career with the Health
Service and holds a portfolio of nonexecutive positions in the public and
voluntary sectors; she was awarded
the OBE in 2006. Lady Eames gave
an account of her visits to Africa,
delivered with warmth and humour.
SI Inverness & Nairn President Etta
Mackay chose as her charity, SIMBA
– Simpson’s Memory Box Appeal.
Etta, who is a midwife is seen here
on the right together with Club
members handing over a cheque for
£700 to the local representative of
SIMBA whose motto is “Responding
to the needs of those affected by
the loss of a baby.”
SI Johannesburg raised funds
for CHOC Cows in memory of
their member Lorna Macdougall
the founder of CHOC, who sadly
passed away. The main fundraiser
was riding the 94.7 kms cycle race
around Johannesburg. President
Leyden Field rode in a team with
friends. SAR 3.3 million was raised
at this event for children in need
of treatment for Cancer. The funds
are used to upgrade and maintain
treatment facilities as well as
providing residential care for those
undergoing treatment.
SI Limbe held a Christmas party for
their DayCare centre, all the children
had a wonderful time!
Soroptimists on TV! Winning £9,000 for charity on Eggheads
In September 2014 five members of SI Ramsbottom and a reserve,
Margaret Baker of SI Bolton, won £9,000 for charity. The Ramsbottom team
comprised Susan Unsworth (who beat Pat Gibson, winner of ‘Who wants
to be a Millionaire?’ in the Film and TV round), Ann Bennett (President),
Sharon Hargreaves, Anne Cheetham and Barbara Hulmes. Competing on
the Eggheads team were CJ de Mooi, Barry Simmons, Chris Hughes, Judith
Keppel and Pat Gibson, with Dermot Murnaghan presiding.
SI Loughborough members were
entertained by a very informative
talk given by PC Dave Jaeckels,
Beacon Officer for the Birstall
Beat, and PCSO Mark Butler. They
explained their responsibilities and
roles, tackling the problems that
affect the community, also giving
reassurance and a highly visible
presence on the streets and a point
of contact for the residents.
Looking at the statistics for the
area, most incidents were related to
domestic violence, vulnerable adults
and children. Not all incidents were
recorded as a ‘crime’ - it depended
on the circumstances of each case.
SI Mansfield held an Evening with the Carlton Male Voice Choir, at the
Queen Elizabeth Academy, Mansfield. The event was very well attended, and
songs from the World War 1, Hymns, Ballads, an African Trilogy,and popular
songs from Musicals, kept everyone entertained.
A guest soloist, Isata Kanneh-Mason from Mapperley, who at 18 is launching
her career at the Royal Academy of Music, delighted the audience with pieces
from Chopin and Beethoven.
This event was organised by Soroptimist Anne Bull and many members were
involved in making the evening a resounding success, raising £2000 for the
Teenage Cancer Trust Nottingham.
SI Medway Towns filled over
70 “Boxes of Love.” Each year
members bring a selection of
practical and fun gifts which
are pooled and then divided
into boxes according to the age
and gender of the recipient – all
wrapped in Christmas paper.
These are distributed by
Blythswood Trust to deprived
children in orphanages, schools,
hospitals, care homes etc in
Eastern Europe and Pakistan.
They sent 118,000 “ boxes
of love” last year and the
volunteers who distribute them
are amazed at how much joy a
simple shoebox can bring.
Everyday items that are taken
for granted here, a new hat and
scarf, a toothbrush with some
toothpaste, a small toy, soap,
bring great joy to thousands of
people who live in desperate
poverty; like Kreshnik, a
five year old boy in sub zero
Kosovo whose parents are
barely able to feed him. He
was delighted with his hat
and gloves. Blertian, a 15 year
old boy, for whom the shoe
box was his first gift since
he was three years old. Too
poor to go to school, he was
thrilled to receive shampoo
and deodorant and kept asking
who sent it.
Kashif, a seven year old boy
who has been in an orphanage
in Pakistan since he was three
months old was overwhelmed
that someone loved him
enough to prepare a gift for
him.
It costs relatively little to fill a
box which will give so much
pleasure and it is a social event
that all members enjoy.
FEBRUARY 2015 19
SI South Kolkata, following the Soroptimist Objective of Economic
Empowerment, arranged for 10 women to undergo a three month
beautician training course in Beauty Skills. They were trained in make-up, skin/
foot/body/hair care routine, cutting and hair styling.
This will help them to build skills towards becoming financially independent
and instill a sense of confidence. The trainees received certificates for
successfully passing the examination. SI Kolkata President, Bhaswati Biswas,
said, “It was an honour to have Mrs. Dianne Stout from our Link Club SI
Dundee, who presented the certificates.
SI Plymouth has negotiated the
first blue plaque to a woman in
Plymouth. Mabel Ramsay was a
remarkable woman and was one of
the Club’s founder members.
A current member, Hilary Preston,
who is particularly interested in
Family History, researched the whole
project – and gave a talk on Mabel
at Plymouth City Museum.
All this took the better part of a year
to obtain all the permissions etc
involved in setting up a blue plaque.
Hilary ensured wonderful publicity,
with the Plymouth Herald devoting
three pages plus a comment column
in the Plymouth Magazine.
Club News
SI Nantwich worked with Guides,
talking about their role models
and aspirations at a Role Model
Roundabout. Soroptimists showed
the Guides ‘before and after’
pictures of celebrities. A ‘spot the
difference’ task helped the Guides
to see that many role models for
young women are fake – enhanced
on computers to look more
glamorous. The Guides engaged
really well and were shocked at how
fake the people in the media seem.
SI Penrith held a Vintage Tea, partly
as a commemoration of the start of
World War One so guests dress in
1914 style clothing. 50 members,
partners and friends enjoyed tea,
sandwiches and cakes, raising £500
for The Calvert Trust, the Club’s
charity for the year. A quiz relating
to events in 1914 was prepared by
member Barbara Grundy and the
afternoon was rounded off with
traditional old-time sing-song.
20 FEBRUARY 2015
SI Northallerton member Sheila
Stewart is pictured presenting a
basket of toiletries collected over
the year to the Supported Housing
Scheme in Northallerton.
SI Preston members are on a
mission to make 500 pillowcase
dresses as part of their Programme
Action. Members hold sewing
parties during a meeting or at
their houses and so far almost
200 dresses have been completed.
Member Lynn Yates took some
on a recent trip to Swaziland and
members were delighted to see
photos of them being modelled
making the hard work worthwhile.
Educate
Empower
Enable
SI Republic of Ireland President
Noreen presented medals to
participants in the Castlebar
International 4 Days’ Walking
Festival in July 2014, associated with
the International Marching League
Walking Association. The main aims
are to promote walking as a healthy
activity for body and mind for all
and, most significantly, to encourage
walkers to cross international
boundaries. The experience of
walking in new landscapes in the
company of different nationalities
and the exchange of ideas
contribute to mutual understanding.
SI Rhyl President Joan is pictured
with Ffion Weaver the winner of
the Club’s Leadership Award. Ffion,
an Air Cadet was selected as one
of only two cadets for a Canada
international exchange programme.
Ffion gave an excellent presentation
of her trip, part funded by her
Award, which she described as ‘the
most wonderful experience of my
life.’The International Air Cadet
exchange last summer included visits
to Canadian Air Force squadrons,
flights in a glider and a helicopter.
SI Rugby has sent knitted teddies to
Sierra Leone for some of the many
children who have been affected by
the Ebola Virus. They were knitted
by residents of Rugby.
SI Southampton responded to
an invitation from Southampton
City Council to celebrate its
50th anniversary of City status.
Southampton City Council invited
local organisations and businesses
to submit pledges of support to the
city in whatever way they chose,
Southampton Soroptimists donated
50 tins of food to the Food Bank.
SI Surulere President, Angela
Ezechukwu was a guest on
National television and on a radio
programme on Rythem 94.1 FM
morning show, Everywoman, where
she spoke on the plight of women
of domestic volence and her project,
construction of a Charity House and
skill acquisition centre.
SI Tiverton and District had a
display of solar lighting and heating
on Saturday 29th November 2014
when the Tiverton Christmas lights
were switched on. The solar gadgets
which, of course, shone brightly
when darkness came. creating much
interest in the Soroptimists’ efforts
to provide solar lighting and heating
for those who have no electricity to
give light, or heat to cook.
SI Solihull visits SI Masaka
SI Solihull members, Angela Sadler,
Liz Pountney and Gill Schofield
spent three weeks in Uganda –
visiting their Friendship Link Club,
SI Masaka and Homelands School.
They took 161 kilos of luggage with
gifts of 100 rucksacks with school
equipment, wind-up lamps, needle
cases, 200 balloons, skipping ropes,
frisbees, balls, toiletries and a few
clothes for themselves…
They spent time with SI Masaka
members, staying with President
Prossy Nampuuga, Programme
Action Officer Kizito Bernie
and Friendship Link Officer and
Federation Councillor Nabbanja
Sarah. They met the Mayor of
Masaka and visited The Angels of
Hope Primary School, the Good
Shepherd Primary School and the
Kisweera Primary School where
they met a student who was raped
when she was 11. SI Masaka
supported her during her pregnancy
and now pay her school fees so that
she and her baby will have a better
future. At each school, they gave
donations of scholastic materials
and heard about SI Masaka’s
support.
They visited the HOFTAC project
(HIV positive women and girls) and
Kissosso Primary School, meeting
the 100 Uplift children – rescued
street children, being educated with
the help of SI Masaka.
The final visit was to the SI Masaka
owned Kayirikiti Piggery Project
which helps people out of poverty
by owning and breeding pigs.
On the final afternoon with SI
Masaka, the ‘SI Solihull Three’
had a picnic on Nabugabo Beach
and presented money raised by SI
Solihull, SI Southampton and
SI Sheffield. The money will buy
sanitary towels and support the SI
Masaka project to buy equipment
to make their own sanitary pads.
They said goodbye to SI Masaka
and drove to Homelands School
and Orphanage, which Angela
and Gill had visited in 2011. For
the last seven years, SI Solihull has
supported Homelands, near Kinoni,
about 100km west of Kampala. The
school is run by Reverend Charles
and his wife Rebecca. Uganda
has a population of 33.6 million
people, of whom 1.2m people are
living with HIV. The school’s 28 acre
farm provides food for the children
SIGBI Friendship Links
and surplus food that can be sold
to support them. Gill, Angela
and Liz took many of the lessons
during their week and attended
a meeting of the Vvamutulo
Women’s Group (Meaning “Wake
Up”), chaired by Rebecca. Gill and
Angela renewed friendships and Liz
was soon holding hands with her
adopted grandma! The members
of the Group are widows and
women whose home status “is
not pleasing.” Several of them are
Derby’s Belgian remembrance
Four SI Derby members, invited by their Friendship Link SI Kortrijk
in Belgium, visited Ypres (Ieper), to lay wreaths to commemorate
the outbreak of the First World War. They visited the Passchendale
Memorial Museum, the British and Commonwealth Cemetery
at Tyne Cot, the German War Cemetery at Langemark and the
Flanders Field Museum in Ypres.
The moving ceremony at the Menin Gate has taken place at
8.00pm every evening since 2nd July 1928 except for a break in
the Second World War. Four buglers from the Fire Service play the
Last Post, Laurence Binyyon’s “They shall not grow old…” is read,
wreaths are laid and the Reveille sounded. On 24th August, the
Soroptimists laid their wreaths, SI Derby’s was dedicated to the
women who lost their lives on the Western Front.
From Southport to
Gdansk
SI Southport met members
of its Friendship Link Club,
SI Gdansk while visiting
Poland for the 4th World
Gdansk Reunion in July.
Five members, three
husbands and two
friends formed the Sefton
delegation, Southport is
one of the three Clubs
in Sefton, invited to a
concert by the Symphony Orchestra
of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic,
a reception by the Mayor of the
Lancashire meets Yorkshire
Members of SI Blackburn,
Lancashire met their Yorkshire
Friendship Link Club, SI Castleford,
Normanton and District for a day
in Skipton.
As the arranged date was only
a couple of days before the start
of the Tour de France, the colour
yellow and bicycles were much in
evidence in the town.
City of Gdansk and a lunchtime
reception to meet Lech Walesa and
his wife prior to taking part in the
Gdansk Family Photo.
grandmothers bringing up children
orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
Gill, Angela and Liz presented
20 wind-up lamps and sewing
equipment and needle cases, made
by SI Solihull’s Crafts & Laughs
Group, plus vegetable seeds,
toiletries and some money.
As they left for home, Angela,
Liz and Gill saw a leopard sitting
majestically by the side of the road
– a beautiful end to a wonderful
experience.
45 years of a Friendship Link
SI Lincoln embraced its 45 year
Friendship Link with the Dutch
Club SI Zaanstreek when members
visited Lincoln for a long weekend.
Hosted by Lincoln members the
Dutch visitors enjoyed a weekend
of Soroptimist fun and friendship.
Visits were made to Lincoln
Cathedral, the Cathedral
quarter and Doddington Hall,
with a celebratory dinner at the
Hilton Doubletree Hotel and
entertainment provided by Lincoln
Foss Ladies Choir whose musical
director is Dutch.
A petanque competition
and picnic day was enjoyed by
both Clubs raising £283 for the
President’s charities, one of which is
a local hospice, in memory of two
members who have recently passed
away.
Crosby goes to Denmark
11 SI Crosby members travelled to Denmark, to meet members of
their Friendship Link Club, SI Kalundborg, one year after Danish
members spent time in Crosby.
SI Crosby President Pam McKee said, “We have three friendship
Clubs – in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. They all spent time with us
last year as we marked our 75th anniversary and we were delighted
to accept their invitation to see their region and get an insight to their
work. We were given a wonderful welcome and there’s no doubt that
the whole experience has strengthened our friendship which will go
from strength to strength,” said Pam.
FEBRUARY 2015 21
SI Brixham Christine Hunt, President, and Kay
Turner, Regional President, SI South West and
Channel Islands, are pictured at the Berry Head
Hotel in November for SI Brixham’s Annual Dinner
Dance. The guest speaker was Lloyd Mortimore
from Widdicombe. A lovely meal was enjoyed,
with music supplied by Torbay Ukelele Band and
dancing to DJ Edward Bence.
SI Central Birmingham has two new members:
Kumbirai Kariwo and Roxanne Matthews whose
induction took place on 2 December.
Photo l-r: Pat Kirby, Joint President, Kumbirai
Kariwo, Margaret Cannadine, Joint President,
and Roxanne Matthews.
SI Croydon President, Gabriela Richardson and
members took tremendous pleasure in awarding
their long serving member Dorothy Buck with
Honorary Life Membership at their meeting in
November.
Dorothy Joined Croydon Club in 1972 and
has served as Secretary and twice as President.
She also served as Secretary of the then South
East Divisional Union (now SEE Region) and as
the SEE Region Link for SHQ Ltd Management
Committee at 63 Bayswater Road.
Dorothy said that she felt overwhelmed to receive
Honorary Life Membership and indebted to the
Club for the comfort and support she received
from her fellow members.
SI Rishton & Great Harwood celebrated
its 60th anniversary with a series of activities
culminating with a dinner for 80 guests at Mitton
Hall Hotel. The guest of honour was the Mayor
of Hyndburn, Munsif Dad and the Club also
welcomed Regional President Edna Haselden.
The speaker was Harriet Roberts from Child
Action North West. A 60th anniversary cake was
made in honour of Marian Ford, who was to be
Joint President with Pam for the 60th year, but
sadly passed away last year.
Four SI Southport
members and two
husbands went on a
Christmas and New
Year Cruise to the
Caribbean. Dorothy,
Communications
Officer, SI Southport
noticed that Rotary
were having a Get
Together. Not to be outdone, she had a word
with Reception and organised a Get Together for
Soroptimists. This gave Soroptimists a mention
in the daily Horizon magazine. It turned out that
Past Federation President Brenda Jackson was
on board with fellow Club member. Jo Edmonds
also came, saying that she used to work for SIGBI
when the office was at No. 63 in London. She is
now married and lives in Wareham, Dorset and is
interested in joining!
SI St. Andrews member, Ethel MacKay
celebrated her 100th birthday with a special
lunch arranged by Club members.
SI Tamworth President, Jean Jackson, welcomed
Midland Chase Regional President Edna SchaferHughes and Iris Shuttleworth to celebrate Iris’s
50 years as a Soroptimist. Iris joined SI Burton
on Trent in 1964 and later joined SI Tamworth,
where she was President from 1976-78. Club
members took Iris out to afternoon tea, where
she was awarded her Long Service certificate.
SI Southampton marked the 80th anniversary
of SIGBI by donating 80 tins of food to local Food
Banks. The Club also donates items to SCRATCH,
a local Community organisation, which among
many other tasks helps women from the local
Refuges with items to set up their homes when
they leave the refuge.
SI Widnes gave a party to celebrate Victoria
Smerdon’s year as Regional President. Guests
included new Regional President Margaret
Baker; Margaret Emsley, Federation President
Elect; Nisha Ghosh from Pune, India (Federation
Friendship Links Officer) and Naina Shah from
Chennai, India (Programme Action Officer for
India). As a gift from SI Widnes, Victoria was
given a hand quilted wall hanging, with pictures
of her activities across the Region.
SIGBI Celebrations
SI Canterbury only had eight members in January 2014, but 12 months later the number has risen
to 20, with four more on the way. The new members come from a variety of sources. Millie said that
she “was excited and impressed to learn from her friend about SI and its work at local, national and
international level to transform the lives of women and girls.”
Others were introduced via the website. Carol was looking for something fulfilling to do now that she’s
retired. She was, “excited to find out about Soroptimism online.” This led her to the Club’s website
which “confirmed that this was the organisation I had been looking for where I could meet likeminded
women and become involved in worthwhile projects.”
Jane transferred from a SIGBI Club in a different area.“It was an instant way to make new friends
who share the same ideals.” Two more were ‘returners’ who’d been SIGBI members in Nigeria and
Bebington. And there’s an element of chance – Sue comes from South Africa where her parents still
live. They heard Soroptimism mentioned on the radio and recommended it to her. Sue looked the
Canterbury Club up on the website and learned of the friendship link with SI Cape of Good Hope,
which sealed the deal for her.
22 FEBRUARY 2015
Obituaries
Mabel Cruickshank, SI Dundee, died on 24th
December. A member for 31 years and Club
President 1989-90.
Rita (Marguerite) Davies, SI The Fylde,
died in July 2014, aged 101. Rita, an Honorary
Member had held various offices.
Eileen Cooper, SI The Fylde, died on 30th
December aged 99. She had been an active
Club member for many years.
Peggy Robinson, SI Harare, died in April 2014,
aged 84, a much loved member since 1984.
Betty N Perry, SI Chichester, died on 12th
November aged 94. Betty was formerly of SI
Kingston-on-Thames.
May Curran, SI North Kildare, died on 13th
September. A Founder Member in 1994 and
Club Secretary 2001-2002.
Anne Hughes, SI Denbigh, Ruthin & District
died on 2nd December, aged 73. A member
since 2005, Anne held many Club roles.
May Hulme, SI Torquay & District died on
11th November aged 80. A member since
1980, she twice held the office of President.
Judith Nesbitt, SI Burnley, died on 24th
December aged 74. A member since 1986 and
Club President 1988-9 and 1996-7.
Ann Hampson, SI Bilston died on 17th
December. A member since 1990, she was
Treasurer and Friendship Link Co-ordinator.
Elizabeth Freeman MBE, SI Richmond
& Dales died in December. A member for
33 years, she was President in 1986 and an
Honorary Life Member.
Phyllis Winterton, SI Derby, died in her
100th year. An Honorary Member, she became
a Soroptimist in 1944, was Club President in
1949 and North Midland President 1957-1958.
Shirley Rosevear, SI St. Austell, died on 23rd
December aged 79. A member for 33 years and
Club President in 1992-93.
Mary Anita Lewis, SI Llanelli, died on 2nd
January, 2015 aged 89. A Soroptomist for 40
years and was President and Secretary.
Hilda Sparkes, SI Kenilworth, died on 7th
December 2014. A Soroptimist for 47 years and
a Club founder member and Club President.
Pat Gould, SI Barrow-in-Furness, died on
12th July 2014 aged 77. Pat joined the Club
in 1991, coming from another Club in the
Midlands. She was Membership Officer and an
active and committed member for 25 years.
Mary Brown, SI Blackburn, died on 7th
January 2015. A Soroptimist since 1995 and
served twice as Treasurer.
Josephine O’Sullivan, SI Central Birmingham,
died 24th April 2014. A member since 1983,
previously a member of SI Solihull.
Jean Hill, SI Central Birmingham, died on
12th November. Jean joined in 1998 and was
Club President 2003-2004.
Margaret George, SI Central Birmingham,
died 11 December 2014. She joined the Club in
1979 and Club President from 1983/1984.
TO SUBMIT AN OBITUARY
Please send obituaries to [email protected]. Please make sure that you put
OBITUARY in the subject box. The obituary
should be written following the above format,
including ONLY the member’s name, Club(s), age,
time as a Soroptimist and offices held. Please do
not send full descriptive obituaries. There is no
fee. Longer obituaries may be submitted for the
website: [email protected]
SIGBIShopping
LEAFLETS
What’s a Soroptimist?
Pack of 50: £3.00 (far left)
Programme Action Leaflet
Pack of 50 £6.00 (left)
SIGBI
dynamic ‘S’
lapel badge
(actual
size) with
butterfly
fastening.
£1.00
SIGBI
dynamic ‘S’
lapel badge
Size 36mm
x 23.5mm
with
butterfly
fastening.
£2.00
Past
President’s
badge
£2.50
A4 Letterhead £14.70
per pack, Compliment
Slips £11.35 per pack,
NEW - SIGBI Dynamic
“S”
Stickers (60 stickers per
sheet) size per sticker
22mm x 16mm, with
SIGBI Website Address,
only £0.55 per sheet.
All item costs are +P&P.
Napkins 15 blue or
yellow napkins with
gold emblem £2.04 per
pack.
TO ORDER:
The full list of retail items is available from Joanne or via the Members’ area of the website www.sigbi.
org/members under “SIGBI Shop”. There is an order form for items from SIGBI and from Corporate
Insignia on the website. All items exclusive of postage and packing. Do not send money with your
order. SIGBI Ltd sends all orders by the most economical postage, cost is dependent on the
weight and size of the goods. An invoice plus post and packing will be sent with your order. Note:
Royal Mail Price Increases: New postage prices came into effect on 31 March 2014. Contact:
Joanne Wagstaffe, Sales Officer, Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Ltd., 2nd
Floor, Beckwith House, Wellington Road North, Stockport, SK4 1AF. T: 0161 480 7686 F: 0161 477
6152 E: [email protected].
To pay by credit card, provide Card Number, Expiry Date and Security Code (3 digit number on reverse
of card) with your order. Please allow 7-10 days for your order to be processed.
NAME BADGES 74 x 36mm ORDER DIRECT FROM CORPORATE INSIGNIA:
White/Silver major badge with pin fastening: £3.75 per badge
White/Silver major badge with strong magnetic clasp: £3.75 per badge
P&P: 1-2 badges - delivery via Royal Mail: £1.25
1-19 badges - delivery via Royal Mail: £2.95
20+ badges - delivery via Citylink: £4.95
Overseas: Approximate DHL shipping costs:
Rep. of Ireland: £20, Nigeria: £40, Caribbean: £40, India: £35.
ALL PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE VAT (UK ONLY)
Corporate Insignia Ltd. 1-5 Duncan McIntosh Road, Cumbernauld, G68 0HH, UK
T: +44 (0) 1236 738520 F: +44 (0) 1236 727626
E: [email protected] www.corporate-insignia.com
UKPAC Stand
in a Box
We regret to announce that
the UKPAC Stand in a Box
sets are no longer available
for Clubs and Regions
to borrow. Any existing
requests will be honoured.
The tri-fold leaflets are
available on the UKPAC
website for Clubs and
Regions to print.Keep
up-to-date with UKPAC by
going to the website: www.
ukpac.org.uk, or follow us
on Facebook.
Number 63
63 Bayswater Road, London W2 3PH
Situated opposite Hyde Park
& Kensington Gardens
3 Star Gold AA Rated Guest
Accommodation with a Licenced Bar
Bed & Breakfast in our Single and
Twin Rooms and one Family Room
Safe and secure with friendly staff
Meeting rooms available
Call or book online
www.number63.co.uk
020 7723 8575
[email protected]
FEBRUARY 2015 23
Soroptimists Educate to Lead
Fresh Ideas Empowering Women
Istanbul: see the Bosphorus!
You are all invited to Istanbul, for the 20th SI International
Convention 2015, from 9th – 12th July 2015!
It will be a wonderful gathering in Istanbul, one of the largest
cities in the world and a melting pot of European and Asian
influences where East meets West. Fascinating, bustling and
friendly – Istanbul is a mix of traditional and modern worlds.
The SI Convention venue will be the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
Hotel, which offers a beautiful view of the Bosphorus. Opening
ceremony, keynote sessions, closing ceremony, breaks, exhibitions,
as well as workshops will all take place there.
Expect a versatile programme
The Convention Committee is a dedicated team of Soroptimists
from the Turkish Union. They are working tirelessly to ensure
that as many people as possible take part in this event and enjoy
the special atmosphere. The leitmotif is ‘Fresh Ideas Empowering
Women’. The Convention will offer an interesting and enlightening
programme, including keynote speakers, debates and professional
workshops, some of them with a Turkish flavour! There will also
be ample opportunities to meet inspiring Turkish businesswomen.
And of course time will also be allotted to cover many important
Soroptimist matters.
Istanbul: see The Blue Mosque!
Pre- and post-Convention Tours
Detailed information on pre- and post-Convention tours is
now available on the SI Istanbul website. This will enable you to
book early flights. And check the convention website regularly
for a special offer from Turkish Airlines, the official carrier of SI
Convention 2015!
Registration is now open!
All the information on programme, hotels, registration and other
relevant information, is available NOW! For more information and
sign up to the mailing list: www.si-istanbul2015.org.
Earlybird registration ends 28th February 2014.
Stands
During the convention, there is an opportunity for Unions and
single clubs to have exhibition stands to publicise their organisation
or sell goods. The costs are low at 170 euros per stand for 3 days
(including VAT). For further information please contact
[email protected].
Istanbul: The Convention venue!
Sponsorship
You can help to find sponsors! The support of your company
or business for this convention will form a valuable social
involvement. The SI Convention offers an excellent platform to
present companies, brands, products and services to our powerful
global network. It will be an ideal opportunity to gain potential
customers. The sponsorship brochure can be found at:
www.si-istanbul2015.org.
Istanbul awaits Soroptimists
from all around the world!
24 FEBRUARY 2015
Istanbul: Your Convention Committee!