Winter Newsletter 2020
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Soroptimist International Yorkshire Region Newsletter WINTER 2020 OfficersLead Story Headline 2020-21 Who is She? • Yorkshire members Elizabeth Hughes and Thelma de Leeuw were featured in November and October list of 100 notable Soroptimists. Immediate Past President President President Elect Vice President Rita Leaman Linda Davis Lindsay Green & Membership Officer Jane Glendinning • To find out more go to the SIGBI website, Sign in to members, Scroll down to Soroptimist Centenary 2021. then click on Who is She Secretary Treasurer Development Officer Minute Secretary Judith Clark Susan Mendoza Sam Lawson Sally Kendall Inside this issue: Communications Joint Officers Programme Action Joint Chairs Mary Hillary 2 Sue Butler Liz Lyle Lindsay Green Susie Westwood Award project SIY Presidents 2 Remembrance 3 Tributes Clubs news 4-5 Benevolent Fund Rep Federation Councillor Diary Dates 6 Hilary Putman Angela Edwards Obituaries 6 Page 2 Yorkshire Region Newsletter Mary Hillary Award Winning project SI Sheffield An Introduction coverage, raising over £1000 clubs, gyms, surgeries and for ROTHACS (Rotherham clinics, sports clubs, cafes, bars SI Sheffield emulated Richmond Abuse Counselling Service) and restaurants, local Programme and Dales’s idea of sharing the they went on to embrace SI businesses, the Town Hall, The transferable skills used to run Sheffield’s main Programme Children’s Hospital and the our club with young women. Action Project Action project for 2019/20, City Hall. The toilets are We approached a Sheffield namely to make Sheffield the twinned with ones in Malawi, Senior School, King Edward VII, 2019-20 first Toilet Twinned City in Pakistan, Cote d’Ivoir, Uganda, and have since developed an Yorkshire. Sierra Leone, Tanzania, amazing connection with Year Nicaragua, Zambia and Congo. 12 and 13 girls and staff there. By passing on these workplace The project skills to girls, they gained a Once the Club had agreed to The success valuable addition to their CVs make Toilet Twinning a focus The result is that Sheffield is and UCAS applications forms of its Programme Action work now a ‘twinned city’ (only the whilst getting enjoyment out of we set up a steering group, got third one in UK), and we raised their projects. The girls came in touch with our local MP and the sum of £2,600 to add to along to meetings, participated raised awareness across the the total of £17,000 raised in in our projects and even led city through events and the Sheffield overall during the year some themselves. They media. we ran the project. developed marketing knowledge, had opportunities to grow ideas for projects, gained confidence in running a group, and became more aware of the many problems facing women and girls in the world today and the work of the Soroptimists do to help solve these. In return we learned The girls did not only support about Social Media, apps and our various publicity events, video presentations. they also set out to make their own school the first Toilet Twinned School in Sheffield. The girls had so much fun and They had stalls at Open learned lots. They now never Evenings, organised bake sales take toilets for granted. They and other fundraising events, are delighted to have been published articles in the school educated, empowered and newsletter and delivered enabled along with helping girls presentations in school around the world to do the assemblies. They even same. SI Sheffield members are persuaded the Head and the delighted to have won the Following a very successful year Deputy to purchase a whole prestigious Yorkshire in 2018-19 when the girls twinned school block. Soroptimist Mary Hilary Award organised and held an for 2020. extremely vibrant Fashion Together, the girls and the Show with much media Soroptimists got 42 toilets Daphne Cawthorne twinned in schools, youth Presidents Past & Present meet up SIY President Incoming President Linda Davis was installed as part of the Linda recent virtual SIGBI conference with everything at extreme social distancing. Following the conference Linda was able to meet up with IPP Rita and present her with a gift and receive her chain of office. Page 3 President Kathleen & Yorkshire President Linda laid a wreath at Ings Grove Park, Mirfield, on behalf of members of SI Dewsbury & District. Members Maureen, Jackie, Helen and Pat also attended. H arrogat f e and D allen th istrict rougho Club re quiet ut the memb day as P district ered th Popp resident . A som e ies at S Sandr bre and Gra tonefall a laid a ves. So Comm wreath Ca many y onwea of nada, A oung m lth Wa s ustral en, m r erved ia and N ostly fr in their ew Z om far fro Count ealand m hom ries Ro who e. yal Airf Les orce. S t We F o orget. Presid ent Sand Ce ra als notaph o laid a in Har wreat laid wr rogate. h at the eaths in Club m We Ripon, ember therby Knare s also sboroug h and Yo r k s h i re Soroptimists Pay Tribute On Members of SI Selby have in previous years attended the Remembrance Service in Selby Abbey and laid a Armistice Day wreath at the Memorial with other representatives from civic, military and voluntary organisations. This was not possible, because of the pandemic restric- tions, this year. Instead, a wreath was laid on behalf of SI Selby on Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November, by Lind- say Green, President Elect of Soroptimist Interna- tional of Yorkshire, and June Bryan, Treasurer of the club. June was also present at the service, held be- side the Memorial and led by Canon John Weetman, followed by the Two Minutes Silence. Page 4 Yorkshire Region Newsletter Notable Presentations SI Beverley & Happy 90th Birthday Toilet Twinning Certificate SI Beverley & District celebrated the 90th Last year SI Beverley & District members saved a District birthday of Honorary Member Barbara Newton. penny every time they used the loo, as a Barbara is a founder member and was the reminder of the problems faced by too many second club President in 1967. Barbara still takes women and girls around the world who do not a lively interest in club activities and attended have access to sanitation. Soon they had the £60 outdoor events over the summer. The picture needed to twin one of the ladies toilets at their shows President Myra LeVine presenting her meeting place, the Beverley & East Riding Golf with a cake, card and flowers from the club, all club with a new latrine in Zambia. socially distanced of course. After Christmas, followed by the first Covid lockdown the certificate was at last presented to the Lady Captain at the Golf Club by President Myra. Planting, Plaques and P in a Pot In September members of SI SI Dewsbury & Dewsbury and Wakefield planted 100 trees at Dewsbury District Country Park, with a little help from Pete & Jill from Kirklees. Pictured below They also planted 100 in Sarah and Andrew from the gardens socially distanced, and October, pictured right. Refreshment Rooms at also collected for local food Dewsbury Railway Station. This banks and made Christmas is one of five the Club raised shoeboxes for Samaritan’s funds for through donations in Purse. Twiddle muffs have been 'loo' of Christmas cards last presented to three local care year. homes, and bedding provided for the local refuge Members are kept up to date with events (or non-events) by A recent programme action the weekly news sheet sent out project was ‘P in the by member and Yorkshire Pot’ (Great minds think alike in President Linda Davis. Local this issue , Ed) with 155.00 Julie Thompson handed over a area groups of 6 have met in raised for WaterAid. Toilet Twinning plaque to Page 5 Anna is the Best Girl Improver SI Harrogate and District Club President Sandra Anna’s mum Katie said, ‘Anna was very happy Frier was delighted to present Anna Burgess with and excited to receive the Soroptimist award. SI Harrogate & the Gill Smith Shield for Best Girl Improver at Our family are all keen tennis players, so we are the Harrogate Spa Tennis Centre on 10th proud to see Anna improve her game and District October. Anna started playing tennis when she receive this award’. was five years old and has always enjoyed playing. Matt McTurk, head coach at Tennis Harrogate said that, ‘Anna was worthy of the award because of her hard work in tennis lessons. Her game has improved over the last year and she has a nice attitude on court’. Harrogate Spa Tennis Centre has six outdoor courts and a coaching programme provided by Tennis Harrogate for juniors and adults, A new 4 court indoor facility will start construction in Spring 2021. The award is presented annually in memory of Club member Gill Smith. Gill loved tennis and was a former member of Harrogate Spa. Meeting up to ‘Orange the World’ A group from SI Ilkley was able to meet in SI Ilkley approved social distancing fashion at a community centre in the town. When Sue Butler (top right) had finished helping to get 46 Yorkshire Soroptimists on to a What’sApp list so they could share messages and comments there was still a 20 minute pause before the virtual Belfast conference went live. In this pause Sue and Margaret Cook (top left) began making decorations for a tree which Bradford council are allowing them to decorate in the town car park for November 25th. Young people from a local church will join up with SI Ilkley on this day to ‘Orange the world’ and push home the and white wine was consumed as we listened! It message about the terrible behaviour to which was great to be with Soroptimist sisters and so many women are subjected.