6 minute read
Soroptimists
SOROPTIMISTS
Women Inspiring Action, Transforming Lives
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You can tell the confidence is starting to return to our wonderful region as we are now out and about enjoying activities and finally being together in person again. Fun and friendship are two of the bedrocks of our organisation. As we all know – if we are enjoying doing something, then it’s easier to do and is done better.
100 Mile Relay Challenge
This leads us on to our 100-mile relay challenge to celebrate 100 years of Soroptimist International. The challenge will commemorate the positive advances in the lives of women and girls around the world achieved over the last 100 years. Our club completed a 100-mile relay. From 100 steps to 25 miles, our members walked, ran and cycled their way to our target. This was a truly inclusive way of ensuring all our members could take part as we have a wide range of ages and abilities! Gail took to her bikes, yes, she had quite a range which she mounted and whizzed round Garstang on - a Brompton, a Moulton mini, Sinclair C5 and a Raleigh Chopper! Check out the photos on our Facebook page which show some of our various efforts. Funds raised will support our chosen cause for 2021, AfriReuse - a community-based, not for profit, social enterprise, empowering girls in Kenya to have their periods safely. A donation of £10 can provide one girl with a dignified, practical solution to her menstrual health. Help us in supporting this important work – it’s not too late to sponsor us:
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SOROPTIMISTS (cont)
www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ garstang-soroptimists A Bit of Spit & Polish
September also gave us the opportunity to revisit the Millennium Mosaic which our club designed, built and donated to Garstang (behind the old council office carpark). It had become mossy and ingrained with debris, so a cleaning team was formed and sleeves rolled up and a successful cleaning operation completed. It helped that it was a dry day but that there was water nearby as we removed years of moss, mud and debris. The final result means that the detail of the mosaic can be revealed, notably the castle, the trees, the clouds and the bird. The photo of the coloured plaque gives some idea of the design of the mosaic. And whilst the cleaning may be over for now, you’ll be seeing a lot more of us around Garstang and to help you spot us, we now have our very fetching Soroptimist neck scarfs. So if you see us, come up and say hello - we’re always up for a chat.
Rose Bowl Competition
We also made it to a three-way tie for the annual Regional Rosebowl competition – having to identify 20 photographs of locations from around our Region. Now the tie-break was to take place at the Regional lunch – so as this clashed with the deadline for this
SOROPTIMISTS (cont)
article – that is something we will have to hold over for our next piece – keep your fingers crossed for us.
Meetings
September also saw our first real meeting at the Garstang Golf Club. It was wonderful to be back there. Being in the same room during a meeting makes so much difference and perhaps why it was so late when we called it a day! We also welcomed two new members to this meeting (giving a total of five since the start of the pandemic lockdowns). Louise and Angela got stuck in at the mosaic cleaning, and Pamela certainly threw herself into club activities by hosting our September gathering at her home. A good night was had by all and it was a fantastic chance for everyone to reacquaint old friendships and get to know all our new members.
Mary’s Meals
Regular readers will remember that we have a steady programme of support for the Mary’s Meals BackPack Project, which is currently on hold as the organisation can’t take delivery of any items at the moment. But we have also been strong supporters of the main Mary’s Meals charity which collects funds in order to provide hot meals for school children in areas where hunger can be a barrier to attending school. We were delighted to learn that the charity is now feeding an amazing two million children in school every single day. What an achievement. Well done Mary’s Meals.
Tablet Blister Packs
However, we were far from delighted to learn that the recycling company Terracycle will no longer collect blister packs for recycling from local pharmacies, they can only go to Superdrug Pharmacies and in very small For peace of mind in times of bereavement contact...
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SOROPTIMISTS (cont)
quantities. We think this is a very poor move, so it would be really great if everyone could sign the online petition at https://bit.ly/ blister-pack-recycling See our Facebook page for more details.
Like What You See?
We are now back in the swing of regular meetings in our old haunt of the Garstang Country Hotel and Golf Centre, on Bowgreave Drive in Garstang. Next session is Wed 13th Oct at 7:00pm. Don’t forget to keep checking our Facebook page for fuller, regular reports on what we’re up to. So, don’t be shy, get in touch and be part of this vibrant club and help other women and girls whilst making lifelong friends. Just drop us a line or give our membership co-ordinator Muriel Burnham-Airey a ring. We’ll be happy to talk to you and answer your questions. Until next month, take care and enjoy friendship.
t: (01995) 606604 (Muriel Burnham-Airey) w: www.sigarstang.org.uk facebook: SoroptimistsGarstang twitter: GarstangSoropt
GARSTANG ROTARY CLUB IS FULLY OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Last month we reported that the Rotary Club of Garstang and Over Wyre would commence face-toface meetings. Our first meeting was an enjoyable event with a speaker who provided an interesting presentation about the Garstang Millennium Green Project. This is principally a pleasant walk of approximately two miles in Garstang alongside the River Wyre. This is beautifully offset by the background of the rolling hills encompassing Nicky Nook, Bleasdale, Oakenclough and Waddecar. Our second and the last meeting in September was a business meeting where we discussed the important matter of charity fund which we require to provide the financial support for local and international activities and projects. At home this has included the sponsoring of national youth events such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Young Singer, Young Chef and Youth Speaks competitions. We have also supported local food banks in an effort to overcome some of the hardship caused by the covid epidemic. On the international scene severe deprivation has been caused by covid. Many poor countries such as Nepal and Kenya have been affected to which we have made significant donations. We recently reported on this in Focus Magazine. A major source of our club revenue has continued to be our 200+ Club which is
