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President’s Message

President Patricia with Honorary Member Connie Filce [left] and Jean Turner, both Soroptimists for 50 years.In November 2008, when I began my 18 months term of office as Club President, April 2010 seemed a very long way off. But here we are in May 2009 and the first seven months have just flown by.

Our programme of speakers on different aspects of education is proving to be interesting and enlightening.

In March, we were delighted to welcome the Governor of Brixton Prison, Paul McDowell, to our Inter-Club Friendship Supper and, as a follow up to this we are fortunate to have engaged Erwin James as guest speaker for our September 2009 supper. Erwin James, a former life prisoner, is a writer and columnist for The Guardian and a much sought after speaker.

In May, Bruce Painting talked to us about the contribution of wildlife conservation bodies to education development programmes. Bruce is my husband’s youngest brother: his two other brothers spoke to the Club during my previous term of office and in July we’ll complete the set when my husband Laurie will tell us about his 40 years on the amateur stage.

To celebrate International Literacy Day, plans are in place for a ‘Poetry on the Patio’ event featuring local actress Pamela Lyne and, for World Food Day in October, a cookery demonstration and lunch for local businesswomen to be held at Croydon College.

There has been good support for our chosen charity, the Helena Kennedy Foundation, and so far £1000 has been raised.

At our AGM we elected Penny Veness as Programme Action Officer and Gillian Matthews was elected as our first Membership Officer, a new club officer post created at the SIGBI Conference in 2008 in recognition of the increasingly important role that the chair of membership plays in the management of clubs.

Croydon Club will celebrate its 82nd birthday on 23 May (with a fish and chip lunch!). We are one of the oldest Clubs in the organisation and currently have vacancies for members in all categories.

We have a full programme for the coming months so, if you are interested in what we do at a local level and in the wider aims of Soroptimist International, please contact us on croydonsoroptimists@yahoo.co.uk. We would be pleased to welcome you to our meetings to give you the opportunity to get to know us.

(In the photograph above I am joined by Honorary Member Connie Filce [left] and Jean Turner, both of whom have been Soroptimists for 50 years.)

Patricia Painting
15 May 2009

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