2010: President’s Message - Maureen Walsh
Dear Friends
Time really does fly. Unbelievably we are over three quarters of the way through my year as President of S.I. Liverpool.
I’m delighted to send the club’s congratulations to Alison Eland and her husband on the birth of their daughter, Georgia and also congratulations to Mary Andrews on her television appearance on ‘Eggheads’ when her team beat the resident Eggheads and won £6,000.
Back to my nine months, during which time we’ve filled shoeboxes for Christmas Child and thank you to our members who also helped at the warehouse in Speke. Filling and delivering the Food Hampers for pensioners in South Liverpool was a memorable experience. The effusive thanks we received and the look of utter surprise on the faces of recipients was most humbling.
We walked, in the rain, to raise funds for the Isle of Man Friendship Link charity. Helping the Poppy Appeal, selling poppies on the streets of Liverpool remembering our armed forces opened my eyes to how generous young men & women are. Next year we’ll sell our ‘knitted’ poppies to raise funds. Laying a wreath at the Cenotaph on behalf of S.I. Liverpool was another moving occasion.
The weather was very kind to us for the Garden Party held at Sefton Drive. It was a huge success with our ‘tea room’ looking delightful and the stalls selling all manner of goodies. We’ve supplied toiletries, clothes and toys to the Women’sand Children’s Aid Centre; we also sentfood, blankets, bedding, dishes, pans, clothes and a TV to Asylum Link, and a very successful Coffee morning/Table Sale.
Liverpool Theatre School provided wonderful entertainment for our main fundraiser at the Liner Hotel. The two young female students who sang songs from the shows and not forgetting the male dancers who sang ‘There is nothing like a Dame’ from South Pacific showed there is plenty of talent on Merseyside. We enjoyed a delicious meal with further entertainment from comedian Bobby Kaye and the MerseyBeat Legends 60’s band.
Our two theatre and meal events were most successful – ‘Our Day Out’ and ‘Shirley Valentine’. We will be visiting the theatre again in Eileen’s year. Talking about meals – I have so far attended seven dinners/luncheons, a garden party and a New Musician of the Year event. The word ‘Diet’ keeps circling in my mind!
S.I. Cockermouth has had an arduous time during the flooding in Cumbria and as Soroptimists do, they rallied forth to help others. I’m delighted to say we were able to help them and we’ve been thanked innumerable times.
Visiting our Friendship Link in Cologne was a wonderful experience. The ladies opened their homes to us and ensured we were never bored. They arranged ‘goodie bags’ and visits to the famous Cathedral, their new Water Project and to a memorable concert. Talking of Friendship Links I’m delighted that we have forged a new link with Chalon-sur-Marne in France and look forward to our Friendship Weekend during Eileen’s year.
Looking forward we have our Public Speaking competition and there’s our Annual Charter Dinner at the Village Hotel in Whiston on Saturday 27 February where we’ll be well fed and entertained. Then our Quiz Night, Friday 5 March, which is always a fun evening with banter back and forth across tables.
I want to thank so many of you for your support during this time but have no more space to speak of individuals – I would be afraid of missing anyone out anyway!
In friendship……….. President Maureen