Our Honorary Member
Southend-on-Sea and District Club has honoured Betty Finch by inviting her to become an Honorary Member
Betty has always been a very keen Soroptimist and a hard-working member of our club. Her willingness to take on club office, attend Regional or other meetings has never ceased to amaze. Betty has been a member far longer than most of us can remember and she has fulfilled almost every role in the club – being our President for a second time in our Golden Jubilee year and taking on the Presidency again, to celebrate her Honorary Membership.
Betty has given her time very generously - one could almost say that it has been her life’s work - to further the Soroptimist aim of advancing the status of women.
Professionally, her work included being a superb head of a Girls’ Secondary School. In this role, she was extremely well respected and some of her ex-pupils confirm that she gave many of those secondary ‘modern’ girls hopes and aspirations to achieve far more than their backgrounds would have allowed.
Her work in many fields, including being a magistrate and working for NSPCC has kept her very busy during her retirement.
As a club we started the process to get her rewarded for her life of service, by the award of an OBE. This was given particularly for her work in the prison service, when Bullwood Hall was a women’s prison.
The word Soroptimist means - ‘best for our sisters’. Betty has always sought the best for women - she is a true Soroptimist and the Southend Club has been privileged to have her as a member. We were delighted to offer, and proud that she has accepted Honorary Membership.
We were delighted that Betty was our President during the year of her honorary membership and were very pleased to support her nominated charity, NSPCC, raising £1 000 for their local work.