President’s message
Welcome to the web page of Soroptimist International of Torquay and District. My name is Shirley Wilkie and I have been president of this club since April 2008.
Each year the president of our club choses which charity or organisation we would like to support. This year I have chosen two.
The first of these is the Barbara Russell Children’s Unit at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol. This hospital cares for babies and young people who need specialised and often prolonged treatment for serious injuries. Three young boys, known to Soroptimists locally, have benefited from the specialist treatment provided.
The second is for a charity in a small village in Romania. The aim of this charity is to find safe houses for young women with babies or small children who have suffered violence in various ways. This is follows a project three years ago when money was raised by the Torquay club to purchase classroom furniture for a village school. A close friend of mine who travels to Romania regularly took the money and purchased the equipment locally. This gift was widely publicised in the local area resulting in many things being done to improve the lives of the local villagers.
We aim to raise money in many ways such as sales of produce, autumn fairs, participation in the Torbay Carnival, Babbacombe Fair and many other ways. All club members work very hard during the year but also have lots of fun and meet up with many old friends and make lots of new ones.
We look forward to welcoming visitors to Torquay and also any local ladies who might be interested in joining us at one of our club meetings.
Mrs. Shirley Wilkie