Old Time Music Hall
What a fantastic, fabulous, fun-filled evening of frivolity we had at the end of November when Elmbridge and Woking clubs combined to raise money for Project SIerra. On a night when the rain was pouring in buckets, we gathered at Pyrford Village Hall to be entertained by the excellent Pyrford Little Theatre members. It was a super, smashing, stunning, splendid evening, ably led by the Master of Ceremonies in suitable alliterative mode!
Nearly everybody dressed up in appropriate costumes - and there were some excellent outfits - men dressed as a merry Scrooge, Professor Higgins, dustman Doolittle or a dastardly Sir Jasper, and ladies dressed as show girls, innocent young ingénues and Eliza Doolittle flower girls.
The evening raised £900 for Project SIerra, a cheque for which was given to Anne McDonald, the SIGBI Quadrennial Project Liaison officer when she visited Woking club’s dinner evening in February.
Women’s Health Matters!
Our second Health Fair was held in Woking on February 13th at HG Wells attended by nearly 50 groups and organisations. The Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Mrs Sarah Goad started off the proceedings with very encouraging and thoughtful words. The event was also attended by Michael Joy, cardiologist (ex St Peters) who was most impressed and even had some reflexology and attended one of the talks!
The aim of the day was to provide advice and information and to promote women’s health issues and general wellbeing. It was also to provide an opportunity for good networking between groups and organisations. Thirdly, it was to raise the profile of the Club and promote Soroptimism.
Exhibitors were impressed with the Wells Room and the facilities and they all valued the networking opportunities between the different organisations. Both stallholders and public alike have all indicated that they hoped we would hold the event next year. They were impressed by the welcoming and friendliness of it all and appreciated seeing so many organisations in one place offering a wealth of information.
“Tea and Temptations” - Saturday 15 May
In conjunction with SI Elmbridge & District, SI Woking & District invite you to an afternoon of FASHION AND FUN at NEW HAW COMMUNITY CENTRE on SATURDAY 15 MAY 2010.
All profits will be sent to support House No. 1 in SOS Children’s Village, Mamelodi, Pretoria, South Africa, which provides a home for 12 children orphaned through HIV/AIDS. This project is jointly funded through the Friendship Link between our region, SI Southern England, and the national association of SI South Africa.
For further details of the event, please contact us through our “Want to know more?” page.
Annual Dinner - Friday 26 March
President Elaine and the members of SI Woking & District look forward to welcoming their guests to their ANNUAL DINNER on FRIDAY 26 MARCH 2010 at 7pm at FOXHILLS RESORT & SPA, Longcross Road, Ottershaw, Surrey KT16 0EL.
Our guest speaker will be Heather Rabbats CBE, former Executive Deputy Chairman of Millwall Holdings Plc & Millwall FC.
For further details, please contact us through our “Want to know more?” page.
Charity Bridge Afternoon - Wednesday 24 March
In conjunction with SI Elmbridge & District, SI Woking & District invites you to a CHARITY BRIDGE AFTERNOON in aid of WaterAid on WEDNESDAY 24 MARCH 2010 from 2pm – 5pm at the CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, Church Hall, Coldharbour Road, Pyrford, GU22 8SP
Tickets: £26 per table
Raffle - Tea - Prizes
Players, please bring table, playing cards, score cards and table cloth.
For further details, please contact us through our “Want to know more?” page.
What we’ve been up to recently
Welcome to Soroptimist International of Woking & District!
Please click on the buttons to the left to get a flavour of our activities.
We hope you’ll want to know more about us - contact us through the “Want to know more?” button.
Forthcoming Events
See our Forthcoming Events buttons (on the left) for details of:
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Bridge Drive Afternoon in aid of WaterAid
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Annual Dinner
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“Tea and Temptations!” in aid of SOS Mamelodi Children’s Village
Sheerwater/Maybury Partnership Literacy Project
This project exists to support the provision of free books to local schools as part of an extra curricula literacy initiative.
SI Woking became involved in this project in 2006 in order to help local school children as part of our service to the community. The Sheerwater and Maybury Partnership is a registered charity working in the Sheerwater and Maybury area of Woking, one of the most deprived in the country, with a focus on young people: their literacy, personal development, health and wellbeing. The national average for low literacy is 19% but in Sheerwater and Maybury it is nearly double this figure. (Source: National Census)
The club makes regular financial donations and also helps with preparing bookplates that list the club as benefactor. Each year the Sheerwater and Maybury Partnership provide in excess of 1800 books to seven local schools providing an effective and relatively inexpensive way to promote language growth. In addition they provide a small library of books for Carers Support Woking. The Partnership is piloting a reading programme using synthetic phonics to improve study abilities in reading, writing and spelling and it is hoped that we may be able to also support this initiative in the future.
Some members of the club attended recent book presentations at two local schools which had highlighted the value of the literacy project.
Project SIerra
Project SIerra is the current quadrennial project of Soroptimist International which aims to raise £1 million to help disadvantaged women and children in Sierra Leone face their future with confidence.
SI Woking and District endeavour at every opportunity to raise awareness of the plight of these women and children. We organise events specifically to do this and to raise funds to boost the contribution being made by Soroptimist International during 2007-11.
WaterAid
WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and effective sanitation.
Members of our club feel passionately that safe water, in plentiful supply, should be available to everyone in the world. Amongst the awareness-raising events we have undertaken for this cause is our “Spend a Penny” bottle collection - visitors to our homes will find small bottles in our bathrooms which ask them to donate a penny every time they flush the toilet or wash their hands, to remind them how cheap and easy our own water supply is.
We have held annual events in Woking Town Centre to raise awareness about this issue. See our ”What we’ve been up to recently” page for further details.
Our Projects
As Soroptimists, our voluntary work is the focus of what we do. We call this Programme Action and it is concentrated in 6 areas: Economic and Social Development; Education; Environment; Health; Human Rights and the Status of Women; and International Goodwill and Understanding. The projects which we support may include one or more of these areas but our goals are always to try to ensure that women and girls:
- enjoy equity and equality,
- live in safe and healthy environments,
- have access to education, and
- develop leadership and practical skills.
Our 2009-2010 meetings
Tuesday 5th May 2009
Dinner meeting - Our speaker is Paul Mitchell from Surrey Community Development Trust, one of President Elaine’s charities for 2009-2010.
Tuesday 19th May 2009
Business meeting.
Tuesday 2nd June 2009
Dinner meeting - Our speaker is from Myeloma UK, the other charity chosen for our support in 2009-2010 by President Elaine.
Saturday 13th June 2009
SI Southern England Regional Council meeting.
Tuesday 16th June 2009
Business meeting.
Tuesday 7th July 2009
Dinner meeting - Anne Berry, Author: “The Hungry Ghosts“.
Tuesday 21st July 2009
Business meeting.
Tuesday 1st September 2009
Dinner meeting - Jill Rawling and Nicola Hayes-Holgate from Relate West Surrey.
Tuesday 15th September 2009
Business meeting.
Saturday 26th September 2009
SI Southern England Regional Council AGM and Conference - “Women Uniting Nations” at Bisley Pavilion, Queens Road, Bisley GU24 0NY.
Tuesday 6th October 2009
Dinner meeting - Sue Turner from West Surrey Family History Society.
Tuesday 20th October 2009
Business meeting.
Thursday 29th to Saturday 31st October 2009
SI Great Britain & Ireland Federation Conference at Cardiff International Arena.
Tuesday 3rd November 2009
Dinner meeting - Wendy Ireland from Canine Partners.
Tuesday 17th November 2009
Business meeting.
Saturday 21st November 2009
SI Southern England Regional Council meeting - reps only.
Tuesday 1st December 2009
Business meeting.
Tuesday 15th December 2009
Christmas Dinner.
Tuesday 5th January 2010
Dinner meeting - Geoff Worsfold from Ambassadors.
Tuesday 19th January 2010
Business meeting.
Tuesday 2nd February 2010
Dinner meeting - Anne MacDonald OBE, SIGBI Quadrennial Project Liaison Officer.
Tuesday 16th February 2010
Business meeting.
Tuesday 2nd March 2010
Dinner meeting - Jackie Thorogood, Colour Analysis.
Saturday 13th March 2010
SI Southern England Regional Council meeting.
Tuesday 16th March 2010
Business meeting.
Friday 26th March 2010
Annual Dinner at Foxhills, Ottershaw.
Tuesday 20th April 2010
Bring and Share supper at St Andrew’s Church, Goldsworth Park.
Tuesday 27th April 2010
Business meeting and AGM.
Want to know more?
When do we meet?
SI Woking and District meets on the first and third Tuesday of most months.
Generally, the first Tuesday is a dinner meeting with a speaker which commences at 7.15pm for 7.30pm. We currently meet at The De Vere Gorse Hill Conference Centre, Hook Heath Road, Woking GU22 0QH. The meeting on the third Tuesday is usually a business meeting which starts at 7.45pm for 8.00pm at St Michaels Church, Dartmouth Avenue, Sheerwater, Woking, GU21 5PJ.
President’s message
President Elaine Evans has chosen “Relationships” as the theme for her year and will be raising funds for, and awareness of, Myeloma UK (www.myeloma.org.uk) and Surrey Community Development Trust (www.scdt.org.uk). Please look at Elaine’s programme of events and meetings - we will certainly give you a warm welcome if you would like to join in any of our activities. Please contact us for more information via the “Want to know more?” page.
Club Officers
President - Elaine Evans
President-Elect - Barbara Hipkins Wilson
Immediate Past President - Anne Ansell
Programme Action Officer - Chris Paice
Secretary - Jackie Theobald
Treasurer - Christina Rollason
Membership Secretary - Barbara Hipkins Wilson
Regional Representative - Rozanne Rose
Website Officer - Sue Dyer