Our service to the community, which we call Programme Action, involves lobbying, raising awareness and fundraising, locally, nationally and internationally on human rights, the status of women and various economic and environmental issues.
It is often said that organisations are judged by what they accomplish.
Our successes range from international to local achievements.
It is often said that organisations are judged by what they accomplish.
Our successes range from international to local achievements.
During the last 18 months we have:
Age Concern Lunch Club members at Burnside Court and St Michaels in Carlisle did their bit to help the Fair Trade Foundation’s attempt to break the world record for the longest continual piece of bunting.
Helped by Age Concern Volunteers who are members of SI Carlisle, the ladies and gents attending the Lunch Clubs decorated almost 100 ‘flags’ to add to the bid for the world record.
Supported Fair Trade Fortnight 28 February 2011 - 13 March 2011
Helped by Age Concern Volunteers who are members of SI Carlisle, the ladies and gents attending the Lunch Clubs decorated almost 100 ‘flags’ to add to the bid for the world record.
Sponsored our Immediate Past President, Daphne Roberts and President Elect, Jan Jeffery to take part in the Carlisle Midnight Walk to raise money for Eden Valley Hospice.
Pulled Himalayan Balsalm from the banks of the
River Petteril near Calthwaite with Eden Rivers Trust.
Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an introduced plant which has escaped from gardens and is rapidly colonising river banks and other areas of damp ground. It is an annual plant which grows to about 2 m with purplish-pink slipper shaped flowers in June - August. When the seed pods are mature, they explode when touched, scattering the seed. It is likely that the seeds are further spread by water movements. Himalayan Balsam forms dense stands which suppress the growth of grasses and native British plants leaving the banks bare of vegetation in autumn and winter and liable to erosion. Because Himalayan Balsam regrows annually from seed, any form of control carried out after the seed pods have formed will have no long-term benefit. This is the second year we have helped the Trust with Balsalm Pulling.
Bag packed at Morrison's Supermarket and raised £254.61 towards our target for our nominated charity, Eden Valley Hospice. Reducing the environmental impact of carrier bag use is one element of Morrison's policies to prevent waste through a sustainable waste management strategy that focuses on reduction, reuse and recycling. 
Raised over £150.00 for Water Aid by collecting small change in jars
over the period of Lent.
- 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. Roughly one in eight of the world's population.
- 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is almost two fifths of the world's population.
- 1.8 million children die every year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. Around 5000 deaths a day.
- WaterAid projects providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene education cost just £15 per head.
- The simple act of washing hands with soap and water can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by over 40%.
Held a stall at the Fartrade Fashion Show hosted in Carlisle Cathedral.
Marked Fairtrade Fortnight at Morton Manor when a guest Speaker from the
Share Interest Society gave an enlightening talk on their work.
We also held a raffle and a display of Fairtrade items available locally.
Raised over £1,000 for each of our 2009 nominated charities:
Helped with the Flimby Beach Clean and Survey. This is an ongoing project, instigated by another club, in which we have helped for the past few years. Rubbish is collected and logged to determine the extend of polution and waste in the area.
Celebrated International Literacy Day (8th September) by presenting story sacks to the children and staff at Little Gems Nursery. Members of the club used their needleworking skills and put together all the ingredients for ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. A popular story for nursery age children. Story sacks encourage youngsters to enjoy reading as and to participate in an active way with stories. The Soroptimists also gave a story sack to Impact Housing Association.
In the afternoon members visited Inglewood Infant School to join in with storytime. Several members of the club read to pupils as they finished their day at school. Helen Horne, past president of the organisation, said ‘we all feel it is important to get young people started as early as possible enjoying stories and wanting to read. Stories are the stuff of life. They stimulate the imagination. Our organisation is committed to service. What better service can you do than encourage children to love reading.
In colaborations with Amnesty International of Carlisle, held a Peace Vigil outside Carlisle Cathedral on the International Day of Peace.
Sponsored our President Elect and her dog to do the Armathwaite Challenge 2009. The Challenge is a walk of varying distances between Carlisle, Armathwaite and Talkin Tarn, Brampton. Ann Durrant and Dee (the dog) walked ten miles and raised over £110.00 in aid of the British Heart Foundation and a charity that supports the abolition of land mines.
Held a display in Carlisle Library to promote the Abolition of Land Mines and Cluster Munitions between September 14 and 26. This display tied in with the International Day of Peace and aimed to raise awarenesss at the long-lasting damage done by these terrible weapons.
Assisted the Brownies and Girl Guides when they held their 100th Anniversary Celebrations
in September
in September
Helped pull out Himalayan Balsam on the banks of the River Irthing
opposite Lanercost Priory on Saturday 4 July to markWorld Environment Day
Himalayan Balsam is an invasive plant which damages river environments, it was introduced into this country in 1839 from the Himalayas as an ornamental plant for gardens. Unfortunately our climate suited it well and it escaped from gardens and spread rapidly throughout the country, especially along waterways. Its aggressive nature means that it wipes out native plants along river banks and forms dense stands, and in autumn when the plants die back it leaves banks bare of vegetation and vulnerable to erosion.
opposite Lanercost Priory on Saturday 4 July to markWorld Environment Day
Himalayan Balsam is an invasive plant which damages river environments, it was introduced into this country in 1839 from the Himalayas as an ornamental plant for gardens. Unfortunately our climate suited it well and it escaped from gardens and spread rapidly throughout the country, especially along waterways. Its aggressive nature means that it wipes out native plants along river banks and forms dense stands, and in autumn when the plants die back it leaves banks bare of vegetation and vulnerable to erosion.
The event was organised by Eden Rivers Trust, .the conservation charity aimed at protecting the wildlife of the River Eden and its tributaries. http://www.edenriverstrust.org.uk/
Presented Storysacks to the local Womens' Refuge
and a local Nursery School to encourage young children to read
and a local Nursery School to encourage young children to read
Pictured here are some of the Soroptimists who helped compile the 'Kipper's Toybox' story sack. The sacks contain a popular children's story book and accompanying toys to encourage children to interact with the characters in the book and with the person helping them to read.
Ran the Race for Life. One of our members, Jan Jeffery (pictured right) convinced family and friends to run with her and raise funds for breast cancer.
Attended the 'Tears for Fears' Regional Conference at Durham
Several club members took part in discussions about the abolition of People Trafficking, Prostitution and Domestic Violence. The resolutions agreed on 25 April 2009 will be implemented throughout the region as part of our Programme Action.
Several club members took part in discussions about the abolition of People Trafficking, Prostitution and Domestic Violence. The resolutions agreed on 25 April 2009 will be implemented throughout the region as part of our Programme Action.Supported and attended a Fairtrade Conference in Carlisle Civic Centre
in Fairtrade Fortnight
The club raised money through a beetle Drive to help to sponsor a conference in Carlisle, held at the Civic Centre on 27th February 2009. The conference was promoted by the, then, Mayor, Councillor J Geddes, who is Carlisle’s Fairtrade Champion, and by the Fairtrade City Steering Group. Aimed at the local business community, its intention, in this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, was to bring producers and suppliers of Fairtrade products together with local companies in the hope of increasing knowledge about, and use of, Fairtrade. Speakers at the morning session were George Alagiah, Patron of the Fairtrade Foundation, Julia Clark, Head of Marketing at Tate & Lyle Sugars Europe, Jo Human, Cumbria Fairtrade Network and Rajah Bannerjee, a tea producer in Darjeeling. After a Fairtrade buffet lunch, there were workshops on procurement, the hospitality and catering sector, Fairtrade in the workplace, the retail and wholesale sector and non-food items, with the option to attend two. The afternoon ended with feedback from the leaders of the workshops.
Helped staff a stall in Carlisle city centre to raise awareness of AIDS
Every four years, Soroptimist International adopts a joint service project
which involves all clubs worldwide.
From 2003 till 2007 it was Project Independence to support Women Survivors of War in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Rwanda to reclaim their lives after suffering the traumas of war and genocide. Over the four years 1.7 million US dollars were raised. SI Carlisle organized a sponsored walk round Talkin Tarn and was able to send £830 to the project. This sum was very much in excess of what we expected. Many members, friends and pets enjoyed the walk on a lovely day as well as the friendship and of course the exercise!
in Fairtrade Fortnight
The club raised money through a beetle Drive to help to sponsor a conference in Carlisle, held at the Civic Centre on 27th February 2009. The conference was promoted by the, then, Mayor, Councillor J Geddes, who is Carlisle’s Fairtrade Champion, and by the Fairtrade City Steering Group. Aimed at the local business community, its intention, in this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, was to bring producers and suppliers of Fairtrade products together with local companies in the hope of increasing knowledge about, and use of, Fairtrade. Speakers at the morning session were George Alagiah, Patron of the Fairtrade Foundation, Julia Clark, Head of Marketing at Tate & Lyle Sugars Europe, Jo Human, Cumbria Fairtrade Network and Rajah Bannerjee, a tea producer in Darjeeling. After a Fairtrade buffet lunch, there were workshops on procurement, the hospitality and catering sector, Fairtrade in the workplace, the retail and wholesale sector and non-food items, with the option to attend two. The afternoon ended with feedback from the leaders of the workshops.Two members of the Carlisle Club attended the conference and had a ‘trade stand’ which showcased the club’s work over the last 12 to 18 months.
The stand generated a good deal of interest and several brochures and invitations to the club’s Open Evening on 10th March 2009 were handed out The whole day was very enjoyable and we made some useful contacts. We brought Soroptimism to the notice of many people who had not previously heard of it, or who only had a vague idea. As a Club we made a good contribution to spreading the word about Fairtrade, a movement which directly benefits poor people in many parts of the world, and makes a real difference to the conditions of women and children.
Helped staff a stall in Carlisle city centre to raise awareness of AIDS
For several years Soroptimist International of Carlisle has collected money and helped give out comemorative ribbons in the town centre on World Aids Day. The work raises awareness of the disease and encourages openness.
In addition to a delicious meal, guests enjoyed the tombola, a raffle, a fabulous craft stall and a whole host of traders stalls. The event raised £2,000 which was divided equally between Project SIerra and West Cumbria Rape Crisis.
Every four years, Soroptimist International adopts a joint service project
which involves all clubs worldwide.
From 2003 till 2007 it was Project Independence to support Women Survivors of War in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Rwanda to reclaim their lives after suffering the traumas of war and genocide. Over the four years 1.7 million US dollars were raised. SI Carlisle organized a sponsored walk round Talkin Tarn and was able to send £830 to the project. This sum was very much in excess of what we expected. Many members, friends and pets enjoyed the walk on a lovely day as well as the friendship and of course the exercise!
Our current international project is Project SIerra in Sierra Leone, West Africa, where we hope to support women caring for children in extreme poverty, also children who are alone or at risk of abandonment. Sierra Leone has the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world with a life expectancy for women of just 42 years and nearly a third of children die before their fifth birthday. For more information go to http://www.projectsierra.org/.
Collected toiletries, and other useful items, for the local Women’s Refuge.
Provided a team, on a seven week rota, to produce the Talking Newspaper for visually impaired people in Carlisle and the surrounding area. Contributed to the Pyramid of Shoes at the Federation
Carlisle Soroptimists have launched an awareness and fund raising initiative named ‘Count your Blessings’. The form lists seventeen blessings to count, for example: ‘are the members of your family over five years of age worth 5p each?’ This idea is now being adopted by clubs all over the north of England. It has spread to other clubs throughout the UK and has recently gone global. We have had encouraging feedback from Europe and Australia.LADIES, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN HELPING TO CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY,
PLEASE COME ALONG TO OUR NEXT SPEAKER MEETING AS DETAILED ON FORTHCOMING EVENTS.
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