KIVCA Awards!

Ilkley Winter Gardens

Went to the KIVCA (Keighley and Ilkley Voluntary Community Action) Awards ceremony yesterday. It was a fabulous sunny day and I had thrown caution to the winds and taken a whole day of annual leave. Wow! I really do live on the edge! A KIVCA spokesperson described the group as a charity that supports local charities. This sort of translates as providing advice, equipment, photocopying/admin and linking services to make sure all the small groups in the area can operate as efficiently as possible. I learnt a lot about small charities in my community who are quietly getting on with it and doing loads of good stuff. CTI 2000, Insight and Riding for the Disabled to name just a few. I’m glad they had a category for under 24′s as this showed that voluntary work isn’t all about what you do when you retire. We also heard about a project run with Ilkley Grammar School to encourage young people to volunteer. At first this seemed to be all about doing something that you can put on your UCAS form then we heard from a young woman who has been volunteering with the Guides/Brownies since she was a little girl – that’s more like it!

Very good representation from Soroptimists, Joyce Hudson got a certificate for her work with Insight, and Elizabeth Hughes for the Talking Newspaper. Joy Lynch got her extremely well deserved certificate for her work on the tennis rebound wall at the Lido. Well done Joy

The venue is worth mentioning. I haven’t been in the Ilkley Winter Gardens since it had a bit of a refurb. The last time I was in there was to give blood. It was freezing cold and as I lay on one of those uncomfortable beds looking up at the nets below the glass ceiling I thought I’d be quite happy never to visit again. They seem to have sorted out the glass roof (no more nets) the paint work is clean and fresh looking and it was warm and bright. No excuses not to give blood again!

Award winners pose for a group photo

Inner wheelers keep on turning!

I’m a couple of days behind with this but still wanted to say something about Tuesday’s event. I was invited to the Ilkley Inner Wheel’s Charter Celebration. They’ve been going longer than the Soroptimists and some of our members are in both Clubs. We have similar aims and there’s been a lot of cross-over over the years so of course I wanted to do my bit and show my face. They met in a cosy conservatory at the back of the Rombalds Hotel and we were served afternoon tea. How wonderfully civilised! I sat with the Rotary President and his wife, a district commisioner (hope I got that right) and a former Association Director. Why such lofty individuals wanted to talk to me I don’t know but they made me feel very welcome. There were a couple of speeches before tea and it was reassuring to hear that other Clubs have the same issues with falling membership and occasional internal disagreements that we do. Very impressed by Thelmaa, the current Pres of Inner Wheel, who presided over the event. She hinted that speaking in public made her nervous but there was absolutely no evidence of this!

And then tea was served…a tiered tray was deposited on each table which had cute little sandwiches on the bottom, a central tier of scones with jam and vanilla cream and then baby cream cakes on top. Really lovely to look at, delicious to eat and sociable because we were all sharing from the same tray thingy. Must bear this in mind for future Soroptimist events!

The happy belly

Pudding at the Betty's cookery school, yum!

On Saturday the 3rd of March I spent a frantic, sweaty but generally very happy day baking stuff at the Betty’s cookery school in Harrogate. This brilliant experience was thanks to the members of SI Ilkley who gave me some fun money when I got married last year. I decided then that this was what I wanted to spend it on but didn’t realise how difficult it would be to get on a course. On my third attempt I successfully booked “From garden to table” on a Saturday. Sadly I don’t have a garden but I am a veggie and I do have a table so this was the ideal course for me. On the day itself I thought everything was going to go pear-shaped when I could get into the school. The sat nav took me to Morrisons in Harrogate but after driving around a bit I spotted a sign. The sign took me to a gate where I could push a button for security, if I wanted to get in. Security remained silent, perhaps not liking the sight of my dusty old Yaris. However when 2 cars came out I zoomed in before the gates could close. On arrival I discovered that everyone else had managed to find the “main” stress-free entrance. Sigh! However the warm welcome and lovely Betty’s staff soon lifted my spirits. You get a little locker to use for the day and a nice Betty’s apron (which you can wear smugly when you have dinner parties.) Sitting down at tables with the other attendees you are served coffee and croissant with preserves. Yum! Then the cooking began…everything was demo-ed first by the 2 chefs and then off we went to frantically rummage through the cupboards in our areas, follow the recipes with sticky fingers and add large amounts of butter to absolutely everything. When someone commented on the butter one of the Chefs replied “we don’t do healthy, we do yummy”. At lunchtime we were served a delicious hot meal and then in the afternoon cake and elderflower cordial. I had rather hoped that everything I carefully packed-up and took home that evening would be eaten straight away but Garry and Dad wanted to go to Murgatroyds for fish and chips. As I was in Harrogate I picked up nieces Hannah and Frances and all 5 of us went up to Yeadon and stuffed our faces. A good day and a very happy belly!

Singing with Matugga

Phil and Libby Chappell

Last night’s meeting could have been a disaster…but it wasn’t. Our planned speaker let me down but Phil Chappell stepped in at the last minute and agreed to do a Matugga update. I actually think this meeting was better than the one I had planned. After talking to the Club a couple of years ago about his work with the Revival Centre in Matugga, Uganda, many members chose to help in small ways such as by sponsoring a child. And as Phil’s wife Libby is a club member we are all still very interested. From the update we learned that a second well had been installed after the first and only well broke, making everyone realise what a miracle fresh water is when it doesn’t come on tap. More land has been cultivated, an orchard has been planted and the cows are growing into a herd. This increased self-sufficiency will help them to cope with rocketing food prices. More buildings have gone up and a vocational skills centre is planned in order to give the children marketable skills when they leave school. We also heard that some of the leavers are now running their own businesses and two are a university. One of these students is being supported in her studies by Pudsey Grangefield School, good on ‘em! In Programme Action this year we have talked about possibly doing a project with Matugga, something to help the women. Last night made this all so much more real and I hope it happens.

We finished the evening with a nod to the Alzheimers Society, the speaker orginally planned for the evening. Singing for the brain is an initiative by the Society based on evidence that singing accesses areas of the brain where memories are more firmly held. Cross body movement, incorporated into the sessions, also encourages the left and right spheres of the brain to work together. On top of this the group singing sessions are hugely enjoyable and social events which can be very uplifting for dementia sufferers and their carers. We ran our own short singing for the brain session which revealed a wealth of vocal talent in the Club that I have heard about for many years but not witnessed until now!

Getting to know the Guides

We crammed a lot in to the 9th of February business meeting but it was worth it! Decided to ask our visitor to speak at the beginning of the meeting rather than at the end so she could leave if she wanted to but bless her she stayed! Ann Peacock is a long-time member of the Guiding movement and is currently the Wharfedale Press Officer, amongst other things. She is clearly a committed volunteer so probably plays many other important roles as well. We got in touch following a request from SIGBI to get to know our local Guides and look at ways in which we can build a working relationship. It quickly became apparent, from Ann’s talk, that our organisations have soooo much in common and similar goals. I made it as far as a Brownie sixer, way back when, but have to admit it wasn’t a good experience for me. But what they’re doing now is just incredible and I’m not surprised they’re oversubscribed. It’s early days and I don’t know how our relationship will develop but I feel very positive about this and have a lot of admiration for the Guides.

Meanwhile projector traumas continue. Well we’ve got around the problem of the enormous and unweildy projector screen. Jo found out that the Clarke Foley have one and are happy for us to use it. The lovely caretaker found it and put it up for me when we arrived. Last time I had complaints that the picture was too small. Did those who complain move closer? Well anyway to try and resolve this I put the screen in the middle of the room and the projector on a table in the centre. This worked too well as the picture  size was then too big for the Clarke Foley’s screen! Aaarrghh!  I think this is probably the best I can do and will set-up in this way in future. Meetings really are becoming exhausting. I arrive early to set-up this equipment, chair the meeting, then spend 15 minutes putting everything away again. I’m looking forward to next year when I can enjoy a cuppa with everyone else afterwards.

Where’s Vinnie?

Hello! Apologies for not keeping my blog up to date but life seems to be frantically full at the moment. It’s all good stuff so that’s not a complaint. I’m subconsciously counting down the days to big sis’s wedding on the 29th of February because I know it’s going to be a good day and as it’s not my wedding I can relax and enjoy it. I have to say that Cathy is organising a stylish do with lots of attention to detail. It’s going to be a lot better then mine and Garry’s wedding! (This isn’t a competition Anne Mary!) Went down to London last weekend to spend some time with her and shop for a few finishing touches. We visited V W Rouleaux in the search for wedding bouquet ribbon. I restrained myself from buying metres and metres of lovely ribbon for myself. I don’t have time for sewing projects at the moment but look forward to a time when I do.

So what have the Sorops been up to since Christmas? Well on the 18th of January I managed to swap my late night at work and went instead to a Heartstart course with 8 other members. I was disappointed to find that Vinnie Jones wasn’t going to be leading the session. Instead we were taught by the lovely Alan and his missus – he did a far better job than Vinnie would have! I’m not qualified now to do heart surgery but I know what to do if someone keels over in front of me. Before I just wouldn’t have had the confidence to do that.  The new members evening followed on the 20th of January and despite leaving work at 3 I was still frantically cooking and washing-up when they began to arrive at 7. Luckily cool, calm and collected Margaret was there to steady me and she brought a delicious apple crumble and custard. I hope everyone who attended enjoyed themselves and now feels even more a part of the club.

On the 26th of January we held our Programme Action meeting. I enjoyed this and I hope it can be repeated in the future. PA is so often tagged-on to Business meetings, instead I wanted it to be the complete focus of a meeting. We played the “Educate to lead: a fairy story” film from the Soroptimist International website. I can link to the wifi at the Clarke Foley centre but unfortunately there were some problems with bandwidth and it was a bit stopy-starty. Kathleen also said she couldn’t see the writing on screen as it was too small. I think in future if I’m using the projector I’d like to set up the room in an entirely different way. To make the picture large the projector needs to way back and not right in front of it. I should download films first and not try to run them from the net. LESSON LEARNED! After the film people got into groups and wrote letters on behalf of Amnesty, discussed a possible Matugga project, discussed a women’s careers event and talked about the dreaded toilets i.e lack of them near the station. We finished the evening with a “Goldfish” bowl in which only those sitting on four chairs at the front could speak. Once you had said your piece you had to go back to your place. I know some people are always a bit tentative about doing something like this but a good discussion was had and some decisions were made. I think it’s worth trying again as eventually we’ll get the hang of this.

Once upon a time there was an interclub meeting…

Angela's lovely table decorations

 

 On a cold and windy night in December women began to arrive at a centre for the over 50′s in Ilkley. Anne-Mary arrived early and as usual smiled when she saw the sign on the door that said “Over 50s only”. “Well I’m coming in anyway”, she thought “but I hope this doesn’t mean I’m old before my time.” She wasn’t the first to arrive and already there was activity in the kitchen where ovens were heating up, glasses and plates were coming out of cupboards and the smell of good food was begining to fill the air.Focusing on her own role for the evening Anne-Mary set up a table for the storyteller and looked at her watch. “He’s coming over from Lancashire, hope the roads are clear” she said to herself for the hundredth time that day. Time sped by and guests arrived from Skipton, Pendleside, Bingley, Keighley, Leeds and Harrogate. The room began to fill, it was a good turnout, but would they think it had been worth their journey? As old friends greeted each other a hubbub of noise filled the room. This was common at Soroptimist events where everyone was friendly and welcoming and everyone spoke at the same time! The atmosphere felt good, now if only the star-turn would arrive. It was 7:15 – he was late. Uh oh!After another few minutes of anxiously watching the door the storyteller arrived and a weight lifted from Anne-Mary’s shoulders. It was going to be OK! Introductions were made and the guests settled down to an evening of stories. Outside the wind howled but inside it was warm and the glass of wine in Anne-Mary’s hand and was helping to loosen the worry-knots inside her. She began to relax and enjoy herself until suddenly a voice bellowed from the speakers on the stage “Get your tickets out and we’ll start drawing the tombola”. With horror she sat forward, her heart racing, where was it coming from? “Ticket number 38 and the prize is a pack of meat” the voice of doom continued. Rushing out to find the caretaker she quickly explained the problem but the feeling of despair grew as the look on his face told her he had no quick answer to this problem. Walking back into the hall they were joined by the new centre manager who climbed to the back of the stage and along with the caretaker hurriedley switched off everything they possibly could. Abruptly the voice was cut-off only to be replaced by the sound of hysterical laughter. Could the sound system at the nearby bowling club be broadcasting on the same wavelength? This seemed like the most obvious explanation.With this crisis over the storyteller was able to continue after noting, with irony, how everyone present would now have a story to tell when they went home. What remained of the evening passed well and a delicious hot meal was served followed by celebratory trifles. Several hours later when Anne-Mary’s front door closed behind her she felt tired but happy. Another Soroptimist “do” completed and although she sometimes felt that her year as President was passing in a blur of ticked-off-the-list events she knew she would also have wonderful memories to look back on happily – for ever after. Visit Dominic Kelly’s website – Click here

Friends of Ilkley Moor and Soroptimist Speed Greeting

Thursday 24th of November 2011 – Last night Owen Wells, the Chair of the Friends of Ilkley Moor, came along to meet the club. He said he was nervous about addressing the meeting then went on to give a funny, lively and very interesting talk about the history of the moor and of the “Friends” involvement. He told us about the main problems they face, their plans for the future and the grants they have been successful in winning from organisations such as the National Lottery. We were particularly amused to hear about the many UFO sightings there have been on the moor. This was news to me and now when I see lights coming over the Cow and Calf I will always wonder are they of this earth…? Well Owen really impressed us and several club members signed-up straightaway to become “Friends”. Hopefully the small beginnings of a friendly association between the two clubs.

After Owen left us I experimented with a getting-to-know-you exercise. We’ve had 5 new club members and I want to make sure everyone gels. This isn’t going to happen if we all just sit in our usual places and talk to all the usual people. And so Soroptimist Speed Greeting was born. A version of speed dating except without the fellas and with me banging the gavel every 4 minutes to move people on. The cafe at the Clarke Foley was getting very warm and throats were getting very dry from so much talking so I ended this before every table had been visited and we finished with tea and coffee.  A couple of people said they enjoyed this so I think it was worth trying. Might try to mix-up the seating arrangement at the next business meeting as well.

Soroptimists Speed Greeting

Regional meeting at GSAL 19th November 2011

My second regional meeting of the year and another well attended one. GSAL – the Grammar School at Leeds is a fabulous school but then those who attend pay fees  have a right to expect the best resources. They had a pool, an auditorium with stage lighting and an organ, a music room and acres of space for hockey, football etc. I’m jealous. I want to go back to school… wow never thought I’d say that. One slightly sore point however. I lost one of my lovely staff when she went to work in the Library at GSAL. They’re lucky to have her.

Apart from some problems with the mics it was a good day and Syliva’s first as Yorkshire President. She has presence and a good communication style so will represent us well. One of the first things she did was to confer honorary membership of the region on Ilkley member Margaret Cook. Once again our Margaret was pretty shocked and surprised but I think in a good way.

SI Keighley members had come dressed in salwar kaamez (spelling???) made for them by women members of the Asian community in Keighley who they’ve been getting to know. No big project ideas or fanfares just openness and friendship, brilliant!

Some conference virgins talked about their experiences and I was glad to hear that like me they were also at times both enthused and confused.

Just a short speaker meeting this week followed by something which I haven’t told the ladies about. We’re going to attempt a kind of speed-dating getting to know each other exercise. And if anyone on Thursday knows about this in advance then I’ll know they’ve been reading this blog

Catch-up 4 Forced marriage seminar

This last catch-up should bring me right up to date. It’s Equality and Diversity week at work and I attended a lunchtime seminar on forced marriage given by Karma Nirvana . I thought that, thanks to the Soroptimists, I had a high awareness of this but there was a lot I didn’t know. Really heartbreaking that girls and yes even some young men have their choice of life partner taken away from them and are treated as family assets and not people.

While there is no ban on forced marriage an FMPO (forced marriage protection order) can be powerful protection.