Nottingham Soroptimists

20/10/2026

What a fabulous meeting we had last night.

First we heard from Nottinghamshire Sexual Violence Support Services about the incredible, vital work they do. They shared some shocking statistics:-

1 in 4 will experience some sexual assault in their life
2 in 5 rapes are by their partner/ex
6 in 7 rapists are known to the victim
88% are women
Suicidal thoughts/attempts are in the top 10 impacts
Last year NottsSVSS received over 4000 contacts from people looking for support - and amazingly, 99% of people who reach out for support are contacted within a day!

Notts SVSS are supported by 53 staff, generally offering around 10 counselling/therapy sessions to users of their service.
There are 80+ safe spaces in Nottingham.

They're always looking for sponsorship/fundraising ideas, especially as they're moving to new premises, so please get in touch with them if you can help.

Then we had our usual Club business where we welcomed not 1, not 2, not 3, BUT 4 NEW members to our Club! WOW! Welcome to you all - we're really looking forward to getting to know you better over the coming weeks, months, years. We also had a visitor who came to see what we're all about too, and she's very interested to join hopefully too. Then finally we congratulated Melanie for her 30+ years of service to Soroptimists - WOW! Huge congratulations to you.

We're a growing, thriving Club (currently 37 members), with wonderful guest speakers, lots of Programme Action and even a social programme - we really do make a difference to women and girls, not just locally, but Nationally and Internationally too - if you'd like to find out more, please get in touch. Our next meeting is on Monday 2nd November on Zoom (7.30-9pm).

17/10/2026

💜 17 October – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 💜

Poverty is about more than not having enough money. It can mean fewer opportunities, limited choices, poorer access to education and healthcare, and barriers that can affect a person throughout their life.

For women and girls, these challenges can be even greater. Poverty can limit a girl’s education, restrict a woman’s independence and make it harder to build a secure and fulfilling future.

As Soroptimists, we believe in equality, empowerment and opportunity for women and girls. We work to raise awareness, challenge inequality and support communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, let’s remember that lasting change starts with listening, understanding, supporting and creating opportunities - and by working together towards a fairer world for everyone. 🌍💜

11/10/2026

🥳 11 October – International Day of the Girl Child 🥳

Today we celebrate girls everywhere - their voices, their dreams, their potential and the bright futures they deserve.

Every girl should have the opportunity to learn, grow, feel safe, be heard and make choices about her own future. Yet around the world, many girls still face barriers simply because they are girls.

As Soroptimists, we believe in empowering girls and creating opportunities for them to thrive. By supporting education, challenging inequality and listening to girls’ voices, we can help create a world where every girl has the confidence and freedom to reach her full potential.

Because when girls are empowered, they can change their own lives — and help change the world around them. 🌍💜

10/10/2026

Men can help stop sexual violence before it starts.

Soroptimists are urging men to speak up and - the one who stays silent.

Watch and share this powerful film:

https://youtu.be/5qfqAIxGmyE

The film challenges men to take responsibility for their words and actions, helping drive the cultural change needed to tackle sexual crime against women.

Soroptimists continue to take action to improve women’s safety in our communities.
Learn more about our work: sigbi.org/what-we-do/our-work/womens-safety.

Men can help stop sexual violence before it starts. Speak up and ...

09/10/2026

What a wonderful meeting we had on Monday night, hearing from the 2 winners of this year's Journalism Prize.

First we heard from Ellie Lovatt about her journey with her article called "Paying the price for cheap dermal fillers" - a very powerful, and upsetting piece of work where she shared why she got into journalism and her personal journey, which led to her investigations, and the questions she wanted answering - there she found many more incidences of young women who had suffered, which made her want to make the issue visible to others, to help prevent it happening to others.

Then we heard from Eloise King about her film "Hope beyond the hills", and the inspiration behind it (her late Grandma - also a journalist), where she shared information about the slavery conditions that the women on the tea estates in Sri Lanka suffer, but then sharing the wonderful work that is going on there to make change and make a difference through the Tea Leaf Trust.

Both young women were eloquent, professional and passionate about their work, and we were delighted to hear from them and see their journeys, as well as hearing how much winning this award meant to them both.

The Journalism Prize that we offer is always one of our favourite Programme Action Projects - over the years, these amazing students from Nottingham Trent University find issues that are sometimes prevalent in the media, and others that are more hidden/unknown - and then they put together the most fascinating, powerful, interesting and wonderful pieces of work - we really enjoy judging their final projects in July and then meeting the winners in October to hear their back-stories, as well as their hopes for their future careers, and the difference they want to make in the world.

Huge congratulations to both Ellie and Eloise for their excellent work, and we wish them every success for their future careers - hopefully they'll consider becoming Soroptimists in the future too! We also want to thank their tutors for all their help and support in this annual project.

Attached are a few slides from Ellie & Eloise's presentations.

07/10/2026

1,572 projects, 167,858 women and girls supported, 93,181 volunteer hours, and £458,947 raised — what a year for Soroptimists across our Federation.

These results from our 2025-2026 annual report demonstrate the extraordinary power of collective action. When we get together for our annual conference later this month, we'll have plenty to celebrate and build on.

You can help us. Be part of a leading women's organisation standing up for women and girls. We welcome new members who are interested in advocating for change, who want to volunteer in their local community, and who want to make new friends - find out more sigbi.org/get-involved/membership.

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01/10/2026

💜 1 October – International Day of Older Persons 💜

Today we celebrate older women and all they bring to our families, communities and society.

Older women have knowledge, experience, resilience and stories that deserve to be heard. They have contributed to their families, workplaces, communities and causes in countless ways - and their voices and experiences continue to matter.

As Soroptimists, we believe that women should be empowered and valued at every stage of life. Growing older should never mean being overlooked, excluded or left behind.

Today, let’s celebrate the incredible women who have paved the way for others, recognise the contribution of older women and work towards a world where every woman can age with dignity, independence, respect and equality. 💜

21/09/2026

🕊️ International Day of Peace – 21st September 🕊️

Peace is more than the absence of conflict - it’s about creating a world where everyone can live with safety, dignity, equality and hope.

As Soroptimists, we believe that empowering women and girls is an important part of building peaceful, fair and inclusive communities. When women have a voice and the opportunity to participate, positive change can follow.

💜 Peace begins with each of us - with kindness, understanding, respect and a willingness to make a difference.

Today, let’s remember that even small acts can help create a more peaceful world.

18/09/2026

⚖️ Equal Pay Day – 18th September ⚖️

Equal work deserves equal pay.

As Soroptimists, we believe that women and girls should have the same opportunities to succeed, progress and be fairly rewarded for their skills, experience and contribution.

Equal pay isn’t just about a pay packet - it’s about equality, independence, opportunity and fairness.

💜 Together, we can help create a world where gender is never a barrier to reaching your full potential.

09/09/2026

What a great guest speaker we had this week - Claire Fowler, who is the Youth Development Lead for the East Midlands from The King's Trust.

We heard all about the wonderful work they do to support young people. They run work experience programmes to help end youth unemployment and have worked with Boots, M&S, Asda, the NHS Nescafe and many more companies. They give young people employability skills, mock interviews and much more.

They are working hard to ensure that 50% of the programmes they run are filled with females, and even have a programme called "Change a Girl's Life" (see link below)

Their vision is to end youth unemployment, focussing on equality, diversity and inclusion, by helping young people to build their confidence, teamwork and to believe in themselves - because "every young person deserves a chance".

Here are a couple of links if you'd like to find out more about their wonderful work:-

https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/ - Confidence, courses, careers
https://events.kingstrust.org.uk/event/change-a-girls-life/changing-girls-lives
https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/support-our-work/george-asda-winnie-the-pooh-2026?dm_i=4DH7
https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/partner-with-us/business/our-partners/nescafe-azera
https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/how-we-can-help/get-job/health-social-care :- Explore Careers in Health and Social Care

Thank you Claire for a fabulous presentation. The King's Trust