Welcome to SI Cambridge

Our President's Message

My name is Claire Berryman (left, welcoming Regional President Ineke Morris to a club meeting) and I am Club President from November 2006 to April 2008.

Our club was founded in 1947, in days of post-war austerity. The world has changed almost beyond recognition since then, but our members’ commitment to working for human rights and the status of women remains constant.

Our current membership stands at 39, with occupations as diverse as Florist, Palliative Care Nurse, Teacher, Pharmacist, Farmer and Bank Manager. Our different professions bring a rich variety of skills and experience to the club.

Our service projects include providing practical and financial support to Cambridge Women’s Refuge, and working in the tea bar at Arthur Rank Hospice. During my term of office my nominated charity is CAMFED (see link), a locally based charity which provides education to girls in sub-Saharan Africa. Various fundraising events are planned during the year in support of CAMFED and other nominated charities.

In July 2007 we marked our 60th anniversary with a weekend of celebrations, including a Dinner at Jesus College, at which the principal speaker was Helen Boaden, Director of BBC News. We were joined by fellow Soroptimists from Belgium, Germany, the USA and Australia, as those from closer to home, and were fortunate to have picked the only 48 rain-free hours of the summer for our festivities!

Our club draws members from Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and North Essex. We meet on the 2nd & 4th Monday of each month at Quy Mill Hotel. Our meetings start at 8pm, but groups of members often meet up informally beforehand for supper from the hotel’s excellent bar menu. An outside speaker is invited to the meeting on the 4th Monday, and recent topics have ranged from “The Work of the University Orator” to “Issues Surrounding Female Migrant Workers”. Please check our Diary of Events page for information on forthcoming meetings.

If you would like to know more about SI Cambridge please contact us at cambridge@soroptimist-gbi.org or through the Contact Link on this site.

Claire Berryman

Our Officers

These club pages were last updated on: 16 March 2008
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