SI Chelmsford Projects

Each Soroptimist International club identifies the needs of its community, then establishes specific projects to address these needs. All our projects relate to one or more of the six Programme Focus Areas: Economic and Social Development, Education, Environment, Health, Human Rights and the Status of Women, and International Goodwill and Understanding.

More information is available in the Our Work pages, where you can read more about the current Programme Focus aims and the Quadrennial Project, supported by all clubs in the Federation.

The projects listed below include some of the local and international issues we research and support in SI Chelmsford:

Home Energy Project - The Fuel Rich Supporting the Fuel Poor

This Project culminated in a 21-page Report, which was presented jointly to the Soroptimist Federation and National Energy Action at the House of Commons. FOR A COPY OF THE 21 PAGE REPORT (372kb) CLICK ON 'LINKS' IN WHITE TO THE LEFT OF THIS PAGE.

Cold, damp homes that are inadequately heated have repeatedly been linked to ill health and early death.This link between energy-inefficient housing and ill health is well documented. ‘Fuel Poverty’ has been identified as a major social problem.

For a copy of the full report, please click on LINKS on the white box to the left of this screen.

But getting the ‘Fuel-Rich’ to take an interest in saving energy and changing behaviour patterns has, over decades, proved to be a very difficult task for governments.

The problem is there has been little incentive. People do not believe that their own household’s contribution would have any significance to the problem of global warming.

During the year, Chelmsford Club members saved energy around their homes. The Club entered into an agreement with the local charity, Chelmsford Environment Partnership, to try to save 10% of the fuel they would normally use. The plan was that 50% of any financial savings were paid to the charity, who will use it to help 'fuel-poor' families in the area. Results have been varied, with savings of between 5% and 28% achieved.

Last year there was a reception at the House of Commons, hosted by Chelmsford MP Simon Burns and attended, amongst others, by the President of National Right to Fuel Campaign; British Gas' Media Relations Manager; the Director of Energy Saving Trust; the Director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy; etc to receive Chelmsford's Report.

One could be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss was about. The reason for the excitement and interest which has being shown is because normally people like ourselves, who can afford to heat our homes without much difficulty (the 'Fuel-Rich') won't normally try to cut costs much. This project tackles that and, at the same time, assists the 'Fuel-Poor' into the bargain. Everyone wins. Simon Burns MP said, at the signing of the project, "All over the world nations have signed up to the Kyoto and Rio Agreements and are committed to encouraging local community-based solutions to environmental problems. This project shows how this commitment can be translated at community level".

This project has now been placed before the UKPAC and, it is anticipated, could be replicated across the country.

National Energy Action has offices and contacts across the UK and was enthusiastic to work with other clubs or organisations that wanted to replicate the Project and help the ‘Fuel-Poor’ in their own areas.

The whole club is now far more energy-aware. In addition, our circle of influence is also getting more energy-aware! Friends have, naturally, asked about the project - giving the opportunity of doing an energy-saving commercial!

We have also raised the profile of our club within the Chelmsford area.

This embarrassingly simple Project has shown that, by working in concert, we can directly help others who cannot afford to keep themselves warm. We can be energy conscious – and conscientious.

Just think what sort of contribution to the environment could be made if every Soroptimist in the UK decided to save just 10% of her household’s energy consumption! It is an incredibly exciting thought!

If this Project were to catch on (and why restrict it to the UK - we are a world-wide organisation, after all), we would gradually be educating people to be aware of the dangers of being profligate with and wasting energy. Governments around the world would eventually have to listen to their electorate who would be demanding to know just what was being done in their name to combat climate change.

FOR A COPY OF THE REPORT (372kb) PLEASE CLICK ON ’links’ IN WHITE TO THE LEFT OF THIS PAGE.


FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE WORK OF CHELMSFORD ENVIRONMENT PARTNERSHIP, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE: www.cep.uk.net

Chelmsford Women's Aid

Formerly Women's Refuge, the Club has been supporting this organisation for nearly two decades.

In addition to financial help each year, at Christmas the Club contributes gifts for the women and children.

Women's Aid works to end domestic violence against women and children. They offer support and a place of safety to abused women and children by providing refuges.

At the prestigious Mid-Essex Business Awards ceremony in September, Chelmsford Women's Aid won two awards, one for Staff Training & Development and a second in the Community Category.

SI Chelmsford's Motion to the Federation Conference

At the June Regional Council Meeting, we received backing to present a Motion to the Belfast Conference.

This motion, which was seconded by the Cambridge club, stated:

"Members in Conference are urged to call upon their respective governments to extend the ban on land mines to include cluster bombs."

At last October's Federation Conference, in front of nearly 2,000 women (representing 30 countries), our club Secretary, Yvonne Jaques, made an eloquent presentation. The Motion was carried - unanimously.

Cluster Bomb petition-signing

Following on from our successful petition to the Federation Conference we decided to hold two petition-signing sessions in Chelmsford to bring the banning of cluster bombs to the pubic's attention.

We had already written to Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon, regarding the Government's attitude to these munitions, and had only received a reply (albeit inadequate) through the helpful intervention of West Chelmsford MP, Simon Burns.

In order for any government to change its views, we felt the only way was for considerable pressure to be brought to bear from the electorate. However, we realised that there was much ignorance to exactly what cluster bombs are. Most people (including, initially, a number of the club's members) are ignorant of the facts of these weapons. They do not realise that, just like land mines, the unexploded bomblets (failure rate approximately 30%) remain on the land, ready to maim or kill the unwary - mostly children. Unlike land mines, however, which are purposely laid and knowledge of their whereabouts known by the 'layers', these bomblets (which carry a much higher explosive charge) scatter over a wide area, indiscriminately. No one actually knows where they are. Cluster bombs were dropped in Vietnam and are still being found, hanging from trees, or uncovered by unfortunate farmers. Someone still dies, every month, from a cluster bomb in Vietnam - over 30 years later! One thousand times the number of cluster bombs that fell on Vietnam have been dropped in Iraq recently. It is estimated that, even by concerted and consistent effort, it will take centuries to clear them. And we in the UK are still manufacturing them and still dropping them.

Therefore, the first thing to be done was to try to raise some public awareness of exactly what cluster bombs are, and why these sickening weapons should be banned.

To start getting this message across to the people of Chelmsford, on two consecutive Saturdays, we staged petition-signing sessions in the busy shopping precinct. The colourful display boards highlighted the legacy of cluster bombs and attracted considerable attention from the Christmas shoppers. Nearly 300 signatures were collected and these were sent to Land Mine Action and onwards to Geneva, for submission at the UN's Convention on Conventional Weapons, taking place in early December 2003.

We in the Chelmsford Club have committed ourselves to working on this campaign for at least the next five years. More plans are under way to keep this in the public eye and to try to influence the general public. For more information on cluster bombs and on our campaign please contact our Programme Action Officer, Heather Knott.

Fair Trade Club

In November 2003 the club agreed to become a Fair Trade club.

Through attending meetings, paying attention to what is in their shopping baskets, etc, the Club has been assisting Chelmsford to become a FairTrade town.

UPDATE:

Chelmsford is declared a Fairtrade Town - the first in Essex and only the third town or city in the Eastern region - to be awarded Fairtrade status.

To achieve this status from the Fairtrade Foundation, dedicated to achieving a fairer deal for farmers and producers in the developing world, the town had to meet various criteria including council support for promoting Fairtrade - including offering it to its own staff and customers - a percentage of shops, cafes, businesses, churches, schools and other organisations using Fairtrade tea, coffee and other products, and the setting up of a Fairtrade steering group.

Chelmsford Fairtrade Action Group brought together a wide range of individuals, churches, development agencies, companies, trade unions, SI Chelmsford and Chelmsford Borough Council and all were instrumental in winning Chelmsford Fairtrade status,

The number of Fairtrade Towns across the UK will reach 100 by next month, with a big celebration in Manchester at which Chelmsford will be represented.

'Achieving Fairtrade status has been a fantastic achievement for everyone involved and says a huge amount about the people of Chelmsford and their concern that people in the developing world get a fair price for their products,' says Malcolm Burgess, Chair of Chelmsford Fairtrade Action Group.

There will be a wide range of events and promotions during Fairtrade Fortnight, 1 - 13 March across the town helping raise the profile of Fairtrade even further. This includes a visit from a Brazilian Fairtrade farmer, an event with the biggest Fairtrade Chocolate cake ever baked in Chelmsford, an Essex Book Festival evening with comedian and novelist Rob Newman, the group AloneMe playing in Chelmsford's key Fairtrade cafes, wine tastings, displays, coffee mornings, concerts, a celebration in County Hall, special events and assemblies in schools and big in-store promotions from leading supermarkets and other shops.

Updates

25/10/04: For its work with Handicap International, Chelmsford, jointly with London Anglia Region, won the Good Practice Award for International Goodwill and Understanding.

On Saturday afternoon of the Federation's annual three-day Conference, held at the Bournemouth International Conference Centre in October, 2004, six Good Practice Awards, one for each area of the Programme Focus, were made.

As part of the London Anglia Region's project 'Pyramid of Shoes' SI Chelmsford, jointly with the Region, received the prestigious Good Practice Award.

Chelmsford had demonstrated just what could be accomplished with just two weeks' notice.

Pictured above from left to right are Regional Programme Action Officer and Chelmsford club member, Heather Knott, Federation President, Ann Garvie, and SI Sudbury President, Jean Driver.

The Award was presented on stage, watched by 1500 delegates, at the Federation Conference in Bournemouth in October.

One Thousand Pairs of Shoes

Chelmsford's contribution to Handicap International's Pyramid of Shoes

That is how many pairs of shoes, the Chelmsford Soroptimists estimated, were collected in one week in July from clubs around the London Anglia Region.

The collection was organised by London Anglia Region to help Handicap International raise a giant Pyramid of Shoes in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 17 July. Every shoe on the Pyramid symbolised a life or a limb lost to cluster bombs and all shoes were sent to developing countries, either to be reworn, or recycled.

The Chelmsford club received some splendid local press coverage , including slots on BBC Essex radio every day for the preceeding week. Chelmsford residents were encouraged to bring their unwanted shoes to Sainsbury's car park where recycling bins had been installed to collect them. Twice during the week the bins were full to overflowing and had to be emptied.

On Saturday 17 July, a large transit van, emblazoned with signs advertising the Region and Handicap International's Pyramid, was piled high with bags of shoes that had been collected from Soroptimist clubs across the Region and driven to Trafalgar Square. The driver was the aptly named Jean Driver, President of SI Sudbury, who drove over 360 miles that day.

By midday, the pyramid was over 10 feet tall and eventually the standby shoe bank was overflowing; the response from the pubic had been spectacular.

Despite a wet morning, crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square. They signed petitions to ban cluster bombs and watched, amongst other activities, an expert from Kosovo, demonstrate how he locates and de-fuses bombs.

Chelmsford's Programme Action Officer, Heather Knott, said that the public's response had been amazing and she thanked everyone for helping. Especially Karl King Transport, in Ipswich, for donating the 'hire' of the van - and the 39 gallons of diesel used that day. She also wished to thank Chelmsford signmakers, SignTec, for the splendid signage on the bins and surrounding area, and the magnetic signs for the van, free of charge.

Updates

24/10/04:

Charity Boot Sale

Proceeds in aid of Farleigh Hospice

The Club once again ran another Boot Sale on Sunday 28 August, to raise funds for our joint Presidents' chosen charity for the year, Farleigh Hospice.

Yvonne and Heather set up the stall at 6.15am and, even by that early hour, the dealers were out in force. By 9am we had sold about a quarter of the items on the stall.

Golden Girl, Joan arrived a little later and one of the club's Joint Presidents, Gay, came shortly after.

Unfortunately it began to pour with rain and so we packed up an hour or so early and left around 11am. We had been there for 5 hours anyway and the total takings for the morning were well worth the effort.