Circler Issue 022

circler MAGAZINE FOR THE BEST SOCIAL NETWORK FOR YOUNG WOMEN IN THE WORLD

MEET OUR VERY FIRST BRAND AMBASSADOR FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR CHARITY PARTNERS

cle.media @ladiescir

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

clegbi @ladiescir

CATCH UP WITH NEWS ACROSS GB&I & THE WORLD!

cleGBI @LadiesCir

k

scircle.co.u

www.ladie

ISSUE 22

Autumn/Winter 2021

From the Media Officer’s Assistant...

Hello my peoples. This is Bentley here, some of you will no who I am, others aren’t so lucky. My mum is the media officer for the circlings. But don’t be fooled, I am the real star of the show! I only agreed to her doing it as after the lockdowns I am sick of seeing her. It was fun at first I followed my tiny humans around as they ate a lot! The yellow haired one would drop foodings all the time.

We would nap together and watch magic box. I would bark at the magic box a lot!

Especially at other dogs and animals. No one appreciates this but oh well. Murders dropped off tonnes of packages during the lock down and sometimes I would get presents. Mummy didn’t appreciate me opening all the packages to check they were safe and if they were mine. Silly mummy.

But then the walkings happened, Oh so many walkings. I have little legs and so it was basically just torture. I lost so much weight I had to sneak into the pantry so I didn’t waste away!

So I loves the peoples and animals. If you come to visit me please bring treats and toys as I am basically starving. I want to see your animals. Please hashtag them #PetsOfCircle so I can see them and bark at them. I look forward to sharing my wisdom with you while mummy does the circlings.

If you invite her places then please invite me too. Although I am not house trained and bark at everything I am still fabulous. Anyways can’t wait to chew the magazine when its done. I have to check its safe for the peoples.

Bentley out!!

Bentley Sissons -

Media Officer’s Assistant

Publisher Zest! Graphics Limited t: 01386 644597 e: info@zest-graphics.co.uk w: www.zest-graphics.co.uk

Advertising To place an advertisement in Circler, please contact our media officer on media@ladiescircle.co.uk

FOLLOW YOUR PRESIDENT ON FACEBOOK!

Print Philtone Litho Limited t: 0117 952 1125

Copyright All material appearing in Circler is copyright unless otherwise stated.

Circler takes care to ensure information is accurate at the time of printing, but the publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for the accuracy of content. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or the editor.

FOLLOW YOUR VICE PRESIDENT ON FACEBOOK!

Editorial Co-Editors: Michelle Chapman & Sarah Sissons e: media@ladiescircle.co.uk w: www.ladiescircle.co.uk Proof Reader Luke Bull

2

Ladies Circle GB&I President

Ladies Circle GB&I Vice President CIRCLER WORLD MEMBER LOGIN:

#GetInvolved

https://gb.ladiescircle.world/en/login/

Michelle Chapman National President 2020-2022

We have a proud history and part of that is bound up in our founding principles of Friendship and Service but there is no escaping it, There is more of Louis Marchesi in Circle than we realise. We adopt, we adapt and we improve with every generation of Circler, it’s what makes us so open to new ideas, to new members, to new friends and I really hope we make the most of our Charter night in February and make new connections.

Now, there are a few things that every President has….

Well hello and welcome to the first Circler magazine of the 2021-22 year. Sarah and I have put a huge amount of love, effort and time into this so please enjoy. We’re also trialling a new idea put forward in our February Council Meeting and sharing a QR code for this magazine, so you can still share copies with waiting rooms, salons, ladies’ loos etc – just virtually and COVID secure!

It feels so very strange to have just started my ‘proper’ year, it’s been a huge privilege to serve through this last lockdown and to share your journeys with you.

Serving as President was never a role that I thought would be easy, I wanted to be the best servant, the best cheerleader, the best instigator I could possibly be, I couldn’t have asked for better support.

In my 16 years as a member, our value to our communities has never been clearer. We have Circles across GB&I taking action to support those in real need, and it’s been amazing to watch the work during lockdown and exciting to see the plans you all have for the year to come.

Of course, this year is a BIG DEAL… we’ve reached the grand old age of 85.

Circling today bears no resemblance to Circling in 1936 or even in 2006 and that’s great, that’s what our founders intended.

1. A MOTTO - ‘After all this time?’ – In recognition of 2021 as our 85th Circling Anniversary year.

2. A HASHTAG - #AlwaysLadiesCircle, because Circle will always be there, for you, me and for those generations still to come. It’s a promise, a mark of faith that Circle will always endure.

3. A LOGO - well, you’ve all seen it. I can’t imagine it was much of a surprise to those who know me that it was Potter inspired but if you look, there’s a nod to our sisters in Tangent with the triangle too.

Each President also has the honour of selecting a charity partner for her term and I didn’t need to look far to find the cause that I was most passionate about; Rape Crisis. One in 20 women in GB&I is a survivor of rape or sexual assault, these are our friends and our sisters, our mothers and our daughters… they are the woman at the gym, the teacher at school, the pharmacist on your high street… it’s an equal opportunities horror that we cannot hide from.

In the six months from October 2020 to April 2021 you all supported the cause with such amazing passion and more than £10,000 was raised by the time of our AGM. I cannot thank you enough and I really hope I get the chance to take part in your local fundraising work during this year too.

Finally, thank you so much for placing your faith in me as President, I will do my best to serve you with as much grace, love and warmth as possible… #AlwaysLadiesCircle.

Yours in friendship.

Michelle

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

3

Your 2021-22 National Exec...

#TeamAlways

Let me introduce your National Exec 2021 – 2022 The #AlwaysSquad I’m so proud of this #SecondCircle, these women stepped forward to serve at a time when life is pretty tough on all fronts. They volunteered to help Circle back onto her feet after a world changing, epoch defining event that spanned two years, and they did this knowing what it would cost in terms of personal and family. To serve is an honour and a privilege but it’s also a duty, a responsibility and occasionally an outright pain in the neck. Fortunately, the joys massively outweigh anything else and I know I speak for the whole exec when I say that they wouldn’t change a single thing! So, let me crack on: Your Indomitable IPP, the Essex girl that found Bedfordshire to be the only way; Lindsay Pickard!

What can I say about Lindsay that you don’t already know? Well, she’s allergic to wheat, but not gluten and she can’t eat dairy or eggs… your basic catering nightmare. If in doubt throw a chicken breast and a jacket potato at her. She also hates cucumber so make sure to have some fun with that. Lindsay has been an amazing Den Mother to our Exec this year, she’s also a great listener and has some pretty sound advice for most situations. Anyone who needs a friendly voice and face in a difficult spot, feel free to hit her up for TLC on ipp@ladiescircle.co.uk Your Vivacious Vice President, the small but mighty girl from Shakespeare’s back yard; Fiona Bull!

Now, it’s been so long since I’ve been able to make fun of her in public I will start by explaining her ‘T-Rex’ nickname. Fiona is teenie tiny but her arms are even more so and there is nothing more fun than hiding her booze behind my girth and watching her trying to reach around to get it!!

She’s our go-to guru on all things Charity & LCI so if you want to #GetInvolved or have an idea we can help with, get in touch at vicepresident@ladiescircle.co.uk Your Superb Secretary, the marathon runner from the North and our very own Unicorn (A Scot who tolerates my Scottish jokes); Ruth Farrell!

Ruth is new to the National Exec this year and is the funniest one of all of us, which is a pretty big compliment because we all have game. She is also a bonkers runner person who claims to do it for fun. Personally I would only run from a Bear / Dragon / Fitness Instructor but whatever. Ruth’s ambition is to make every member as self-sufficient as possible on Circler World and ensure that everyone has the tools to achieve all their ambitions in Circle so, if there is something on your wishlist, let her know at secretary@ladiescircle.co.uk Your Tremendous Treasurer, my original Money Honey and bean counter, the teacher turned accounts expert; Elena Foster!

Back for a second term of service, Elena is no stranger to the job and as a Scout leader, she has a very specific set of skills when it comes to managing us all #Scary. Just like Fiona, Elena is the proud mum of the next generation of Circlers and we often get to chat with Mia who keeps mum well stocked with drinks and snacks during our Zoom meetings. As this is her third year as Treasurer, Elena is a fountain of knowledge on Circle finances, so if you need advice or help please get reach out to treasurer@ladiescircle.co.uk Your Magnificent Membership Officer, the giant hearted Geordie with the Nordic Hat; Sarah Caine!

For those of you yet to meet Sarah, you need to get in touch and invite her for a membership evening, she is so full of beans and bursting with ideas along with new Circle merch to help you be #OnBrand.

Sarah is here for one year, she is so keen to give her all and do her absolute best so please do engage with her at membership forums and new member nights online and ask her to join you for an evening so she can help you with your Circle’s specific needs by emailing membership@ladiescircle.co.uk Your Marvellous Media Officer, the girl who needs no introduction (or first name normally), Sarah Sissons!

They didn’t break the mould when Sarah was made, she broke it because she knew the world wasn’t ready for two! Sarah smashes through all assumptions about what a Circler is, what boundaries the world sets for her and more importantly her beautiful boys. She challenges every ‘norm’ she comes across and helps us all see the world in a different way. She has increased engagement on our National facebook page and built a fantastic ‘boost’ programme that all Circles can apply for support with. To find out how she can support your Circle’s promotional programmes, email at media@ladiescircle.co.uk

4

#GetInvolved

February 26th 2022

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

5

News from the AGM - reasons to #celebrate

awards from may 2021

And the winners are..

1 Area Chair of the year – Dawn Toma 2 Speaker from the floor – Stephanie Albutt International Make a Difference – Littleborough 3 & Areas Ladies Circle 4 Best Social Media Award – Petersfield Ladies Circle 5 Award for Best Media Coverage by a Circle – Joint award to Kenilworth Ladies Circle and Littleborough & Areas Ladies Circle Award for most time spent on charitable causes 6 by a Circle – Littleborough & Areas Ladies Circle

7 Award for most money raised by a Circle – Kenilworth Ladies Circle 8 Award for highest % increase in membership by a Circle – Petersfield Ladies Circle 9 Award for most new members recruited by a Circle – Petersfield Ladies Circle 10 Round Table Nominated Side by Side Award – Martha Buck Bowan Tangent Side by Side Award – Letchworth Ladies 11 Circle 12 41 Club Side by Side Award – 41 Club Connects Team

The Anthony Nolan 'Circler of the Year' Award

Our Anthony Nolan Trophy for our Circler of the Year is a hotly contested award and a couple of years ago, we found a Runners Up Anthony Nolan Trophy and so, as you can never have too much of celebrating champions, we decided to start awarding this again.

The Runner up trophy this year goes to one of our younger Circlers, a second generation Circler and member of one of the largest circles within GB&I. Hannah Wyss was the main driver behind Lichfield’s NHS and Keyworker bag project, she co-ordinated all the donations and orders, she arranged most of the deliveries of the bags. This was a massive project that the whole Circle got involved in and one that they will all be proud of for some time, however as the driver behind this she spent around 90 hours on these bags and donated half of her living room to accommodate all the donations for some time.

Congratulations Hannah, and well done Lichfield. Your community engagement throughout all the lockdowns has been a real inspiration.

The list of nominees this year was enough to make our hearts swell with pride, every single one of these women is an inspiration to us all but, as we learned from Highlander… there can be only one and so, our winner is Sweta Ladwa from Hinckley. In her Circle’s words is our very own unsung hero - "of our Circles combined 196 hours of volunteering, she contributed 170 hours fulfilling a volunteer position at the COVID testing labs, together with providing support to Hinckley Helpers."

Sweta's spare time is scarce at the best of times due to working in an incredibly demanding role at Loughborough University - her role became even more difficult over the last year in not only having to adapt to online learning for her students, but also providing them with much needed mental health support.

Despite this, she did not hesitate to offer support to both the COVID labs and our local community, sacrificing what little spare time (including sleeping time!) that she had.

Sweta's efforts were very much under the radar of many of our circle members as she went about this work quietly and understated, only concerned with helping others and not receiving recognition.

6

#GetInvolved

The International Story...

Femke van Raam – LCI President 2020 - 2021 So our year of empowerment with Femke came to an end but her message lives on and we will all continue to #EmpowerToGrow. Femke has had a tough year with almost no possibilities for travel however she refused to allow this to stop her from supporting every National Association virtually – some nights she would visit up to five countries with her message of unity and solidarity. Femke’s wine shop is now a familiar site to most of us and we’re sure it will not be long before she has some visitors from GB&I. Thank you Femke, for your love, understanding and most of all, your unconditional friendship.

Anna Elmqvist – LCI President 2021 – 2022 It was a smaller physical AGM than normal but that didn’t stop LCI from welcoming Anna into the Presidency. Anna unveiled her motto and her logo for the year, following on from #GirlGang and #EmpowerToGrow, we are now celebrating that we are #StrongerTogether! Anna has asked us to focus on sharing the message of Ladies Circle and to support our fellow Associations. We look forward to welcoming Anna to GB&I in February next year for our 85th Charter celebrations so we can thank her in person for her courage in continuing to serve during these strange times.

Project Crimson – International Service Project 2019 – 2021 Project Crimson is now complete and production units have been built across India to enable women to manufacture affordable sanitary products for all women. Not only did this project provide safe, fairly paid work for women in need, it has also guaranteed sanitary supplies to women and young girls in their areas – ensuring that young women are not forced to miss their education when they reach puberty. Thanks to funds raised by the Gin-gle Bell Ball, there is a unit with the NALC logo on it in Chennai.

Jood! – International Service Project 2021 – 2023 Based in Morocco this project assists and protects the homeless in that country. What began as a small initiative by one single Circle has become a national project with plans to build a centre dedicated to helping those living on the streets to find homes and employment. They help them re-skill, learn languages but most importantly they provide food, a safe place to wash clothes, medical assistance, dental care and so many more everyday things we take for granted. In Arabic the name Jood means, generous, kindness, comfort, warm, heart. Please like and follow the Facebook page to learn more about how we can help over the next two year.

LCI 2021 AGM - Switzerland & Boom The LCI AGM was a scaled back affair in person but that made no difference to the passion that was on display all day. We heard some amazing stories from some truly inspirational women including a particularly moving and empowering address from Femke van Raam on the importance of CHECKING YOUR BOOBS!! The day was always going to be particularly meaningful for NALC as we saw Alex Bennett retire from her post as Immediate Past International President and as a full member of LCI but, what we had no way of knowing was

quite how hard she had been working behind the scenes to keep a few BIG SECRETS! You see… we made GB&I history at the LCI AGM this year when NALC won the BIG THREE! Yes, our hat trick, the trinity, the holy grail of award wins…

BOOM – we see Fiona on screen being awarded with the highly coveted Charity March Award!

BOOM BOOM – we see Jessica Demain from Littleborough & Areas Ladies Circle being awarded with the International Circler of the Year Award!

FLASH BANG BOOM – Michelle is awarded with the prestigious Association of the Year Award!

No one awarded that day had any idea what was coming, Alex and her team of secret agents made it around the country to ensure that LCI got the ‘surprised’ faces on AGM day… Michelle was particularly horrified after refusing to do her make-up because, no one will be looking at me, I’m fine (frankly, we’re lucky she didn’t accept the award in her pyjamas!).

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

These awards are a testament to everything NALC achieved during this LCI year, it’s a reflection of our entire membership and our continued dedication to our founding principles of #Friendship and #Service.

Congratulations everyone xx

7

8

#GetInvolved

Special Interest Groups Whilst lockdown was not a gift AT ALL, some of our Circlers took our time at home and made lemonade… well, not ACTUAL lemonade (a few of us did develop a hardcore limoncello habit but that is another story), they created some virtual single interest communities within our Circle family.

Now, whilst not all of these groups are going to be of interest to all of our members, if they bring any measure of joy to the group members, we’re all for it because although (fingers crossed) national lockdowns are a thing of the past, having to self-isolate is going to be part of our world for a long time and these single interest groups will help those struggling with loneliness, motivation or just the opportunity to share their passion from home.

So, we say – live and let live, bring on the friendship and do it your way. It seems odd that we don’t have a gin appreciation group yet because many of us are collectors now and at the other end of the spectrum, it probably won't be long before we see a ‘Go Sober’ group develop for those of us choosing to either forgo for a spell or cut out alcohol as a lifestyle choice.

Whatever comes next, enjoy these groups if they appeal and if not… don’t worry, they will never replace our GB&I wide Members Only forum on Facebook.

From Top Left: • Baking Group • Book Group • Circle Business Network Group • Running Group • 5 Club Craft Group • Mum Club • Music Group #AlwaysLadiesCircle

9

Fun, Friendship & Fundraising For

BBC Children in Need At the end of September 2020 I became your Vice President and during a handover meeting with our newly bejewelled President, it dawned on me that all things CiN were in my remit… and the Appeal Night was only seven weeks away… cue a little panic before zoning back in and realising Michelle and the previous Exec had put a draft plan in place. Phew! Even better, a secret weapon was about to be revealed…

In a ‘normal year’ we’d have had CarFest festivals under our belt and would be about to host Countryfile rambles across GB&I as well as being poised ready for Appeal’s Day collections. But with the global pandemic

bk

sending us into various levels of lockdown this had all gone.

Enter stage right, our secret weapon AKA Jaclyn Pannell, National Secretary 2019-21, and possibly the biggest CiN fan I know! Behind the scenes, Jaclyn had been getting everything in place for virtual duck races, rounding up raffle prizes, collecting pins for a special silent auction all while bringing a sense of calm control. So when she suggested trying a virtual ramble, it was met with a resounding YES! Circlers from Troon to Enniskillen to Aberystwyth got out in the fresh air or jumped on treadmills and pledged their miles.

#GetInvolved

Even Pudsey took a stroll around StratfordUpon-Avon with Redditch Circlers.

The enthusiasm was, a bit like 2020/21, contagious and Area 20 started a squares game, Vicky Hadley held a Body Shop hamper raffle, old ‘retro’ merchandise was flogged, nurseries received tailored Pudsey videos and Sarah ‘Crochet’ Caine churned out the cutest Pudsey badges.

Meanwhile Pudsey had moved in to form a support bubble with me and was getting more and more excited as Appeal Week approached. Would the plan of a virtual activities week, streamed live on Facebook, work? There was only one way to find out…

Creative crafting run by Stephi, Past National Membership Officer from her home in Germany was a hit - followed by more hits in Michelle’s Music Quiz! Tuesday was a triumph - the youngsters showing off their brain power with a CBeebies quiz and pro-Pilates guest teacher Chloe Gray helping us control our core. Animal actions were aplenty on Wednesday as Vicky Hadley led a picture bingo game followed by Sarah Sissons taking us out for a night at the movies with a quiz. Thursday took the energy levels up a notch as Tor Scarrott and Joy from Aberystwyth turned us all

into dancing queens as we boogied to the classics. After a brief breather it was time to start searching on a home scavenger hunt.

We’d made it to the big day! Friday finished with lots of laughs on our jokes session. We had the honour of hearing from Paul Thompson, National Vice-President of RTBI and Chief Executive of Families First – North East, a charity which makes the world a much fairer place for those with additional needs, autism and disabilities and has benefited firsthand from Children in Need funding.

The summer of 2021 arrived and the last minute go ahead was given for CarFest North and South – a HUGE thank you to everyone who joined, we raised over £38,000 across the weekends. We hosted online messages, a duck race, crafting sessions and a raffle during Appeal’s Week and although it was slightly paired back as more and more in person activities were taking place it was still the perfect way for us to #GetInvolved and strengthen our corporate partnership with BBC Children In Need.

Yours In Friendship

Fiona & Pudsey “If you walked, watched, donated, danced, crafted or cheered, Pudsey says thank you!”

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

bl

Children in Need is always close to our hearts and this year we have strengthened our Corporate Partnership alongside Round Table and are now the chief co-ordinators of the Carfest Raffle, having taken over from Rotary!

Here is a small snapshot of why Carfest is the best way to spend a summer weekend doing great work with friends from across our Round Table family.

THE APPROACH TO APPEAL DAY During the next few months there are more ways you can #GetInvolved in Children in Need and once our contact has given me the yes on our fundraising packs, I’ll be able to tell you more about each: • The Rickshaw Challenge will be back and we’d love volunteers collecting along the route.

• If walking is your thing perhaps you can host a local CountryFile Ramble.

• On 19th November it’ll be Appeals day. Perhaps you could run a collection at a local station or shopping centre?

• There’s also the option for the youngsters you know/ your local school or nursery to receive a special personalised video message.

Or maybe Pudsey could visit you in person. I’ve kept his diary free from 13th to 19th November and will be driving him across the country.

As well as all of this the annual duck race will be back, led by Jaclyn Pannell, and Sarah ‘Crochet’ Caine will be busy making badges, badge packs and even hosting an online lesson with Pudsey himself!

Keep an eye out for a members email and posts in the Facebook members group with further details on all things Children in Need.

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

bn

Y L L A FIN ut'

o t u 'o Style at

e l c r i C

bo

#GetInvolved

THE

25th September 2021 • County Assembly Rooms • Lincoln

ALWAYS CIRCLE BALL

ThaNk yoU for Your SupPoRT YOUR GENEROSITY MEANS THE WORLD TO #AlwaysLadiesCircle

bp

Circle News We're back!

A round-up of news from across the country

My, Haven't We Grown?!

Since our last magazine, our family has grown and we have some very special introductions. Each of these new Circles is a marker, an act of faith in the future of Circle. Please, look for these Circles on Facebook and follow their pages, the support of the wider family makes a massive difference.

So, a massive welcome to our Circle E-Club, Harleston Ladies Circle, Wakefield Ladies Circle, Preston & South Ribble Ladies Circle and Surrey & Sussex Ladies Circle.

More Circles are moving towards their official opening date so please search on Facebook for ‘Circle Coming Soon’ and you will be able to see all the new activity across GB. If you have friends nearby, tag them and please like and follow as many of these Circles as you can. Our next Circle to officially join is expected to be Newcastle Ladies Circle which is bound to be an epic celebration full of Northern hospitality, a night not to be missed! been jumping back into community life. Here they are on an evening visit to the Chelmsford Tudor Rose Archers in August before stepping into September with two new members and three more preparing to join. Well done! #OnTarget

Bicester Ladies Circle

Bicester Ladies Circle is probably our most #Academic circle in GB&I, I think at last count they had four PHD’s between them and of course, we’re all so proud of the work Natalie Staplin did supporting the vaccine testing teams last year… but it turns out that book smarts don’t get you everywhere and they had to make do with a 2nd place in a local community quiz – despite their specialist subjects of Disney and Physics showing up! #Brainiacs

Brighouse Ladies Circle Brighouse Ladies Circle have been getting out in their community all Summer and Autumn. Our favourite post of theirs was in support of their charity partner for the year; Focus for Hope. They were helping the local Mothers Union collect second hand winter coats from birth to age 12, it’s

bq

just one small example of their work with Focus For Hope this year and really struck a great chord. September was a month to focus on friendship and mindfulness with an evening dedicated to personal care and growth, awesome prep for the coming winter months! #MakingPlans

Chelmsford Tindal Ladies Circle

Chelmsford Tindal Ladies Circle is just one of our #International Circles with an American having made her home here so their Summer kicked off in style on July 4th and since then they have

#GetInvolved

City of London Ladies Circle

City of London Ladies Circle made the most of their annual outing on the Paddington Canal this summer before hosting events in September for visiting Circlers from LC35 Dusseldorf.

Great fun was had and all in preparation for an autumn of hard work as they begin the production line for their Advent Calendar sales in aid of Rape Crisis.

Thank you so much ladies! #WomenSupportingWomen

Evesham Ladies Circle

Bromsgrove Ladies Circle Leicester Ladies Circle

Leicester Ladies Circle hosted a pizza making party during the summer with some giant versions of family games thrown in and they hosted neighbouring Circlers from Hinckley Ladies Circle too.

It’s so great so see Area 20 supporting Leicester Ladies Circle as they begin to build a great event programme for this year. #PlansWithFriends

Shirley Ladies Circle

Shirley Ladies Circle said farewell to August with a night of cake tasting and then headed into a busy Autumn.

Here they are losing (but we’re sure they did that on purpose) to Round Table at a local quiz night before the girls all headed off for a girls weekend in London where they watch Pretty Woman at the 02, had afternoon tea at the Dorchester and finished off with a Jack the Ripper tour of London! #GirlsOnTour

York Ladies Circle

Puttstars indoor golfing was the main attraction for York Ladies Circle in early September, these girls need a bit of exercise to let off steam… after all, they are all working super hard to make sure that the 85th National Charter event in February goes off without a hitch! #PartyPlanners

Bromsgrove Ladies Circle have been making the most of the summer months with so many great events including axe throwing (always good to have that skill tucked away!), hula hooping, garden BBQ, bowling, car boot sales, canoeing, bingo, crochet, funky golf and they still found time to take part in a sponsored ‘Stay Up’ to support the North Worcestershire Basement Projects – they held this event to make up for missing the Big Sleep Out and the National Stay Up during the Pandemic. Clearly youth homelessness is an important issue for these girls and we are super proud of their work! #MakeADifference

Enniskillen Ladies Circle

On Sunday 25th April, after an extended Covid delay, Enniskillen Ladies Circle finally donned their walking boots and nine members climbed 3 Fermanagh peaks in one day. No mean feat for a group of ladies more acquainted with gin than gym! But all the sweat (and maybe the odd tear!) was all worth it as they raised £2,066 for the fantastic Fermanagh Women's Aid, at least double their original fundraising target.

As ever, blown away by the support from family, friends and the local community. In addition to their massive fundraising achievement, they also had the pleasure of spending an amazing day with friends, under crystal clear blue skies surrounded by Fermanagh's beautiful outdoors. Certainly, a day they won’t forget anytime soon. Well done Enniskillen Ladies Circle!

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

Evesham Ladies Circle helped bring their community back together after lockdown with a community based Barn Dance in September. They have partnered with a local charity; Caring Hands in the Vale and the event raised £1,200 along with a lot of smiles.

Catering was carried out by the team and they used supplies from their local farm shop for the BBQ and brought home made brownies for dessert. It was a fabulous night with 41 Club joining in to run the bar for the event – a proper Round Table family example of #SideBySide. Well done on the great work everyone!

Halifax Ladies Circle

Halifax Ladies Circle getting training in on the Laserquest floor… huge Circle points for their commitment to exercise, more points for finding a stylish #GirlGang #GirlPower way to get in the extra steps and increased heartrate and even more points for looking so stylish while doing it! #Winning

Wotton Ladies Circle

The Circle always goes up to Wotton Hill once a year, near midsummer to watch the sunset over the Severn Estuary and Welsh hills, while quaffing Pimms. What a fabulous way to watch the sun set. Look at those views.

br

Circle News

a local artisan market selling Halloween treats before heading off to the Grape & Bean to support their local Round Table’s Charity Quiz night. Anyone would have thought they needed a rest after completing a climb of Mount

Llandrindod Ladies Circle

Hinckley Ladies Circle

Hinckley Ladies Circle throughout June did the Great Britain End to End Walking Challenge, so walking the distance in steps from John O’Groats to Lands End to raise money for Lamp (Leicestershire Action for Mental Health Project). Lamp supports people with mental health issues and carer’s looking after people that have a mental health condition. We visited many of the Ladies Circle’s along the way and visited a lot of different places. As well as raising funds for Lamp doing the challenge also helps us with our own mental health and wellbeing - after all walking is an excellent form of exercise and doesn’t cost a thing.

Lichfield Ladies Circle

Lichfield Ladies Circle is a pioneer once again with a new kind of ball for us all to rock out to – a Silent Disco Ball!

The event looks to be amazing with street food, a live singer and games. It’s being held at the Hub at St.Mary’s in Lichfield in aid of Headway, the brain injury association in Tamworth & Lichfield. We’re pretty sure this idea will catch on and are looking forward to seeing videos of everyone dancing in silence and trying to guess the tune! #Trailblazers

bs

Llandrindod Ladies Circle have gone from strength to strength and their return to real life has seen them induct four new members this Summer. They have a great programme for this Circling year which includes chocolate tasting in December straight after bowling and an aerial hoop class in November. Loving the variety in their programme, great work ladies! #GetInvolved

Long Eaton Ladies Circle

Funny goings on were reported in West Park, Long Eaton and we had lots of help from the local community and Beeston Round Table to hunt down the missing pumpkins and restore harmony for all.

We raised a fabulous £315 for Friends of the baby unit, Derby Royal Hospital.

Little King Arthur won the best fancy dress outfit. He had the energy, the passion and the pizzazz.

We hope this will now be a yearly community event.

Northwich Ladies Circle

Northwich Ladies Circle have been supporting positive changes in their community this Autumn with a stand at

#GetInvolved

Snowdon in the Summer to raise money for Charity World to help struggling children. They smashed their £200 target with a total raised of £870! #ClimbEveryMountain

Pocklington Ladies Circle

After a quiet couple of years, Pocklington Ladies Circle are excited to start running events once more. At 53 years old, Pocklington has a rich history of supporting the local community and bringing together friends from the area.

Our first events will be a walk among the waterlilies at Burnby Hall and a meal out. We’ll also be starting a monthly weekend coffee and catch up, every second Sunday of the month.

Southend on Sea Ladies Circle

Southend on Sea Ladies Circle has stormed back into real world Circling with a fantastic new members event that saw TEN new members join!

Now, being a Circler in Southend on Sea is pretty awesome, what with all the seafront fun to be had… not to mention the Rossi Ice Cream (President Michelle’s personal drug of choice) but we are all super keen to find out how they did so well at making these new connections!

Tamworth Ladies Circle

Tamworth is 5

This time last year we were in lockdown and only being allowed out once a day to exercise and a lot of us working from home or on furlough. We were looking forward to organising a get-together for our 5th Birthday in May 2021 thinking everything will be back to normal by then-how wrong were we!!! A year on we were still in partial lockdown and had to find another way to celebrate and raise some money for charity and on our first time out together "5k a day in May" was born. Some days were fun (one day we did it with a celebrity!) some were wet and some were sore but we did it - we have run, cycled and walked 5k every day in May raising £390 for Changes Tamworth (a local mental health charity). Mind over matter is definitely the best thing - when you don't want to do something just get on with it as it's never as bad as it seems.

LITTLEBOROUGH & AREAS LADIES CIRCLE SMASH CHARITY 8,911 MILE, 22 COUNTRY ‘TOUR DE LADIES CIRCLE’ NINE WEEKS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! Last November Littleborough & Areas Ladies Circle set off on their mammoth 2020/2021 fundraiser... an 8,911 mile walk, run, bike and hike across Europe in aid of local domestic violence charity, Talk Listen Change (TLC). The ambitious charity tour visited all of the 22 countries that Ladies Circle is active in Europe, with virtual meet ups with countries along the way.

On Sunday 22nd August, nine weeks ahead of schedule (43 weeks total), this incredible team of women completed the Tour de Ladies Circle - visiting an extra 3 destinations than planned, and extending from 8,911 miles to 10,362 miles!!

A combined team from Littleborough and Areas Ladies Circle and TLC, raised more than £1,600 for our amazing charity. This challenge raised more than just pennies, it raised our spirits during a global pandemic and a series of lockdowns, bringing us together when we couldn’t be together physically, keeping us motivated and giving us a focus and reason to get outside! We gained five new fabulous members along the way who joined the challenge team, and we’ve made so many new friends in Ladies Circle International all over Europe - including the outgoing LCI President, Femke van Raam, who has given the team an open invitation to an ‘after party’ at her wine shop in Bergen Op Zoom.

To top it off, the challenge earned Littleborough & Area Ladies Circle some amazing awards within the Ladies Circle organisation, including the Charity (most time given), Media & PR, and the International Make a Difference trophy.

A huge thank you to every member of the team for your amazing efforts and the fun, and to every person whose donated or cheered us on along the way.

The money raised has gone towards running of TLC’s services, and has funded a BBC Children in Need ‘animal therapy’ group facilitated by TLC for children affected by domestic violence.

Troon Ladies Circle

Talk, Listen, Change believe that everyone should be surrounded by a circle of safe, healthy, happy relationships in all areas of their life. TLC’s work focuses on supporting people to establish this – a key service is their domestic abuse support, with a focus on rehabilitation of perpetrators, counselling for families affected and community projects.

Troon Ladies Circle have made the most of their October with a day of volunteering at the Prestwick Oval Junior Parkrun followed by a trip to see the new 007 film a few days later – clearly they are taking the advice of Mr Craig very seriously; “The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.

I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”

Great work ladies! #WorkHardPlayHard

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

bt

2021-2022

Meet Your National Council The National Council is made up of the Area Chair from each Area within NALC, we currently have 17 Areas and Councillors. Your National Councillors for this Circling year are: Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Area 7 Area 13 Area 20 Area 21 Area 25

Kat Seymour Stephanie Howells Michelle May Hartley Alice Watts Sharneigh Brown Dawn Toma Stacey Humphries Stephanie Holzhuter Anne Belcher

Area 27 Area 28 Area 30 Area 33 Area 35 Area 41 Area 46 Area 51

Lindsey Leach Vanessa Duke Jen Harknett Nicola Trubridge Nicola Adair Kirsti Smith Lindsey-Anne Richards Paula Goodrum

It is a huge honour to represent an Area on the National Council but it is also a huge responsibility. Your Council has a duty to hold the National Exec to account, to listen to the reports prepared and delivered and ask the questions that need to be asked. Your National Councillor must take the information given and feed it back to her Area with as much detail as possible, they must also come to Council Meetings prepared to give guidance to the National Exec on what the membership (YOU) want to see prioritised . Your Councillor can only succeed in these tasks with engagement from her Area, so please attend your Area meetings, get to know your Area Chair and talk openly about the Circle you want to see.

THE SEPTEMBER COUNCIL MEETING – 25th September 2021

Our first in-person Council Meeting in 18 months and it was so very meaningful for lots of reasons, so many of our Councillors haven’t met before in person and for some members this was their first National event ever! Business was done, reports were delivered and traditions were honoured. We also had the chance to hear from our new LCI President and from the Presidents of Tangent, 41 Club and Round Table. We also had a workshop event to discuss representation at Council Meetings; the Area system served us well when numbers were larger and technology not as reliable as it is now and so this discussion was well timed. Ideas for the future include some form of Proportional Representation or a ‘one member – one vote’ system via Circler.World. All notes from the workshop session will be shared with the meeting minutes so please look out for this and let your Area Chair know your thoughts.

FEBRUARY COUNCIL MEETING – 26th February 2022 The February Council Meeting is being held at the Scarborough Spa building on the cliff. Feel free to Google the lift up the cliff #DutchCourageRequired

ck

#GetInvolved

RAPE CRISIS Before I take this opportunity to introduce Rape Crisis to you for the first time in a Circler magazine, I have to start with a huge thank you. Hopefully you have all had the chance to see the presentations made at the AGM and know that between you all, more than £10,000 was raised by Ladies Circle for Rape Crisis in just six months!

It’s hard to put into writing just what this money means, what can be achieved with it and just how many women will benefit from it… but hopefully these figures from Rape Crisis England and Wales will give you an idea; in the year 2019-2020: • 66,045 people accessed Rape Crisis services • 775,447 sessions of specialist support were provided in local Rape Crisis Centres • 194,881 people were supported on the national helpline

Charity 2020 -2022

My awesome charity team have set up a document that shows you where your closest Rape Crisis centre is, it also gives you all the contact information you need. So please, make a friend of your local Rape Crisis Centre… they really need this. You can find this document on our members Facebook page, on Circler World and on my Presidential website – www.nalc2020.co.uk.

One cost free way to help from your own home is to support these organisations online. Please visit their social media accounts and follow / like them. It helps them reach a wider audience and it helps you see the progress they are making because of your support.

Every penny you raise, every connection you make and every account you support makes a difference. Please do consider holding one fundraiser this year, please invite me, please invite your local centre… more than one in 20 women in GB&I has been the victim of rape or sexual assault – this ratio is higher among women aged 18-45. We are the oldest and still the broadest network for young women in GB&I, this is our cause and the time has come to #GetInvolved and change things for the better.

In addition to the services and support that Rape Crisis provide, these groups are the public face of campaigns for improved survivor rights, they fight for better prevention measures and ultimately for a safer GB&I for every woman.

There is no better way to raise the profile of women’s safety than for us to speak with one voice… this is our chance to be part of the solution.

SO, HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Some of these Centres have fundraising officers on staff but many cannot afford it, they often need a hand with either promoting an event or just advice on how best to set up an event. You have the expertise to help here, so please do reach out to your local centre and see if they need a hand.

President's

Sometimes they run short of biscuits, cushions, tea bags… sometimes they need to find a local tradesman. We have local networks that we can open up to these Centres, every penny they save is a penny more they can spend on supporting women at the worst time of their lives.

There is a huge demand for this support but unlike other victim support services, almost all financial provision for Rape Crisis comes from private individuals and not for profit organisations and association just like us. All the services that Rape Crisis organisations provide are free of charge for all survivors. What you have all achieved so far is amazing, you’re helping women break free from what can be a life limiting cycle. The work being done by Ladies Circle this year is helping transform victims of rape & sexual assault into SURVIVORS of rape & sexual assault.

These three charities support a network of independent and member Rape Crisis centres across the UK. They deliver confidential and specialised care to survivors of rape & sexual violence. These units love nothing more than to make local connections, there are simple ways that your local Circle can help these teams.

NALC

If you need any help from the Charity Team, email Vanessa at charity@nalc2020.co.uk and she will be happy to help.

Thank you so much, Yours in friendship #Always

Michelle x

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

cl

MONEY MONEY MONEY WHAT CAN YOUR MONEY DO?

HOW ELSE CAN YOU GET INVOLVED

Many Rape Crisis centres receive little or no Government funding and so there is a heavy reliance of volunteers and donations across the whole Rape Crisis network.

Your money will be used in different ways across different centres but here are just some examples of how money could be spent:

£25 – this could buy five sensory boxes

for Survivors. These sensory boxes can be used by survivors as part of a ‘grounding technique’ which can help when experiencing frightening and all to frequent flashbacks and nightmares.

£50-£75 – this could pay for one hour of counselling for a survivor with a specially trained BACP accredited counsellor.

“I want to do more than fundraise… what else can I do to help?”

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence and abuse. They are significantly more likely to be repeat victims of sever violence and sexual abuse.

Raising awareness of the issues of rape, sexual violence and gender inequalities can be every bit as valuable as raising much needed money.

If you are interested in raising awareness and being a part of the change you want to see, we recommend building your understanding of the issues faced by women and girls in the UK. You can do this by checking out the websites of our three national charities as well as some other key contributors that are supporting women and striving for equality in the UK:

Womens Aid – www.womensaid.org.uk Refuge – www.refuge.org.uk

£100-£150 – this could pay for one person to complete a Rape Crisis volunteer training programme, increasing the number of trained volunteers available to support survivors.

Imkaan – www.imkaan.org.uk Rosa – www.rosauk.org

£250-£500 – this could pay for a

half day of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training for existing staff and volunteers so that they are better equipped to support survivors with complex needs.

The Fawcett Society – www.fawcettsociety.org.uk Let’s be clear, Circle is a non-sectarian non-partypolitical organisation and that’s important. It’s not that we don’t care about each other’s politics or faith, it’s that it doesn’t change how we see and treat each other. The right for women to live safely in our communities isn’t radical, equality isn’t feminist and it’s not a zero sum equation, more rights for women doesn’t mean fewer rights for men, it’s not pie… mmmm pie.

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION, DEBATE IS NEVER BAD. NOTHING EMPOWERS WOMEN MORE THAN BEING WELL INFORMED.

cm

#GetInvolved

REASONS TO BE HOPEFUL It’s very easy to look the other way when people talk about Rape Crisis, but here is what has been achieved during 2020 & 2021 thanks to the support from Associations like ours…

• F ound ways to offer group work online, so women and girls could continue to have a sense of community and solidarity • Developed new services such as the ‘walk and talk’ counselling & therapy • Ensured that women with learning difficulties and autism could continue to deliver their specialist training and be empowered to gain qualifications • Bought phones and laptops for asylum-seeking and trafficked women and provided them with tech support so they could continue having access to services • Employed Independent Sexual Violence Advisors or Advocates (ISVAs) who continued to enter courts and police stations to support survivors and victims, at great personal risk

Over 1.1million survivors were assisted by Rape Crisis in just England & Wales during the 2020-21 year, this was an increase of 41% on the previous twelve months and shows why the service is so critical… but whilst this number could be seen as a devastating statistic, it is also a massive sign of strength. Women are speaking out when they are experience assault and they are accessing the right services.

Everyone in the Rape Crisis Network has been a legit hero during this pandemic and Rape Crisis England & Wales have released a report on a variety of experiences across the country with case studies from Kent, Bradford & Cornwall in addition to contributions from Yorkshire, the East of England, Birmingham, London, the North East and the North West – and I really hope some of you are nosy enough to have a quick read through. It really is so empowering to see how women across England & Wales are taking control, finding solutions and changing lives.

The report is dedicated to all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, rape and all forms of sexual violence, and to the women of the Rape Crisis movement.

It’s dedicated to the counsellors, therapists, helpline and other frontline workers who have had to make compromises and brought trauma and distress into their homes through remote working. To all the workers who have continued to provide in-person services, putting aside concerns for themselves.

It’s dedicated to the ISVAs and advocacy workers who have continued to be in court, in police stations, and who are supporting victims and survivors through a system that is too often failing to deliver justice and often causing further harm.

It’s dedicated to all the managers, directors and CEOs who have had to make daunting and difficult decisions in the face of so many unknowns, and who hold the weight of so much responsibility.

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

Women taking the lead!

To the back office, operational, training, and finance women for keeping Centres and services running against all the odds.

It’s dedicated to all the volunteers and supporters, without whom none of this would be achieved. Dedication THANK YOU ALL for your courage, resilience, innovation and compassion. We acknowledge your struggles and honour your incredible achievements.

You can access the report by visiting

https://holdingittogether. rapecrisis.org.uk You can also access some great information from survivors at www.survivorstories.co.uk – some of these are challenging to read but the overall sense of women taking back their sense of identity, their power, their lives is really inspiring.

If anyone ever feels like they need to talk or share, I can’t promise you I have the answers but I can promise, you will have my belief.

Someone said to me once, I can’t give a survivor anything that matters more than being believed.

Love & friendship Always, Michelle xx

cn

We Are Family Hello Circlers Hoping that you are enjoying more normality in Circle and life in general - Tangent have been enormously impressed with your online activities which have helped you all to keep in touch and continue doing what you do best - fun, friendship and fundraising!

Your Tangent sisters have also embraced Zoom for online activities, including a 24 hour ‘Bakeathon’ raising funds for my chosen charity for this year - Crisis, we were delighted to be joined by President Michelle and several Circlers for some serious (and not so serious) baking!. We plan to continue with some online events and our next is a gin tasting on 10 November and wait for it…. a pantomime in December!

My theme this year is ‘Celebrating the Past – Shaping the Future’. Tangent is celebrating its 50th Anniversary and you in Circle your 85th. We both have plenty to celebrate, 50 glorious years of friendship, too many good times to remember and huge amounts of funds raised for charities and good causes. We celebrated with a lunch for 350 friends in September and I look forward to joining you in February for your big celebration.

We will share precious memories, catch up with old friends and make new ones. I am keen that Tangent also thinks about its future - your future - and we are trying to ensure that we will be attractive and relevant to new members. I have been seeking thoughts to be able to put together an outline plan for our future and will be sharing this soon – it’s never too late of course to contribute and I would of course love to hear from Circle members……. president@tangent-clubs.org We have already taken some steps towards shaping our future including a new website to act as our shop window and support our members – do check it out (we’ve worked hard on it and are very pleased with the results).

You may also have heard that we have given notice to leave TCI from 30 March 2022 as we have been unsuccessful in changing a rule which effectively discriminates against members who were not Circlers or partners of Tablers. We held a Special General Meeting in September to discuss the way forward and members decided that we should leave. The discussions made it clear that whilst members would miss the friendships and opportunities TCI provide, they could not live with the inequality created for our Association.

Though it hasn’t been the year I had hoped for, I am delighted to be out and about and have enjoyed seeing Michelle and Fiona at several events and meeting lots of you at your Council Meeting and Michelle’s Hallow and Horcrux Ball – looking forward to seeing more of you all over the next 6 months.

Your friend Tracey Tangent National President 2021-2022

co

#GetInvolved

We are proud to be part of the Round Table Four-Club Family - if you are over 18, we have a place for you.

Read on for messages from the National Presidents for 2021/22.

Every new ‘Table Year’ is accompanied by excitement, opportunity and a new vision and it’s my distinct pleasure share with you, our Ladies Circle sisters, our theme for this year which celebrates our awesome Round Table community.

There is much synergy between the above aims and the energy which radiates from Ladies Circle.

In particular, the last point aims to celebrate the special relationship and ensure that the bonds of friendship are strengthened.

There is a short Chinese proverb, which reads :

However I ask, what does community mean to you ?

• If your vision is for a year, plant wheat • If your vision is for ten years, plant trees • If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people

For me, community is about belonging.

As humans, as mammals, we crave to belong and be accepted. Through this belonging and acceptance, we are happy.

Rooted in Community does exactly that. It’s a vision for a lifetime and is a continuance of the shared vision of all presidents, throughout my time on the board. It builds upon those successes. It aims to change cultures, attitudes and hearts through planting seeds, cultivating ideas and growing communities.

Community is a bunch of people looking after each other. When a bunch of people see each other, look after each other and take the time to really enter into relationship with each other, then it will derive an end result. This end result is a sort of joyfulness.

Our goals are to: • Celebrate the impact of Round Table in our local community • Recognise and embrace the community of our own Round Table • Share, learn and influence within our Round Table community

You can be happy alone. You win a game, you get a promotion, you feel big about yourself. Happiness is the expansion of self.

Joy is the merger of self. It's the kind of thing that happens when you forget where you end and something else begins.

The landscape for us within the Round Table family has changed dramatically due to COVID, we are closer than ever to our fellow Associations and our new found closeness to our #GrumpyUncles in 41 Club. Under Peter Good’s Presidency and with the support of his forward thinking board, they launched 41 Club Connects during lockdown.

This was a series of regular and varied online events with well known speakers, popular topics and fun activities, they made these events free to access with some purchase options for cooking / tasting evenings and they invited the rest of the Round Table Family.

It’s at that point, you become a community.

But we must also remember that the strength of community is when the power is in the hands of all of its members.

It’s being said a lot now that we live in strange times and our movements are facing the most challenging situation since the Second World War. However, in true Table and Circle style, we are rising to these challenges.

And we are doing so, because we are a community and that’s what communities do.

But it should not be all serious and we should embrace the fun. We are all itching to get back to our soap box races, firework displays, beer festivals and general naughtiness. Its now time to ‘scratch that itch’ and get back to doing what we all do best – serving our communities.

Paul Thompson National President RTBI 2021-2022

Thanks to this, connections have been made at all levels between Ladies Circle and 41 Club and we are determined to maintain this closeness in the following years.

41 Club’s work in making connections and supporting their members has been a beautiful thing to watch and their most recent initiative is probably the best one yet – their ‘Buddyline’ phone line. Open 7 days a week from 10am to 10pm, a phone line is operated on an anonymous basis for any 41 Club member who needs someone to talk to. No pressure, no expectations… just the hand of friendship being extended. We’re so proud of our 41 Club, finding out how wonderful they are is one of the best things to come out of lockdown and living online.

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

cp

INTRODUCING OUR FIRST BRAND AMBASSADOR – FREYA LEVY...

It was an absolute honour to welcome Freya as our first Brand Ambassador at our online AGM in May of 2021, introduced to us by Jaclyn Pannell who works with Freya as a mentor with DHL we fell in love with her, her story… everything – and that’s before we found out that her mum and dad were in Circle and Table when Freya was young. #MeantToBe! Here is a brief introduction to this amazing girl who has faced more challenges in her life so far than many of us face in our whole lives. Her attitude to misfortune is inspiring, her warmth and her optimism are infectious and cannot wait for her to meet you all in person.

A true sportsfan Freya has a background in women’s football and rugby, as well as wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball. Driven to compete at a high level Freya was a member of the GB U25 team who brought home the squad’s first European Gold medal. She now competes at international level in three different sports.

As well as representing GB at the U25 World Championships, Freya was

CHEER FREYA ON! Freya is currently a player for the East London Phoenix in the first professional women’s wheelchair basketball premier league and her fixtures are:

cq

due to head out to the Six Nations as the only female team member of the England Wheelchair Rugby 7’s squad. However, their tournament was cancelled. We have high hopes of Freya playing in the England Knights Rugby League team against France on 12th November! Freya is a bit of a unicorn right now as the only female on both the England Rugby 7s and Rugby League squads… pretty impressive!

On top of this, Freya also plays Para Ice Hockey with the Great British Women’s Team. When not playing sports, Freya takes part in the Young Leaders Programme headed up by Michael Johnson where she works as a mentor for future leaders, she is also the star of a new advertising campaign by giants DHL so, expect to see Freya on your TV in the near future!

Her ultimate sporting ambition is to dream as big as possible with summer and winter Paralympics as the ultimate goal.

Freya has not always been disabled, she was diagnosed suddenly with FSH Muscular Dystrophy at 14. She was already a promising talent in both Rugby and football before her diagnosis and, in inspiring form chose to pursue a career in disability sports.

Freya credits former GB Paralympian Ann Wild, as the biggest influence on her sporting career stating ‘She’s just an incredible athlete and such a great person to be around with a heart of gold.’

If any Circle would like to invite Freya to an event either online or in the real world, please reach out via our IPP Lindsay Pickard who will be managing Freya’s diary with her.

Lindsay's email is ipp@ladiescircle. co.uk Freya is a passionate advocate of Panathlon, a national charity which gives thousands of young people with disabilities and special education needs every year the opportunity to take part in competitive sport.

Please follow Freya on social media and help her by sharing her stories of working with Panathlon.

FACEBOOK Freya.Levy INSTAGRAM @FreyaLevy TWITTER @FreyaLevy

Freya recently joined us and spoke at our September Council Meeting & the Presidential Ball and (sporting commitments permitting) will be joining us for the February Council Meeting and the 85th Charter celebrations. Please take any opportunity to welcome Freya to the Round Table Family, we have high hopes that this partnership will be long and full of friendship.

FRIDAY 28TH JANUARY – Home against Cardiff Met Archers @ 7pm

SATURDAY 5TH MARCH – Home against Loughborough Lightning @ 4:30pm

SATURDAY 30TH APRIL – Home against Cardiff Met Archers @ 1pm

SATURDAY 12TH FEBRUARY – Home against Loughborough Lightning @ 4:30pm

SATURDAY 19TH MARCH – Away against Cardiff Met Archers @ 1pm

SATURDAY 19TH FEBRUARY – Home against Worcester Wolves @ 4:30pm

SUNDAY 3RD APRIL – Away at Worcester Wolves @ 11am tbc

These fixtures go live on the 9th November with links to tickets, the home venue is the University of East London (just by city airport).

SATURDAY 9TH APRIL – Away at Loughborough Lightning @ 6pm

If you are planning to attend any game, please let Ellie know so she can update Freya.

SATURDAY 26TH FEBRUARY – Away against Worcester Wolves @ TBC

#GetInvolved

Membership Meeting Dates As happy as we are to be out again, we’re not walking away from the virtual gains we have experienced. For the remainder of this Circling year at least, we will be holding quarterly Membership Forums and New Member Chats.

The membership forums will discuss all issues surrounding membership; where the value lies, what it needs to include, how we can improve our experience as members, how we can build a larger membership base and how we approach those difficult topics such as the age rule and capitation.

The New Member Chats are a great place for those newer members among us to meet a mix of existing members to hear about their experiences, ask questions in a frank and friendly environment and learn more about the opportunities open to them outside of their own local Circle.

Decisions are made by those who show up, if you want to be part of the future membership strategy then come along and share your thoughts.

#AlwaysLadiesCircle

cr

WANT TO TAKE 'CIRCLER' ONLINE? CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA FIND OUR FREE MAGAZINE LIBRARY ON ISSUU FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

ISSUU

THE BEST SOCIAL NETWORK FOR YOUNG WOMEN

Interested in finding out more?

Your nearest Circle is:

Contact them here:

Visit www.ladiescircle.co.uk for more details