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Soroptimist International of Douglas (IOM) was formed in January 1952, and received its Charter in April the same year. The President's badge illustrated above is made up of the Soroptimist logo, the national symbol of the Isle of Man, the three legs and an enamel insert featuring theTower of Refuge which stands on a rock at the entrance to Douglas harbour.
The Regional President presented the club with a gavel at the first Charter Dinner and a year later the Rotary Club of Douglas presented the club with a plinth for the gavel.
Another gift which was given to the club when it was chartered was a silver vase. This was given by Margaret Christian, a Manx lady who was President of the Accrington Club in Lancashire. It was her wish that the vase be filled with gorse and be set on the top table at each future Charter Dinner. This still happens, and each year a club member is given the task of collecting the gorse which in the spring clothes the hedges of the Island with its golden bloom.
In the club's early years when public authority housing was not as good as it is today, the club decided to give support to the tenants in houses provided for widows and spinsters. Visits were made every two weeks and food distributed. Each year the tenants were taken on an outing.
In 1955 it was decided to work towards buying a house and converting it into accommodation for ladies of limited means. Fund raising began in earnest and by 1963 there was sufficient money in the House Fund to allow members to start looking for a suitable property. With the help of a member who was a builder, a house was found and a mortgage arranged. Then a miracle occurred. The builder was approached by the Coal Board which was looking for a property it could use to demonstrate a central heating system. It was agreed the Board could have the use of the house for a month on completion of the conversion work. I n order that the heating system could be shown off to its best advantage the Board then carpeted the whole house and supplied all the curtains and light fittings which the club subsequently bought for a nominal sum. The only thing left for the club to buy was fridges for the 7 tenants. Soroptimist House was run as a viable business for the next 20 years until following the introduction of new fire and flats regulations, coupled with increased local authority and private sheltered accommodation, it was decided to sell the house. The proceeds of the sale were invested and the interest on the investment is distributed annually to benefit local charities.
The Douglas Club has close links with the North West of England and is one of the 22 clubs which make up the Region of North West England and the Isle of Man. On two occasions, once in 1971 and again in 1984, Douglas has played host to the North West of England and South Lancs Joint Regional Conferences. However, The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom. In 1966 a request was made that the Manx Flag be flown at Conferences but was unsuccessful. It was 25 years later that Soroptimist International recognized the Island as a separate country and the "Three Legs" joined the other national flags at Conference.
At the start of its 50th Anniversary Year the husband of the late Sheila Shimmin, who was one of the Douglas Club's founder members, presented the Club with a new President's Chain of Office. Sheila had made arrangements for the chain to be made before her death and when accepting the chain, members were asked to look upon it as a gift from Sheila not in memory of her. The old chain is to be framed for display, and bars bearing the name of each future President will be added to the frame, as the new chain is a dress chain.
Looking to the future, SI of Douglas continues to give service within the Soroptimist International Programme Areas at both local, national and international level.
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