THE INSPIRATIONAL stories of women have helped to raise thousands for a life-saving Rugby charity.
An audience of 90 joined Leamington Spa Soroptimists’ inaugural Raise Up Conference to hear from leading lights in the worlds of business and charity in the region.
The event, which spotlighted the stories of 11 women – touching on physical and mental health challenges, bullying, addiction, grooming, misogyny and physical abuse – raised £2,300, most of which will fund a defibrillator for The OurJay Foundation.
The charity raises awareness of the importance of publicly accessible defibrillators and provides training in life-saving skills – and has so far installed over 190 defibrillators across Warwickshire and beyond.
It was founded by Rugby woman Naomi Rees-Issitt following her son Jamie’s death from a cardiac arrest four years ago, when he was just 18.
Since then, she has achieved huge national awareness with her campaigning – and it is her ambition to have defibrillators installed on every street corner in the country.
Naomi said: “We’d just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took park in the Raise Up Conference.
“We hope we can get a location sorted very soon for this accessible defibrillator to be installed.
“It’s truly amazing how everyone came together to raise the funds for the defibrillator and we look forward to getting it installed and emergency-ready for another community.”
The event is the passion project of podcaster, author and Soroptimists President Catherine Williamson.
She said: “Since our inception just 15 months ago, we’ve been dedicated to making a difference, not just through our fundraising efforts for women-focused charities, but also by actively engaging in our community. Hosting this conference was a natural step in our journey.
“We pushed forward with a vision to create something special. That vision became a reality as 11 inspiring women took to the stage to ‘Raise Up’ their voices, delivering powerful messages to over 90 attendees. The energy in the room was incredible, and we were thrilled to see 36 places sponsored by other women for women.
“This conference aimed to provide attendees with inspiration, hope and practical insights through the personal experiences of our speakers. It shone a light on how we can triumph over adversity; our speakers’ stories raising up our own lives with insights, hope, wit and wisdom.”
Visit www.ourjay.org.uk for more information about The OurJay Foundation, and www.soroptimistinternational.org for more on the Soroptimists.
