spring 2014
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Newsletter Title Nottingham Women’s Centre
Tel: 0115 941 1475
Website: www.nottinghamwomenscentre.com
Spring 2014
From Mel’s Desk 2
2014 Fundraising
Frenzy
3
Year of Adventure 4
RENEW 6
WoLAN 7
Staff Spotlight 10
Membership
Update
12
What’s On? 15
Inside this issue:
More pictures inside...
P P A G E 2
“The WoLAN
event filled
me with
pride and
gratitude for
the many
women who
have given
their time ,
talents and
passions to
the Centre”
International Women’s Day is a key date in our calendar and this year we celebrated women throughout March. We started the month with the WoLAN exhibition launch at the library and a well attended celebration event at the Council House. It was great to see so many women at both events – women from our past, present
and future. The event filled me with pride and grati-tude to the many women who have given their time, talents and passions over the years to help to make this one of the most successful women’s centres in the country. We then welcomed Dawn Penn to Nottingham and heard her story, before she (and other women) en-tertained us long into the night. The next day, we took a coach to the Million Women Rise march in London. Marches and demos like this are vitally im-portant in terms of increasing awareness of the work still to be done, as well as developing the strength and confidence of women to raise their voices. We didn’t stop there. More WoLAN events followed, including a brilliant spoken word event, Silence the Violence. We also hosted a craft fair which was an opportunity for women to showcase their creative talents. After the excitement of March we’re now focusing on our next big project – renovating the library. This is a space I feel very passionate about and the changes will serve two purposes – to create more space and put us a step closer to a fully functional women’s library and feminist space in the Centre. I really hope you like what we create.
From Mel’s Desk….
2014 Fundraising Frenzy P A G E 3
The last six months have been the busiest of months, with respect to event fundraising with over 200 people in attendance - raising over £1000. In March, we organised three successful fundraising events in partnership with local businesses in Not-tingham - the Dawn Penn gig with Reggae Takeo-ver, our Mother’s Day crafts fair by Paragon Jewel-lery and Silence the Violence.
We also launched our first challenge event fund-raising campaign, Year of Adventure (@2014YOA) and now have over forty participants including our Staff: Centre Manager Melanie Jeffs (skydiving), Zaimal Azad (skydiving), Kate Rand, Karen Feely, and Tara Gent (firewalking). A friend of Nottingham Women’s Centre, Sian Steans also went bald for Nottingham Women’s Centre and Everyday Victim Blaming (EVB) on Twitter – raising over £200 (#baldsian) within a few hours!
If you have any ideas for future fundraising events or want to help with the admin/event management aspect, please contact us – we’d love to hear from you.
- Olumide Adisa, Fundraising and Marketing Coordinator
Year of Adventure news!
Skydiving - 6th September, Firewalking - 25th October
Great news! Lillian Greenwood MP and songstress, Nadia Latoya have recently joined the campaign to firewalk for us!
Please support our brave fundraisers via localgiving.com by searching for Nottingham Women’s Centre or via the links on page 5.
All-women firewalking experts, BLAZE on board to help us achieve
firewalking success
In keeping with our feminist ethos and to ensure that our first historic firewalk takes place at Notting-ham Women’s Centre, all-women fireteam BLAZE will be conducting the firewalk – they bring on board over two decades of firewalking experience and of working with women as well as ample insurance for every participant (if needed).
Check them out: (http://www.blazefirewalking.com/)
Lastly, there is still time to join the firewalk – we ask that you raise a minimum of £100 -£150 though (not a lot, but it does add up if more women participate so please do join us). The firewalk is proving to be quite popular, so please book now to avoid missing out! Email: [email protected] to sign up or for more information.
P P A G E 4
YEAR OF ADVENTURE
2014
Join our fire-
walk!
When: 25th Oct
2014
NWC Staff Rises to the Challenge ...
Our staff is joining in our Year of Adventure with Zaimal and Mel doing the skydive and Karen and Kate doing the fire walk—here is why they are doing it and how you can support them! Message from Zaimal, Kate and Karen: ‘For us who work here, NWC is a home and a fam-ily and we love every minute of it. For all these rea-sons and more, we are rising to the challenge, and skydiving and firewalking to raise money for the Centre. Please support us by giving what you can to ensure that we can continue to do what we do best - help women achieve amazing things!’ Support them here: http://localgiving.com/fundraising/nwc
Message from Mel: ‘I love my job. In fact, I love my job so much that I'm prepared to jump out of a plane to support it!
As the Centre Manager of Nottingham Women's Centre, I see the impact that we make every day. Our strap line is 'Helping women achieve amaz-ing things' and I truly believe that we do this - and I'm prepared to do something amazing myself to show it.’ Support her here: http://localgiving.com/fundraising/meljeffs
P A G E 5
New Fundraiser - Hollie Harvey
As someone who love circus arts I could not think of a better challenge than a fire walk and what makes it better is I am doing it for a good cause
Every little helps, so plz help this little lady help lots of other ladies in Nottingham :) Support her here: http://localgiving.com/fundraising/hlharvey
RENEW stands for Re-energised, Networked and Empow-ered Women. This is a project funded by the Big Lottery Fund to help women to improve their mental health, well-being and confidence through counselling, groupwork and activities. Emma & Linda are the Project Co-ordinators. In the early stages of this project we have focused on building our team, setting up systems and laying the foundations for the project. We have recruited two new sessional therapists - Sam & Nikki to run the Women’s Empowerment Groups. We have also recruited two new volunteer counsellors and hope to recruit more shortly.
RENEW— Who are we?
RENEW Activities Programme We held taster sessions for Singing, Arts &
Crafts, and ’Help Yourself to More Happiness’ for International Women’s Day week and
received lots of positive feedback.
More activities are currently being planned - watch this space for more details!
RENEW Coffee Mornings
Come and find out more about Renew, have a chat, meet new
friends. Wednesdays, from 21st May
10am-12pm
P A G E 6
NEW!
“Forty plus women have been interviewed for WoLAN; the mould-breakers and sturdy spirits who laid the foundations for
women’s liberation in Nottingham.”
How time flies when you are having fun! Time has been skydiving since WoLAN (Women’s Libera-tion and After in Nottingham) started as have the decades since Nottingham’s trailblazers, free-spirits and way-ward daughters cut the strings which bound them to the roles and con-vention of a society that for thousands of years has classed women as second-class citizens.
We have been preserving this history of the precious resource which is Nottingham Women’s Centre, on the WoLAN project at Nottinghamshire Archives, with interviews, films and the exhibition which ran through March.
Events included our launch event at the Council House on March 1st where we celebrated the project and Lord Mayor Merlita Bryan present-ed medals to women for their Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Lib-eration.
Other events included Roll Over Gender Roles workshop, Grandmother What Big Dreams You Have in honour of older women and Janet Rose with her Wise Woman Shikhat Moroccan Dance. Silence the Violence, a spoken word event, was a huge hit and our History Walk organised by Rose Ashurst , Emily Zinkin and the Playback Drama Group brought to life key events from Nottingham Women’s Liberation. .com
WoLAN whizzes on!
P A G E 7
Find out more on the WoLAN website: www.wolannottingham.wordpress.com
WOLAN CELEBRATION P A G E 8
© Jae Austin Photography
P A G E 9
... And our
IWD 2014 events!
Organisations that care We remain eternally grateful to all our partners and volun-
teers who co-organised these events with us and/or donated raffle prizes:
* Reggae Takeover * Paragon Jewellery *
*Lush Nottingham * New Creations * Boots *
HI I am Yvonne Hunt and I am the Office and Finance Administrator. I have been here 8 months now and my how time flies. I am really enjoying my role and work-ing with some great hard working women. Getting to grips with the systems and organising things in between sorting out the front door, (don’t mention the door), and other building issues of which there are numerous. I think I have fitted in well and seem to be quite popular at certain times of the month, normally the week leading up to payday! A bit about me – I am from an Army background, born in Germany and have lived in Singapore. I love to travel, the further the better. We really enjoy going to the Far East especially Malaysia and hope our next jaunt will be to Vietnam and Cambodia. I am very sociable and really enjoy a night out with the girls (bit of an exaggeration as we are all now in our 50’s but still very young at heart)!! We have a weekend away each year which is great fun. My other half also goes away with the lads so it works really well – especially as then I get control of the remote and a sport free weekend - heav-en!
Staff Spotlight: Yvonne Hunt
P A G E 1 0
THANK YOU!
My dream from childhood has been to become an artist, not just any artist, but 'The' artist by winning the 'Turner prize' by Tate gallery, London. But life didn't go to plan, and one drunken new years eve at 17 and homeless, I fell pregnant, I forgot about my dreams and ambi-tions. Years later, after many ups and downs and being at a very low self-esteem, I was accepted into the 'Sir John Cass Centre for art' where I created Patricia 2, moulded and cast from my own body, to portray me as 'The' artist . ..... Read the full story here: http://www.nottinghamwomenscentre.com/the-story-of-patricia-2-by-patricia-lewis/
P A G E 1 1
We aim to provide a professional and supportive en-vironment to help you find a job. You are welcome to attend whatever your circumstances, our service is free and confidential. We offer help and advice
on all aspects of getting a job — from an initial discussion of your requirements to CV writing, job searching, job applications and inter-view practice. We have computers that you can use, and also provide support using the computer, setting up an email account if needed and with printing. Job club is friendly, supportive and successful. If you need help getting started with a first job or back into work after a break then please come along.
Have you tried our Job Club?
Tuesdays
10am—12pm
The Story of Patricia 2....by Patricia Lewis
A message to our members ….. You will be pleased to know that we are revamping our membership scheme to ensure that we are offering you the best possible experience and the opportunity to have a greater impact on the work that we do at the Women’s Centre.
We are now offering a package to all our members. If you were a member last year, you can now renew to con-tinue to be an ordinary member or a supporter of Notting-ham Women’s Centre. As a supporter you will be able to make regular donations as you wish and you get to tell us which service at Nottingham Women’s Centre you want your money to support. However, you can continue to be an ordinary member, which entitles you to attendance at AGM and consultation events only. Please state your preference by indicating your choice on the enclosed form.
For more information, please email
[email protected] or speak to Olumide on 0115 941 1475 Ext 212 if you would like to discuss further.
We hope that you will continue to help us raise aware-ness of our cause, please invite your friends and family to be friends of Nottingham Women’s Centre. Thanks again for all your support and we look forward to a fruitful membership year!
P A G E 1 2
What to do next? To join or renew your membership on these new terms,
please fill and return the enclosed membership form, includ-ing your contribution of £10 (£5 students/OAPs, £2 un-waged)- please do not send cash by post. Cheques
should be written out to ‘Nottingham Women’s Centre’ and returned to us at: Nottingham Women’s Centre, 30 Chaucer
Street, Nottingham, NG1 5LP or pop in to pay by cash.
Here are some of the benefits we will be offering to supporters: A special quarterly email to keep you abreast of
events/how your money is being spent. Free attendance at our annual supporters’ celebration
event Discounts on room hire bookings at Nottingham
Women’s Centre
Invitations to community events to represent Nottingham Women’s Centre
Free advertisement of your event at Nottingham Women’s Centre on our new LCD display in the welcome space
Free advertisement space in our newsletter Attendance at our AGM and consultation events
Opportunity to write directly to our Board of Trustees to share your ideas on how we could improve service delivery
Negotiated discounts/offers with local business partners (Note: negotiated discounts/offers will be offered as the opportunity arises, so it is not a guaranteed benefit)
Why should I be a supporter?
P A G E 1 3
We are an Ofsted registered Daycare open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Our prices start at £9 per session and we offer discounts to those on income support and job seekers allow-ance. We are a registered provider of the Early Learning Pro-gramme which means that you may be able to access 15 hours of free childcare for your two year old. To be entitled to a FREE place, you must have one or more of the following benefits or qualifying criteria:
Income Support Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit Child Tax Credit and have an annual income not over
£16,190
Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Child is looked after by the Local Authority (e.g. foster care)
From April 2014, you will also be eligible if: You receive working Tax Credits and earn no more than
£16,190 a year or if the child: Has a current statement of special educational needs
(SEN) or an education, health and care plan
Attracts Disability Living Allowance
Has left care through special guardianship or an adoption or residence order
For more information call us at 0115 941 1475 or email: [email protected]
P A G E 1 4
FREE Childcare for Two Year Olds —
Is your child eligible?
RENEW Summer BBQ
Wednesday, 16th July 2014
Nottingham Wom-en’s Centre
COURSES & ACTIVITIES
● Maths for Life
● Functional Skills English
● ESOL
● Women and Social Media
● Computer Workshop
● Women and World Cinema
● Women and Confidence Building
● Women and Psychology
● NFAN Reading Group
● Yoga
● Lesbian and Bi-sexual Women’s Café Evening
For more information email: [email protected]
Nottingham Women For Change
Swap Shop
Bring your old clothes/toys and swap them for new! Saturday 10th May
What’s On?
SAVE
THE
DATE
Course Information Day
Tuesday, 16th September 10am—12pm
P A G E 1 5
P A G E 1 6
Our newsletters are always a labour of love. To share your views on how it could be improved,
please email:
To volunteer as an editor, please do get in touch via [email protected]
Charity Registration 1105837 Company Limited by Guarantee 5113835 Registered in England & Wales
Nottingham Women’s Centre
30 Chaucer Street Nottingham
NG1 5LP
Tel: 0115 941 1475