The Club marked International Women’s Day with three different and varied events this year – what a wonderful way to mark the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote!
On
8 March, International Women’s Day, St Albans Soroptimists were “Guest Editors” on Radio Verulam our local community radio station. Jane Slatter, Denise Powell and Amanda Brown were chatting about equality, ending violence against women, past Member Audrey Collins OBE legacy for women and girls’ cricket and collecting pants and gently worn bras for the charity Smalls for All – what a wonderful opportunity – thanks Radio Verulam! To listen to the podcast please click here www.radioverulam.com/podcast/international-womens-day-soroptimists/
Also on 8 March, Katherine Clarke, Debbie Tankard and Jane Slatter attended the St Albans Girls’ School International Women’s Day Inspiring Women Careers Event for Year 8 and Year 12 Student Leaders. These girls all have a great future – we hope we helped to inspire them! Please see below for some photos of this excellent event
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Finally on Mon 12 March, our closest Club Meeting date to International Women’s Day, Club Members were asked to wear something in the Suffragette’s colours of Green, Violet and White (symbolising Get Votes for Women but also chosen to represent hope, loyalty and dignity, and purity). There are a couple of photos below of just some of the wonderful outfits our Members displayed on the night. Members had also done topical research ahead of the evening: Denise Powell talked movingly about her “connection” to Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Diana Kingham spoke about the news on Feb 11 1918 when (some) women won the right to vote, Helen Byrne had discovered that Christina Broom, credited as “the UK’s first female press photographer” is the reason why we have some many fabulous images of the women’s suffrage movement, Jean Eaton covered Mary Somerville the suffragist and her ground breaking work as a scientist (so important that an Oxford College is names after her), Patsy Cann gave us a fascinating insight into the struggle for women’s suffrage going back to the start of the movement in the UK In 1866 including some of the horrors of the imprisonment and torture of the campaigners. On a lighter note Barbara Saunders explained that the fashion of the women’s suffrage movement was very important to maintain the right image to catch the eye – a very early example of branding and managing a public profile… We are all so grateful for the women who fought so bravely for women’s rights – a good reason why Soroptimists continue the fight today!
