Event is set to celebrate womankind (From Swindon Advertiser)

Event is set to celebrate womankind

10:50am Tuesday 19th February 2013 in News

A CELEBRATION of women past and present will take place in town next month.

The event, on March 8, will celebrate International Women’s Day, and will be dedicated to the courage, resourcefulness, enterprise, creativity and wisdom of women both in Swindon and further afield.

Rosa Matheson, a historian, writer and campaigner for women’s education and empowerment from Highworth, is co-ordinating the event at the Central Library.

She said: “We want to create a celebration which links Swindon women with women around the world.

“By showcasing the art and creativity of women in Swindon today, remembering those women who have gone before us in taking a stand for our rights, and acknowledging the great relationships we have built up with women from different international communities, we will have a truly wonderful event.”

Last year, Rosa was responsible for the 100 Women Book Project, for which funds are generated by sales of her book, A Day In The Life Of 100 Women In Britain, to help women in need, initially in Nepal and eventually in other countries.

During the event on March 8, Rosa will be giving a talk entitled Swindon’s Link to Nepal, describing how international women’s projects are being made possible by the book project. The evening will close with a display of Nepali dancing.

The event marks the launch with Artsite of the book project’s 100 Women’s Portraits and throughout the day there will be exhibitions and displays of portrait sketching, poetry, women’s heritage, story telling, singing and dance.

From 10am until noon, artistic journaling specialist Bea Menier will lead a taster workshop in creative journaling, entitled Journal my Day, and from 2pm local author Juliet Platt will lead a reflective journaling workshop based on her recent book, The Journal Writers’ Handbook.

“So bring along a poem, bring along your journal, and bring along your ideas and reflections on what it means to be a woman in Swindon and the world in 2013,” said Rosa.

“We need to get lots of ladies through the door in order to do something even better next year.”

International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900s and in many countries, it is now an official holiday. Annually on March 8, thousands of events will be held across the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements For the full programme contact Rosa on 01793 764979.