international women's day 2011

A day of workshops and discussions for women of all ages, to celebrate the centenary of International Womer’s Day from 10:30am to 5:00pm

Welcome and key note speaker. Workshop options include practical sessions in drama, songwriting and T’ai Chi. Discussion groups include Women in the Media, Women in Business, Women’s Equality, and Child Victims in War.

Music in the bar from 4-5pm.

Bring something to share for lunch.

£6; £5 members & conc (for the full day)

Ticket discounts available to attendees, for ‘Made In Dagenham’ on Fri 4 March at 8pm, and Carrivick Sisters on Sat 5 March at 8pm.

Carrivick Sisters
8:00pm
£10; £8 members & conc

“Demonstrating rare instrumental and vocal superiority that puts their colleagues to shame… this is one duo which is going places.” Maverick Magazine 5*review

Just out of their teens, twin sisters Charlotte and Laura Carrivick have grown up playing and writing music together. Their unique style shows their strong bluegrass influences without obscuring their English roots. With tight harmonies that only siblings can achieve, they perform their original songs on guitar, fiddle, mandolin, dobro and clawhammer banjo. They have performed both in the UK and internationally, and their fourth CD is due for release any minute!

Bridgwater Arts Centre 11-13 Castle Street , Bridgwater, TA6 3DD
http://www.bridgwaterartscentre.co.uk/contact.html

The Suffragettes’ Tree: Centennial Events In Celebration Of International Women’s Day

Between 1909 and 1912, over sixty suffragettes who were recovering from the harsh treatment they had received while imprisoned for their political activism came to stay with the Blathwayt family at Eagle House in Batheaston, Somerset. As committed supporters of the women’s movement, the Blathwayts wanted not only to help the women recover physically, but also to record, in the very landscape, the cause for which they struggled. As such, they created a very special garden in the grounds of their villa, encouraging the suffragettes who stayed with them to plant trees and bushes commemorating their efforts and their hopes for the future of women’s political equality.

Photographs of this beautiful field of trees, or ‘Annie’s Arboretum’ as it was also called, after the suffragette Annie Kenney, can be viewed online via Bath in Time (www.bathintime.co.uk — see ‘Social History’).

This unique work of feminist landscape history survived until the late 1960s, when it was destroyed to make way for a housing estate. At present, only one of the original trees remains from the original arboretum: a large Austrian Pine planted by the suffragette Rose Lamartine Yates (1875–1954) on 30th October, 1909.

While historians, such as Dr Cynthia Hammond (Montreal) and Prof. June Hannam (UWE), have done much to recover the history of the suffragettes’ trees in Bath, this unique piece of women’s history remains largely unknown to the general public, and uncommemorated.

On International Women’s Day, 8th March, 2011, The Centre for History & Culture at Bath Spa University, in conjunction with Bath & Northeast Somerset Council, will celebrate the centenary of this unique piece of suffrage history in Bath, with the symbolic planting of commemorative suffragettes’ trees in Royal Victoria Park, Alice Park, and Bath Spa University. These plantings, which we hope will attract widespread media attention and involve leading female politicians and public figures, as well as the general public, will serve as a living testimony to all those — suffragettes and suffragists — who contended to win votes for women and secure women’s rights as full citizens.

They will also serve as the focal point for a week of public events planned to celebrate yet another centenary, that of International Women’s Day itself. These will include an exhibition of art, a concert of music, a creative writing event, a panel discussion and lectures featuring leading academics and public figures.

Programme of events for International Women’s Day http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/schools/humanities-and-cultural-industries/research/history-and-culture/final-programme-for-iww.pdf

Dorford Centre, Bridport Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1RR

Cost: FREE
Creche? Creche provided
Contact: Sue Bickle
Phone: 01305 252314 (daytime only)
Email: fantasticdorsetwomen@yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://wandwomen.org.uk/

This free and fun day unites women from across Dorset by sharing activities and topics of interest common to women in our area and across the world.

Led by the Women’s Action Network Dorset (WAND), this year’s celebration is based at the Dorford Centre in Dorchester and has a packed programme of free activities including a free creche, workshops, information and traders together with refreshments to buy from a Vintage Cafe.

Previous events have attracted more than 500 participants and this year’s Women’s Day links to the centenary International Women’s Day celebrations involving millions of women across the world.

A film produced by award-winning director Colin Thomas about the experience of women in World War II will be shown specially in Bristol celebrate the centenary of International Women’s Day.

First shown on BBC4, Colin’s film uses home movies shot in Britain and Germany to provide a strikingly different perspective on women’s roles and experience. From Land Girls to Spitfire pilots, for many it offered opportunities they’d never seen in the 1930s.

As one woman remembers in the film, Shooting the War: Women: “Life was better when the war came… We were looking forward to having some fun!”

In Germany, amateur film-maker Elisabeth Wilms shot everyday life of women in her home city of Dortmund – and as those lives changed she continued to record events, including the stunning films of the destitution experienced by women in the immediate aftermath of the blitz on her home town.

In Britain, Rosie Newman was doing very much the same, filming women as war changed their lives. She had remarkable access to the military and was able to capture the lives of woman at war in a way few others could match.

Colin will introduce the film, made with production company Available Light – and after the screening two of the women from the film will talk about their experiences and answer questions. They are Pat Edmead from Bristol and Lady Ann Piper from Oxford. Pat worked in a services laundry in Bristol during the Blitz, met a black GI here, and later had a very happy marriage with him.

The screening is at 7.30pm on Tuesday, March 8 at the Pierian Centre, 27 Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol BS2 8SA.

Entry to Shooting the War: Women is free – but tickets must be booked on 0117 924 4512 or via info@pieriancentre.com.

http://www.bristol247.com/2011/03/01/film-night-celebrates-international-womens-day/

South West TUC is organising an event in Exeter for Women workers united against cuts and inequality around the world for International Women’s Day

Women workers united again cuts and inequality around the world on Tuesday, March 8 at Exeter Corn Exchange

International Women’s Day is a good time to reflect on how public sector cuts are affecting women workers at home and abroad. Unions are mobilising against the cuts that are impacting heavily on women.

The day-long event features talks and performances. It is also a good time to celebrate the fun and success of women of different cultures and we hope to have some exciting song, dance and theatre activities throughout the day.

Invited speakers include migrant women workers and a senior woman trade unionists from Nepal as well as Sally Brett of the TUC.

http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthdevon.co.uk/2011/02/03/women-workers-in-exeter-united-for-international-womens-day/

See also: International Women’s Day Exeter

We are now finalising our plans for the International Women’s Day Events – We will be in the Exeter Phoenix Black Box from 11am onwards on Tuesday March 8th.

Some of the art-work you may like to get involved with will be A Homage to Fran Jenkin, who worked with us on IWD for 5 years. Come along and make some ‘Peace knots for Fran’

Catherine Cartwirght will be providing a chance to print post cards to send to parliament to support Women with no recourse to public funding. We would love it if you could be a part of our day. We will let you know what else is planned next week- Peace and Love IWAs

The Tree of Life from the United Love Project , was created with finger knitted knots. With each stitch we sent out love to the women of the world.

Fran Jenkin was part of this work, which addressed ‘Integration in to the Art Gallery’ by women from many cultures in the Exeter Phoenix Galleries for the start of our work together on the International Women’s Day events in Exeter. Please see http://www.internationalwomensarts.org/ for more details on the project

http://internationalwomensarts.blogspot.com/2011/01/international-womens-day-exeter.html

contact info@internationalwomensarts.org