A celebration of women
WOMEN flocked to an International Women's Day event organised by Spen MP Mike Wood.
The event last Wednesday was held at the town hall in Batley and featured several inspiring speakers from a variety of backgrounds who shared their experiences throughout the day.
Director of the Maternal Mortality Campaign Jo Cox grew up in Batley and told the conference about the work of the White Ribbon Alliance for safe motherhood.
Jo said every minute a woman somewhere in the world died giving birth and many of the deaths were preventable.
Hannah Ridgeway, editor of the Reporter Series, spoke about women in journalism and the changes in the newsroom over recent decades. She said while equality of pay and opportunity still had a long way to go for women in Britain, who on average earned 21 per cent less than men, legislation had made a difference.
Jayne Lee, assistant curate at All Saints, Roberttown, and St Peter's, Hartshead, and a chaplain at Newhall women's prison, spoke about her journey from tomboy Essex girl to a northern lass with a dog collar.
She spoke about her work and challenged the preconceptions and prejudices against women in the clergy, and the very positive experiences and reactions of people to a woman in a dog collar.
She said the often challenging work at New Hall prison was among the most rewarding of her roles and said many of the prisoners were "damaged" by abuse, mental health problems and depression.
Next to speak was Joan Bellamy, the former lecturer and Dean at the Open University and co-ordinator of the Mary Taylor Exhibition at the Red House Museum.
Mary Taylor was a good friend of Charlotte Bront and was an extraordinary and uniquely independent woman of her era. She was well educated, highly intelligent and ambitious, writing articles and books arguing for women's rights.
The final speaker was Rukiya Dadhiwala of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK who wanted to get Muslims more involved in public affairs so they could make more informed decisions. She also spoke of Muslim women who had been influential throughout history.
There were also stands from organisations such as North Kirklees Women's Refuge, Kirklees Domestic Violence Team, Soroptomists International Dewsbury, Kirklees Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre and Community Links Changed as well as arts displays from local artists.
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Weather for Cleckheaton
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
