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You are here: > What's Going On? > Writing Women into History

Writing Women Into History

Our online International Women's Day event was a huge success! 

We had a packed programme with our featured speakers, supplemented by each National Trustee nominating a woman to be remembered. To view the full programme click here .

Our TG Timeline includes many less well known women who have been suggested by members. View it here.

Our principal speakers were:



  Jane Robinson.
Social historian and the author of 12 (and a half!) books.
Specialising in writing and lecturing about pioneers and activists, with the focus on ordinary women who changed their world and ours for the better! Jane is also a proud honorary member of the TG.
 

  Julia Lalla-Maharajh OBE.
Advocate, Change Agent, Speaker.

“One of my proudest achievements has been to put the little-known issue of ending female genital cutting on the global agenda for change, in less than a decade. I did this by building an NGO, Orchid Project, which manifested the vision of a world free from female genital cutting. I brought together an extraordinary team, a constellation of donors, champions and those with lived experience of female genital cutting.”
 

  Lady Mary Peters DBE.

Olympic gold medalist, Lady Mary Peters is a Northern Irish former athlete, best known as a competitor in the pentathlon and shot put. Peters was named as Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter on 27 February 2019.

You can hear Mary answer TG member questions.


 Pat Atkinson.
Working in India was an ambition from the age of 9, when Pat heard a representative from the then ‘Mission to Lepers’, speaking at her church. It took many years and lots of obstacles to achieve this, however now Pat can look back on 57 visits over a 30 year period, setting up a charity that cares for slum children and elders, children with cancer and the dream fulfilled, a leprosy colony.


 Alice Farnham, who you may recognise as being in the Classic FM Top 10 Best Female Conductors!
Alice will be joined by Alice Borrett, an aspiring PhD student working in the field of feminist musicology.
  

Val Leivers.
Val is helping to build a future for some of the poorest people in India.

Val’s aim? With shelter, clean drinking water, enough to eat and clothes to wear, they can survive.

With an education they will have a better future, particularly for all girls in slum areas and tribal villages.



 Six-O Group

Comprises BFWG (The British Federation of Women Graduates), BPW (Business and professional women), NCW GB (National Council of Women), NFWI (Women’s Institute), SIGBI (Soroptimists) and TG (Townswomen’s Guilds) who take it in turn to host the meetings, where they share best practice across their different specialisms.
 


  Shirley Williams, Chair of Stockport & District Mind
As we were supposed to be celebrating our IWD event in Stockport this year, we still wanted to include the great work that Mind are currently doing there (and everywhere!).

Mind is a mental health charity in England and Wales. Founded in 1946 as the National Association for Mental Health, it celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016. Mind offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf.