A fantastic community event was held at the Pat Midgley Community Hub in our anchor neighbourhood of Wybourn, Sheffield, to mark International Women’s Day. Centre co-ordinator Christina Grant had her hands full organising the buffet of cakes, sandwiches and snacks as well as a range of activities.
Our customer Lydia set up an arts and crafts station, where attendees could design and create small jewellery boxes for the perfect Mothers’ Day Gift. At another end of the room, another creative resident designed everyone’s henna. We worked in partnership with Manor Castle Development Trust, and their fitness instructor Kellyanne Sharman attended to offer free checks on weight and blood pressure for those who found this helpful.
The turnout was excellent, with some attendees coming from the other side of Sheffield, having seen the advertisement on social media. Many who came were our customers and other residents of Wybourn of all ages, many of them regularly attending weekly events at the centre. One customer who attended for the first time for the event commented that it’s “a lovely community centre to get involved in”.
A visit was also paid by Sheffield City Council’s Chief Executive Kate Joseph, and Cllrs. Sioned Richards and Laura Moynahan who were doing a walkabout of the Manor Castle Area and were invited to the event, where they got stuck in making arts and crafts boxes. This was Joseph’s first time visiting the Pat Midgley Community Hub, and what a better way to be introduced as female leaders on International Women’s Day.
On display were information posters of exceptional women including Diane Abbot, Greta Thunberg, Michelle Obama, as well as the late Councillor, Pat Midgley – who the centre is named after for her lifetime’s dedication to making this area of Sheffield where she was born and bred, a better place. This made the day truly inspirational, as well as the nod to the iconic Women of Steel statue that stands in Sheffield City Centre, hailing the mass of ordinary women in Sheffield who kept the steel industry going during the two World Wars.
A special moment was when Christina reminded everyone of why we have International Women’s Day – to acknowledge how far society has come, but also why we still need to push for full gender equality – for things including equal pay. Timing nicely with Mother’s Day being round the corner, things were rounded up with a shared display for attendees to contribute the women in their own lives who inspire them – and sure enough, most comments were their mothers, and other women in their families, who supported them in all that they do. This was a lovely round-up to International Women’s Day, to equally appreciate the exceptional and the everyday women who make a difference to our lives.
Christina Grant said:
It was great to work in partnership with MCDT to put together this community event to celebrate International Women’s Day, and the afternoon was a success! Residents who attended spoke to me about how much they enjoyed the atmosphere; it was a lovely, relaxed occasion where everyone came together to reflect on the women who inspire all of us – and it was great to see Cllrs Moynahan, Richards and Josephs enjoying themselves too.
