Women for Independence

Events

If you have any questions about any of the events listed, please get in touch directly with the organisers.  

  • Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 11:00 AM · £6.00 GBP · 6 rsvps
    Lerwick Town Hall in Lerwick, United Kingdom

    Shetland National Council 2019

    Join us in Lerwick Town Hall for a fantastic National Council on Equality, Arts and Creativity!

    A day of brilliant speakers, exciting workshops and our ever popular open mic sessions.  More details will be added as soon as they are confirmed.

     

    Speakers include:

    Sally Huband: Sally is a writer and won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award for Narrative Non-fiction in 2017 and is working on her first book.  Sally is passionate about equality and will be addressing issues around the inclusion of women and girls in Shetland and we may also be able to hear a bit more about her new book.

    Helen Erwood: Helen is part of Whistlin' Weemin which is a local community film production company with a strong feminist ethos born out of the Shetland Pensions Justice group. Their first film Foul Play! is showcasing the devastating impact the pension age changes have had on 1950s Women and their families.  Helen will be talking about the experience of making the film, how it is has empowered the team and will elaborate on the creative choices made. If we are very lucky we might get some clues on their next project.

    Jen Hadfield: Jen is a poet and visual artist. In 2008, Jen Hadfield became the youngest person to win the TS Eliot Prize with her collection Nigh-No-Place. Her poetry has been inspired by wildness, landscape, language, and the Shetland dialect. Jen will be discussing some of the themes inspiring her current work.  

    Jean Urquhart: Jean is a former Highland councillor and was Vice Convener of Highland Council.  Between 2011-16, Jean was an MSP for the Highlands and Islands. She has been a leading promoter of arts and culture in Scotland for many decades and since the 1970s, Jean has run the Ceilidh Place in Ullapool, an important hub for art, music and thought.

     

    Open Mic
    Our ever popular open mic session will return along with the usual Q&As with our speakers.  Also the opportunity throughout the day to chat informally and discussion specific issues with other women. 

     

    Workshops

    Shetland artist Christina Inkster will be facilitating an art workshop engaging women around feminist themes and empowering them to express themselves.  Christina was a facilitating artist for Processions in 2018  where she was empowered a group of Shetland women to make a  banner to take part in the Edinburgh procession that marked a hundred years since some women were able to vote and she has described one of the themes in her art as "exploring the relationship between the natural and the manufactured".

     

    What You Need To Know

    Tickets

    If you can support us financially then tickets can be purchased at £6 each by scrolling to the bottom of this page. We also supply tickets without financial cost so please email us at info@womenforindependence.org to reserve one of them. There is no need to explain your reasons, we want to support women without question and with dignity. Please read our privacy policy on how we handle your data by clicking here.  We do not issue paper tickets or e-tickets.  If you have booked a place then your name will be on our list of attendees at the registration table on arrival. 

     

    Who Can Attend?

    The meeting is open to all self identified women. You do not need to be a member of Women for Independence to attend. If you need to bring a carer to support you then their ticket is always free. If your carer is a man then he is also welcome. If you care for another adult or children then you are very welcome to bring them along. We do not provide a creche for children so they will need to remain with you during the event.

     

    Registration

    On arrival, please register.  You do not have to physically print off your confirmation as we have a list of those who have booked.

     

    Lunch/Refreshments

    Lunch is not included in your ticket. So it is up to you to bring your own packed lunch/refreshments or to buy something from a local shop. For those unaware of the location, the town hall sits at the top of a hill.  The local shops to buy lunch are down at the bottom of a steep hill - about a 5 minute walk away for a fit person. So this means there is a walk up a steep hill on the way back.

    Tea and coffee are included in the price of your ticket. 

     

    Accessibility

    There is disabled access to the town hall.  We will add more details as we have them.

     

    Filming/Photography

    There will be people taking photographs/filming on the day.  If you do not want to be part of this this that is fine but it is your responsibility to make sure you are not in shot.  We always try our best to respect your wishes but we cannot guarantee you will not appear.

     

    Getting There

    Click on the link here for details of travel to Lerwick from other parts of Shetland, Orkney and the mainland of Scotland.

     

    Stalls

    Sometimes other groups have a stall at our events.  We ask that stalls are staffed by women but sometimes they send men on the day.  

     

    Buy tickets