We had a truly delicious supper and a fruitful planning meeting for International Women’s Day last week. It is great to be working with the Dorchester Feminists group and other fantastic volunteers. Things are shaping up!
Look out for details of our February planning meeting, which will be a crafty one…..scissors at the ready!
Meet and socialise with WAND members and supporters! This is a social evening that will also include planning our activity for International Women’s Day 2020 for anyone who would like to get involved. Further details here.
The new committee and core group volunteers will be meeting on Thursday 21st November to review the AGM feedback and plan future activities. Plans include holding a social event in January and an activity for International Women’s Day 2020.
The meeting will take place Thursday 21st November 7.00 – 8.30 in Weymouth. Please get in touch if you’d like to come along!
Our AGM took place on 30 September, and we were delighted to be joined by many old friends and some welcome new faces.
All three members of the existing committee, who have served WAND enthusiastically for a number of years, decided to step down and a new committee was elected.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the outgoing committee, among them some founder members of WAND, for their dedicated work and wish them the very best for their future endeavours.
Our thanks also to our staunch Patron Tracey West for her words of encouragement, reminding us of the incredible power of women’s networks to support the vulnerable and strengthen us all in our personal, professional and community lives.
The AGM was followed by thoughtful discussion about the future actions and direction of WAND. Watch this space for news!
WAND Patron Tracey West has been instrumental in making a powerful new documentary film about female empowerment through tree planting in Kenya, to be released next month.
#TreesAreTheKey, by filmmaker Tyson Short and narrated by Kate Winslet, contains a blueprint for mitigating climate change and alleviating hunger and poverty in Africa. It documents the tree planters of Boré, Kenya, shining a spotlight on the women’s empowerment group Mothers of the Forest.
The 40-minute documentary has been made in conjunction with The Word Forest Organisation, a Dorset charity that plants trees, builds classrooms and facilitates education in rural Kenya.
The film premieres at the Lyme Regis Marine Theatre on Wednesday 2 October before going on general release. The evening will include a Q&A with the Word Forest team. WAND members and friends are warmly invited to attend the screening. Tickets £7.50 in advance or £9 on the door.
Find out more about the Word Forest Organisation or buy premiere tickets.
Since its inception in 2010, Women’s Action Network Dorset (WAND), has promoted women’s rights and wellbeing through a combination of fundraising for women’s services and providing opportunities for women in Dorset to socialise and share their skills.
We’ve had a really great time and are very proud of all we have achieved. As we approach our 10th anniversary we are keen to review WAND’s outlook and activities to ensure it still reflects and caters for the needs of its supporters and the girls and women of Dorset – and we’d like you to get involved!
If you’re interested in shaping the future of WAND or getting involved with our work, then please come along to our workshop ‘Shaping the future of WAND’, which will include a cream tea and our AGM. We will have a discussion session where you can let us know what you think the priorities are for women and girls in Dorset, and how WAND could work towards achieving these. This is your opportunity to influence how WAND operates in the future – and maybe become a member of our network of wonderful women?
If this sounds good, then come along on Monday 30th September, 6.30 – 8.00pm at Borough Gardens House, Dorchester. Feel free to bring a friend.
We hope to see you there.
Borough Gardens House is located in the corner of Borough Gardens, Cornwall Road, Dorchester, DT1 1RG. Free parking available at Fairfield car park from 6pm.
Reclaim the Night 2018 Poster
Everyone in Dorset is invited to join WAND for our tenth annual Reclaim the Night event on 24 November, from 6.30-10.30 at the Town Hall in Dorchester (upstairs at the Corn Exchange, DT1 1HF).
WAND – Women’s Action Network Dorset – is hosting the night to link in with “International End Violence Against Women Day” held each year on 25 November.
Tickets cost £5, to be bought on the door, and include a drumming workshop with the wonderful Organic Rhythm, a buffet supper and a charity auction. The main event of the evening will be a short march through the Dorchester streets to ‘Reclaim the Night’.
The march through the streets is our way of raising awareness of the vulnerability faced by many women through domestic violence and abuse, rape, and honour-based violence. While the event has a serious theme, it’s a really fun evening.
The money raised from the auction will go to support the Dorset Women’s Crisis and Information Centre and The Shores (Sexual Abuse Referral Centre) in Bournemouth to support their valuable work. Last year we raised over £650 at event.
We are again welcoming anyone who wishes to contribute towards ending violence against woman – so this will not be a female only event – it is open to everyone.
While WAND recognises that domestic violence doesn’t just affect women and that men can also be subjected to it, as a women’s organisation Reclaim the Night is still focused on support for women.
So please come along to our friendly event which promises a fun evening despite its serious message.
If you would like to donate a prize for the charity auction please contact: wanddorset@gmail.com or call 07956 896114.
For more information or if you would like to make a donation to the charity auction please contact wanddorset@gmail.com or call 07956 896114.