Celebrating the Wonder of Women in Southmead #IWD23

We’ve had a wonderful couple of days here at the Greenway Centre celebrating International Women’s Day.  On Wednesday we hung up our home-made bunting inside, and outside gathered to make a celebration sculpture – a Snow Goddess!  “Happy International Women’s Day” greetings resounded throughout the building and we shared a few iconic hug shots of staff online (see pic gallery below).

Our Thursday community coffee morning was the main focus for our #IWD23 at Greenway.  With cuppas and cakes we gathered together to acknowledge the wonder of women and to dedicate our celebration to a very special community Wonder Woman – Kathy Glover, who recently died.  We raised our cuppas to Kathy and remembered her as a sister of all our souls – a real Southmead Soul Sister.

Our brilliant Volunteer Lewis kindly ferried our cups back and forth across the cafe to keep us all topped up, and the homemade cakes were delicious, thanks to our lovely residents who made them.

Nat, our inspirational Fitness and Wellbeing Manager, launched our Women Only gym sessions this week, and our awesome People and Culture Manager, Gemma, launched the availability of free period products for anyone visiting Greenway.

The sisterhood at the Southmead Development Trust is a strong one; from our power Front of House team – Kim, Alison, Deb, Mai and Jane, our Trustees – Trenna, Mel, Linda, Brenda, Jill and Deana, our Facilities team – Aissata, Sharon, Rachael and Kamila, across our many teams of super women in Community Development, Health & Wellbeing, Employment & Training, and Youth & Play, to our Volunteers, and our exceptional CEO Amy who leads calmly, kindly and consistently.  We’re grateful for and proud of everything we all bring to the work of the Trust.

With our Snow Goddess all but gone and the heavy rain leaking through our cafe rafters in to buckets, we rounded off celebrations with a big singalong.  Although we do this every week, #IWD somehow made it feel even louder and more joyous than usual, with iconic songs from the women belters of Abba and Boney M lifting everyone’s spirits and raising those wet rafters – nothing could have dampened the brilliant atmosphere.  Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated the wonder of women in Southmead.  #EmbraceEquity

  • Read – Kathy Glover, What a Woman HERE
  • Read – We’re Hiring: Kick Boxer for Girls Group HERE
  • Find out – What’s On at the Greenway Centre HERE
  • Take a look at our Gym & Fitness sessions HERE

Our #IWD23 Gallery: