Sue Yelding, performer at The Hippdrome 1963.
International Women’s Day is always a fantastic way to celebrate women in your life.
This year, I’m calling for nominations for inspirational women of Great Yarmouth – who will be announced on Harbour Radio, plus inspire stories written by women in Great Yarmouth, with me later this Spring. It was fabulous to see so many women celebrating at Great Yarmouth Library on March 8th, as well as at The Priory Centre – Great Yarmouth certainly has no shortage of inspirational women!
The discussion is as vital as the nomination – looking at who we find inspirational and why. I’ve deliberately kept the nominations not just limited to history, but open to women, living now – who could be your friends, your colleagues, or family – women around us who are extraordinary, have impact, perhaps, often, without even realising. You can find postcards at Great Yarmouth Library, where you can fill them out and leave them at reception, or contact me if you would like your own postcards – on ruthie@ruthiecollins.co.uk. You can also nominate online – tag me on twitter @RuthieCollins or find me on Facebook
Rachel Hardie, Specialist Support Worker at DIAL received a lot of nominations!
Nominated women so far include a really inspiring cross section of the Great Yarmouth community – councillors, artists, lecturers, girlfriends, mothers, professionals, business owners. If you can’t think of a woman, try googling who comes up? One Black Beauty fan was over the moon to find out that author Anna Sewell was born literally metres round the corner from where we were talking!
My novel, Doing Up Cleopatra has two female lead characters who grew up in Great Yarmouth. It also features female artists in history, whose own stories are fascinating. So as part of a free writing workshop for women, we will draw on Great Yarmouth’s rich history and community of inspiring women – to celebrate women and create stories of our own. This workshop is part of Yarmouth Mysteries, the outreach side of my time writing my novel in Great Yarmouth, funded by Arts Council England, with support from the National Centre for Writing, Great Yarmouth Library, Harbour Radio, original projects and Great Yarmouth Council. To register interest in the workshop and receive information, please email ruthie@ruthiecollins.co.uk
Happy International Women’s Day all – and happy nominating!
