Story by Deborah Blencowe and Usha Blackham
International Women’s Day has been celebrated again. I had the opportunity to attend two events. One held on Wednesday 13th March at Verdon Recreation Centre and the next on Monday 18th March at the ACT Firvale Centre.
Somshun Nessa welcomed me to the Verdon Street event. There was free entry to a host of activities including stalls for nail painting, henna designs and card making. As usual, I got involved with the art and craft of card making with the stall holder, Surtag Hack and now have my own lovely design sat behind me at my desk.
The meditation talk was very interesting and I was a little bit taken away with that. There were keep-fit and exercise routines and the woman coordinating this never stopped. It was tiring just watching her.
Food and refreshments were provided and the samosas and chicken curry were superb. Somshun commented that she loves the job and days like this make it all worthwhile. Personally, I really enjoyed the day and the atmosphere was great.
I met with Usha Blackham again at the ACT (Aspiring Communities Together) International Women’s Day which was held at the Firvale Centre. This was a very well attended occasion women from all different backgrounds.
The event also had lots of stalls, including henna design, hair styling, facials, aromatherapy messages, threading and many more, all available for a small contribution.
Women brought in dishes from home to share as well. We also had information stalls by Roma Futures, the New Beginnings project, Ashiana and Working Win.
A fitness instructor led an amazing Zumba session and, to add to the fun, Roma dancers rocked the session with lively routines. We also had the pleasure of trying the most amazing selection from The Loaf Kitchen’s delicious cakes and cheesecake.
A thoroughly brilliant day which was enjoyed by all.
