International Women's Day

So, yesterday was International Women's Day, and not just any one either - 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Days, which is pretty good going, I think you'll agree!

The woman who organises the volunteer projects I do at Glasgow Women's Library asked if anyone was available to help out with a card-making stand she'd been asked to do in the City Chambers.  The City Chambers are pretty lush, as you can see in this photo.  I should hang out there more often!

Half-eaten, glitter-tastic cupcake

  She was one of a few speakers at an event there, and during the break in the middle of the day there were various stalls set up - one offering advice on breast-feeding, for example, another with knitted children's clothes and another with some awesome cupcakes.  

I made a sample card and stuck it up on the table (the idea was to make a card for a special woman in your life) and as soon as the first person started doing one a crowd appeared and they just couldn't get enough!  There were stampers, stencils, embossers, glitter, flowers, glitter, plastic sticky gems, sparkly pens, glitter and more glitter! Some people made some really pretty cards and more than one person commented on how this card would save them a fiver in Paperchase come Mother's Day! 

I got to go into the main event and listen to some of the speeches, and they were very interesting.  The woman who runs The Key To Wealth Health And Happiness spoke for a while, and so did a local newspaper editor about how few women have places on boards of major companies across the UK, and how this needs to change.  A woman did a funny poem about the menopause, and another did a short monologue as St Enoch, the mother of St Kentigern (more commonly known as Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow, of course).  Syma from the GWL talked the life-booking projects we did with the BME and Chinese communities. (She had photos on a slideshow up behind her, and at one point I was quietly chuffed to see myself plaster up on the big screen!)

There was also a short fashion show, with women showing some lovely traditional dresses - some of them wedding dresses - from across the world: Iran, India, Sri Lanka, Kosovo... and they were so lovely.  Then some of the same women came out later and did a great dance routine.  It started with a beautiful solo dancer doing a typical Iranian dance (above), and then more people came out too, and they did all sorts of dances including an Indian bit, a highland fling, and a bit of the Charleston to In The Mood!  It was awesome, this is a pic (below) of the group dancing together:

All in all, I had a great International Women's Day, and I hope you all did too!

On the same theme, Glasgow Feminist Network are holding a vigil in George Square at 5pm this Friday (the 11th) to protest against the flurry of rapes that have occurred recently in the city centre and west end.  It's not a demonstration or anything like that, just a peaceful vigil to draw attention to the issue and to make it clear that we don't think it's acceptable and we want something done about it.  The more people we can there the better, so please come along if you're free, and bring a friend - men and women are more than welcome!