Another fundraiser! On Sunday, 5th August, The Shoreditch Church will host ‘Escape’. Rule of Regina, Julia Nutter and Cali Rivlin will perform.
Doors open at 5pm, performances start at 6. Refreshments and snacks served. Entry fee is pay what you want/can and everyone is welcome.
For any queries please contact Zoe on zoe.holloway@hotmail.com
This Wednesday evening, 1 August, the ‘SOAS Nightmarket’ will be raising money for Lambeth Women’s Project. Come along and swap some clothes, listen to music and eat cake!
Doing your dissertation but you just wanna dance? Bored of all your clothes but don’t want to keep buying new ones? About to move house and don’t know what to do with all those old things lying around?The JCR is set to turn into a night market of clothes trading, cake selling/eating and music/moves to raise money and awareness about the government cuts to public services – this month we’re focusing on key services for women through the Lambeth Women’s Project (www.savelambethwomensproject.com)
Thank you to all those who participated in the Jumbleshare, if you have any more clothes you’d like to donate do drop them in the collection box in the JCR.
At 6pm on Wednesday 1st August in SOAS JCR there will be djs, food and loads of clothes to come and swap/buy/take all for a small entrance fee of £3 OR £1 plus 3 items!
This will be a chance to have a break from work and spruce up your wardrobe without having to tackle oxford street!!
—–Please bring in any old clothes you want to get rid of to the Students Union from now until August 1st…—–
Armpit4August will be running a discussion evening about female body hair and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) at LWP, on Thursday 19th July from 7-9pm. All self-identified women welcome.
The organisers from Armpits4August will be giving a short presentation about their campaign and their recent day of action in central London. Armpits4August are asking women to grow out their armpit hair this August to raise money for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) charities.
As the campaign aims not only to raise awareness of PCOS but also to create a safe space to discuss women’s complicated, emotional, or embarrassing experiences of body hair, the presentation will be followed by splitting up into small groups for a consciousness-raising (CR) session where these issues can be examined supportively. We will end by coming back together as a group to review the impact of the CR session and how this relates to the role(s) of women in society. Armpits4August is an event for all self-identified women and we hope to host a lively evening of discussion and debate which reflects feminism’s many intersections.
www.armpits4august.com
www.facebook.com/armpits4august
@Armpits4August #pitpride
The address of Lambeth Women’s Project is 166a Stockwell Road, London, SW9 9TQ. The ground floor has full disabled access.
Contact Zoe for more info!
After the t-shirt making session, via @x_marks_the
Oxfam craft session with @BrixtonWI
Stencils, photo by Hox Toned
Image by Hox Toned
Want to visit Lambeth Women’s Project and see what it’s all about? We welcome visitors and want you to come and see why it’s such an important space that needs to be saved. Here’s a list of activities happening over the coming week:
Monday 9th July
Tuesday 10th July
Wednesday 11th July
Thursday 12th July
Sunday 15th July
The Lambeth Women’s Project address is 166a Stockwell Road, London SW9 9TQ. The ground floor has full disabled access.
Thanks to Diva Magazine for the mention in the new print issue -we are actually still resisting eviction (we haven’t closed yet!) but the blog link is very much appreciated – especially as they included a mention to us literally as they were going to press!
Download minutes as a word doc here.
26 June 2012
Minutes
Meeting opened with a reminder that all attendees and supporters of Lambeth Women’s Project are volunteers and therefore there is no one voice with more authority over any others.
LWP have secured a solicitor who is picking up the case pro bono. Some of the monies made through donations will be used to pay specific legal costs.
LWP have raised £1,894 over the last few weeks. This is very heart warming considering that this is a time when people do not have a lot of money. The money will be kept in Paypal account and will be drawn when needed. Information about donors and spends will be provided on request so that the process is transparent.
There has been no contact with the council apart from the leader of the council appearing to attack the level of LWP service. This is despite the fact that the council has always commissioned LWP because of their high levels of service, as demonstrated through the council’s very rigorous monitoring process.
Legally there is no need to contact the council or the school. However on a day to day basis school staff have been helpful. Access has been an issue at times but there are moves to resolve this in the interim.
The first week of protest happened at the pot banging in Windrush square. The second week was about protecting LWP property. This week LWP has been engaged in activities including badge making, t-shirt printing and other events. The hope is that the space can still continue and function as a women’s project and everyone is invited to attend and submit suggestions of activities for the next few weeks.
Social media: The blog has over 100 followers. Twitter has over 350 followers and is good for getting news out quickly. Facebook predated these but provides the space for others to contribute their thoughts and ideas for activities.
Press: Got a slot on the 1:30 BBC news on Wednesday. This hasn’t been repeated but the file is online. The Evening Standard had a feature (with some inaccuracies, although sympathetic) and the Lambeth Weekender has been very supportive. There is contact with the Observer but it feels a very local story. The focus of any media is to generate positives and a dialogue around how women are feeling (and not anything that could aggravate the legal situation).
Thanks go to: Lambeth Save our Services for sharing information, highlighting the effect on services and collecting signatures. Brixton Blog have provided coverage and the Feminist Library wrote an open letter of support. Thanks also to bands Woolf, Faggot and Hex on the Beach who raised £300 through a gig which has been deposited in the account.
In the medium term LWP have certain rights including the right to the lease and they are looking to secure the remaining three years so the space can function as a Women’s Project. The hope is for mediation to stay in the building, although there is no money coming in for commissions which has to be considered, and a back up plan is needed in case equipment needs to be quickly packed up.
In the short term the aim is to have a month with new energy so that everyone can experience the benefits of coming to a space like LWP. Therefore the following working groups are proposed, for volunteers against each:
The wellbeing coordinator will look to hold herbal workshops, reflexology and reiki – contact her if anyone is interested in providing or receiving treatments. Other activities include:
– Yoga on every other Sunday at 11am
– T-shirt workshop
– Podcast
– Eating together
– Having an open day for new people to see and experience the centre – (especially if that can include a drum circle)
AOB
By Claire Shaw, Safe World Student Writer
Lambeth Women’s Project has played a vital role in providing information, resources and support to women and girls for almost four decades.
However, recent cuts and austerity measures have culminated in an eviction notice from the school building which they use as their resource centre and meeting place.
Members are currently occupying the building in an attempt to save the project, which provides a life-line for many, especially for minority ethnic women.
“It’s the best thing that could have happened to me recently. It’s kind of like your safe haven. Since I came here last year, there are other things I am having to deal with, and this environment is very good and nurturing for me personally, to structure me in my current lifestyle situation. You meet other women who are in the same position, and you can connect with these other women and form bonds and relationships. This is like a whole new chapter for me to come along to, and someone is trying to shut the book, and I’m like no, lets leave it open, because I am enjoying it here.”
Read the full article here.
