Published: March 8, 2022 | Updated: 8th March 2022
Women’s Action Network Dorset launches new strategy
Women’s Action Network Dorset (WAND) is calling for more women to join the group as it launches a new strategy to tackle inequality.
International Women’s Day took place on Tuesday March 8.
This year’s theme was #BreakTheBias, challenging everyone to address the bias in society that disadvantages women and girls.
The WAND strategy celebrates the strengths of women, honours them by sharing their stories and issues and offers allyship to their challenges.
It aims to create opportunities for women to collaborate and to tackle inequality by focusing on women’s strengths and resources.
Marianne Storey, WAND Chair, pictured left, said: “Women and girls have experienced inequality for very many years.
“We are just starting to experience a new time of unprecedented opportunity for women as society begins to change its views and its biases about women’s roles, abilities, needs and ambitions.
“Women’s Action Network Dorset believes it’s time to tackle the inequality experienced by women in Dorset by focusing on the positives, the strengths, the resources and the achievements of women.
“We are calling for hundreds of Dorset women to join us in our venture so that we can get the momentum we need to enact the change that needs to happen in our county.”
Women’s Action Network Dorset has been in existence since 2010.
It began as a community voluntary group to promote women’s rights and wellbeing.
WAND intends to work closely with charities in Dorset which are already supporting disadvantaged women.
It intends to curate, and coordinate, a series of events for and about women and to set up networks of women who offer growth and healing opportunities, particularly for those with specific challenges and difficulties.
International Women’s Day saw an array of events and opportunities for women across Dorset.
Marianne was previously Chief Executive of Dorset Mind.
She recently retired and now runs her own coaching and consulting practice.
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Women running their own businesses gather for Momentum Day
Women who run their own businesses are to gather in Bournemouth for a day of practical business training and inspiration in celebration of International Women’s Day.
The Momentum Day – last held in 2020 shortly before lockdown, pictured – will address burning issues like branding, time management, productivity, using your energy effectively, abundance, marketing and much more.
According to The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, female entrepreneurship is rising rapidly and there is a huge unrealised economic potential.
It estimated up to £250 billion of new value could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as UK men.
Even if the UK were to achieve the same average share of women entrepreneurs as best-in-class peer countries, this would add £200 billion of new value to the UK economy, according to the review.
The Bournemouth Momentum Day is a one day conference with speakers, training and inspiration to help women build and scale life-friendly businesses on their own terms.
The event is on Thursday, March 10, at the Urban Reef Restaurant by the beach in Boscombe.
Erin Thomas Wong, pictured right, Founder of Life-Friendly Business, will bring together expertise from influential women in business.
They include:
Erin created Life-Friendly Business (formerly The Mumpreneur Collective) six years ago to support women starting and growing businesses around family life.
She is also the host of The Life-Friendly Business Podcast, lifting the lid on the reality of running a business when you have children, and digging into the mindset gremlins which may be keeping you stuck, and the author of Mumpreneur Evolution.
The Momentum Day event is sponsored by family-run business, King Financial Services.
Just a handful of tickets remain.
More details and tickets at lifefriendlybusiness.com/momentum
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Donna and Denise’s random act of kindness aims to empower
Two businesswomen went out in the community to empower and support other women.
Donna Anne Pace, Founder, onevoicemychoice.co.uk, and Denise Jones, CEO, Denise Jones Floral Design, handed out ribbon-tied roses in Weymouth for International Women’s Day.
Donna, pictured left, said: “Denise and I were discussing ways in which we could help support each other’s small businesses and spoke about some of the difficulties women face during these challenging times.
“Running a small business is not for the faint-hearted and can sometimes push you into thinking that just giving up will be the easiest option.
“That option is not for me or Denise.
“We are equally passionate about what we do, and why we do it.
“It was this line of conversation that prompted me to propose an idea to Denise.
“What if we were to do something special for International Women’s Day?
“As female business owners, what if we go out into the community to empower and support other women?
“It just made sense to fuse our business missions together – advocacy and floral designs.
“There our idea was born.
“Two women on a mission to travel across Weymouth handing out beautiful ribbon-tied roses to women, albeit whilst they are out shopping, working in a shop, at bus stops.
“Literally anywhere where we can reach out to another woman and share with them how amazing they are.
“Daily life is a struggle for many people, especially during this global pandemic and crisis in Ukraine.
“A random act of kindness can go a long way to empowering and supporting other women on such a monumental day.
“We both want women across Weymouth to realise that whatever they are going through right now, there is another woman ready to support them.”
