Edge Hill University hold International Women's Month
Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, has continued to champion Women's Rights past International Women's Day (March 8) opting to empower women for a whole month.
Staff and students at Edge Hill University have been celebrating the University's long history of educating and empowering women with a month-long calendar of events at The Arts Centre and a 'Women's Week' run by the Students' Union.
Edge Hill University was set up in 1885 as the first non-denominational teacher training college for women, and its history is interwoven with the struggle for women's rights and progress.
Many of the University's academics pursue areas of research relating to the rights of women. Programme Leader for Politics, Paula Keaveney, who was involved in organising Edge Hill's Wonder Women initiative to mark the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage, will be holding a half-day conference on women, politics and the leadership in the Liverpool City Region on March 18.
Edge Hill's feminist theatre collective, Mrs Pankhurst's Players, returned to the stage with a sneak peek behind the curtain at their new show 'Sugar, Daddy; Wicked Women' which explored the lives of known and unknown heroines, from Elizabeth I to Malala Yousafzai.
The programme also included Laura Vanhulle Dance Theatre's 'Yin', a performance by four female artists which explored opposite forces and their need to co-exist.
Other artistic works are in the pipeline too, with a performance of 'RED', a story of female endurance, and 'Hedda', a re-imagining of Henrik Ibsen's classic play 'Hedda Gabler.'
Cathy Butterworth, Arts Centre Manager said: "We’re delighted to be marking and celebrating International Women’s Day at The Arts Centre throughout the whole month of March, with a number of performances which reflect the full diversity of women and their lived experience.
“At The Arts Centre we understand the agency of the arts and culture to break through gender and identity stereotypes, and through powerful performances, workshops and discussion, we want to communicate the importance of this to as many people as possible.”
Other events will include an Ormskirk park run, encouraging women to take part in sports, and the Students' Union have been hosting their own events including women-only fitness sessions, team sports, and a body positivity workshop.
