Women Up North 2011

On Saturday 7th May women travelled from across the north of England to meet up in Manchester for a day long feminist event including workshops, entertainment and making new friends.

The event took place in the city centre kicking off with Manchester Feminist Network welcoming everyone to the event. There was a great relaxed and friendly atmosphere, and lots of women saying how much they had enjoyed the day afterwards.

Click on a thumbnail for a slideshow view

Workshops included;
'Child free by choice' which was well attended. I found it really empowering to be in the company of other women choosing to be child free. We shared ideas about what that meant to us, as well as sharing reactions we had recieved from other people on the subject.

A lively discussion in the 'Feminism & Sexuality' workshop saw women with different experiences of the intersection of the feminism and sexuality coming together to share their experiences and thoughts.

There was also a really great session on sexual violence entitled 'Breaking the Silence' which opened up a safer space to talk about experiences of sexual violence and how why silence on the subject is sustained and how it might be and is broken.

Details of the other workshops including 'Women & The Cuts' which was facilitated by AWOL (Angry Women of Liverpool) can be found on the Manchester Feminist Network here.


All day there was a creche, bookstall from News from Nowhere (Liverpool based radical & community bookshop) and a stall from WAST (Women Asylum Seekers Together) with copies of their book 'Am I Safe Yet?' and their 'How I became an Asylum Seeker' DVD. Zine making was happening all day in one room with ideas and experiences from the workshops creating pages for a zine which will be put together soon. Those who attended the event can send further contributions to augusta.ward@hotmail.co.uk for inclusion.

The lunch break was followed by an amazing performance by the WAST choir, which recived a well deserved standing ovation. You can hear some highlights from their performance on the player below.

Attached Files

Women Up North 2011: WAST (Women Asylum Seekers Together) Choir Highlights

Contact email: libjf@riseup.net