Page 39 - BPW-UK ANNUAL REVIEW 2023-2024

During 2023 we were delighted to be able once again to meet up face to face at the
BPW UK National Conference in Belfast. With 3 Federation Executive Committee members in
our Area, Jo Kinsey – National President, Jackie Franklin – Vice President Media & Marketing
and myself as National Treasurer, you cannot imagine how wonderful it was to once again be
with so many of our fellow UK and some International members. Sylvia Perry – Past Internation-
al President, Isobel Chivers – SEW Public Speaking Task Force leader and Otoha Hayashi-Hunt
Young BPW also joined us with Janice Alexander – past National President making use of the
hybrid/remote access for the Annual General Meeting and Conference. A highlight for our Area
was the presentation of our joint motion with BPW Northern Ireland regarding making misogyny
a hate crime. It stimulated an interesting debate and was passed.
As well as attending conference we were able to take two teams from Cardiff schools,
Howells and Cathedral, who took part in our local Public Speaking heats to the BPW UK Inter-
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Regional Public Speaking Competition held at Stormont in Belfast. We would have taken a 3
team but snow in Belfast prevented Red Maids High School, Bristol, from boarding their flight.
We were delighted when Caitrin Sirett-Evans, from Howells School, Llandaff was awarded the
Most Promising Performance Award.

The SEW Public Speaking Task Force, headed up by Isobel Chivers and Judith Cook, con-
tinued raising awareness of the Public Speaking Competition within our Area and another high-
light for us this year has been the local heats that took place in November with 13 teams com-
peting in Bristol and Cardiff! We had a comprehensive school sending two teams from Newport
to join us for the first time in many years. Fitzalan High in Cardiff also returned to the compe-
th
tition and the 6 Form College in Cardiff also participated for the first time.
We have continued with our regular twice monthly Zoom sessions with written updates
to those who couldn’t make them and even managed some social gatherings in the Bristol area
during 2023. We all enjoyed our theatre trip in April to see Made in Dagenham, still as relevant
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today as then. We also celebrated International Women’s’ Day and BPW’s 93 Anniversary and
when our Young BPW Vice President Yasmin Knight visited us we had a delicious meal overlook-
ing Chew Valley Lake. Unfortunately Karen Brickstock moved out of our area so couldn’t con-
tinue as our Members Emergency Fund representative but Judith Cook kindly volunteered to
take that on. Elaine Milne also had to step away from the SEW Finance role so in the interim I
had to pick this up as well as my other duties pending a volunteer coming forward.

I’m always so delighted to see so many SEW members supporting the FEC’s hard work at
events, virtual and online as well as providing material for the newsletter.

Here’s to continuing to Being Positive Women in 2024!

Sue Holtom
Area Co-ordinator
BPW UK Treasurer

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