The Rhondda women - a women's forum in action

Anita Gale of the Rhondda women's forum, tells us about the work of her forum...

Rhondda Women’s Forum has been in existence for six years, and has been very successful. In our first year we won the Party’s Special Award for Best Practice. The Women’s Officer Glenda Abbott received the award at annual conference.

Formal business meetings are held six times a year. The first hour is for business matters, and the second hour is ‘discussion hour’.We have speakers on interesting topics.

Subjects we have discussed range from domestic violence, drug problems in the Rhondda, and breast cancer. Our Member of Parliament Chris Bryant, and our Welsh Assembly Member, Leighton Andrews visit us once a year to give report on their activities, and for us to question them. At our AGM we set out our aims and objectives for the year.

We enjoy a social life by having a summer trip, always a great success, a Christmas shopping trip, and going to a good restaurant for our Christmas dinner.

We have developed strong links with the Rhondda Women’s Aid and each year usually around Christmas time all our members are asked to give toiletries which we donate to the Women’s Aid. When we run events we invite them to have a stand where they can advertise what they do. We are developing links with a new Rhondda charity, Breast Friends, which is a support group for people with breast cancer.

In our first year we decided we wanted to be self funding. We set about raising our own funds by running jumble sales, raffles and by taking part in car boot sales. We aim to raise at least £1,000 a year, and so far we have achieved it .We send two delegates every year to the Welsh party conference, and a larger delegation to the Welsh Women’s Conference. We regularly give donations to the constituency party especially at election times.

The women play a leading role in campaigning. Practically every weekend we are working with Team Rhondda, our campaigning group, to deliver leaflets, or canvassing, either by door knocking or telephone.

We hold two seminars a year dealing with training and education. These are always a success, with women from other constituencies coming along. We normally get between 30 to 40 women attending.

We hold an event to celebrate International Women’s Day. The first one we held two years ago when Cherie Blair was our special guest. This year we had a range of speakers, as well as holding round table discussions when everyone could have their say. We invite the young women from the sixth forms in Rhondda schools to come along. This year 20 attended with their teachers. At these events we get the men, including our MP and our Assembly Member, to serve the tea and coffee!

We are proud of our forum. Our women are so positive in their support for the party. We encourage women to play their full part in all of the work of the Party. By doing it as it team we have shown that politics is relevant and enjoyable. We have great fun whilst still showing we can make a difference to people’s lives.