International Women's Day Event comes to the Hartlepool Art Gallery

Written by Adam McLean

Hartlepool is a much-beloved town full of folklore, stories, and more but part of what makes this town so great is the people. From buskers on the street corner to teachers at our schools, the people of Hartlepool are what make our town thrive. That is why Hartlepool Gallery is so dedicated to showcasing local artists and shining the spotlight on every part of our community, no matter how small. So, on the 9th of March the Gallery held an event to celebrate International Women’s Day, a day of championing women and pausing to appreciate their contributions to art, fitness, politics, farming, teaching, music, and so much more.

In fact, The Gallery itself is run by a mostly all-female workforce, with female curators, female front-of-house, female kitchen staff, and female cleaners. They are the glue that helps to keep the art scene in the town alive and helps to deliver quality exhibitions while providing exciting new opportunities for up-and-comers. Together they have a strong synergy that has pushed the Gallery to better and brighter heights, brought together families and friends, and even helped deliver other events such as Hartlepool’s very own LGBTQI+ pride and a Recovery exhibition in connection with START. They deserve to be celebrated as much as possible and through all the long afternoons, rainy mornings, and busy launches, they push forward, with a smile on their face, and their arms open wide.

Now, you might think Hartlepool’s most famous story is the monkey being hanged but there’s been some amazing women who have come from the town and have gone on to pave a future for themselves that guarantees their place in the history-books. There are women such as Alice Bendle who spent more than a decade campaigning to open Hartlepool’s first ever hospice, a place for families to say goodbye to their loved ones. There’s Savannah Marshall who was the first British female amateur world champion in 2012 and represented Great Britain at middleweight in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Back in 1874, there was Amy Beatrice Norman who was the secretary of the West Hartlepool Branch of the Women’s Social and Political Union and became a fierce suffragette for the town. There have even been countless authors, musicians, and creatives come from the town some being: Emily Carter, Abigail Taylor, Grace Stubbings, Faye Aspinall, Kim Mcdermottroe, and so many more.

It’s events such as this one that allows the town to come together and remind themselves of those Women who have helped forge our community, our politics, and our arts. Arriving to the Women’s Day event guests were welcomed to the soothing sounds of Piano music, played by Jackie Hooks, who shared her story with us and how she’s played a variety of events from birthdays to weddings, and even a night of Nat King Cole songs. She was very enthusiastic about the music scene in Hartlepool and its performances like hers that help to bring rooms togethers and bring people together to chat and relax. Also, upon arriving there was the opportunity to browse some free clothing from the company Reloved Clothing, a free clothing service based on a recycling scheme, who had some wonderful dresses, coats, and shirts. Reloved Clothing was started by two Hartlepool mums Rachel and Natalie as a school uniform service before it rapidly evolved into so much more, all completely free and non-profit. This service, like many others at the event, was set up to support and encourage, acting as a free service for anyone who may need a hand. Just past Reloved Clothing was a stall for The Hartlepool Central Hub, with a selection of books featuring the stories of women from their high points to their low points and all the personal struggles and successes, this was to drive more people to the library and showcase what an amazing resource they are to all those who wish to loose themselves in a book.

Many different stalls and groups all came out to advertise and support each other such as START, one of the organizers of the event for a third successive year, who are Hartlepool’s drug and alcohol misuse service, helping to give out advice and make people feel welcome no matter their situation. Project Pause, a new community based Mental Health Support Group, were also in attendance and offer the chance to learn new wellbeing skills and coping skills to make each day feel a little easier. Some other stalls at the event had homemade cards, button-making, and even a stall for blood pressure checks amongst other health advice. One stall was part of a newer group called The Hartlepool Mental Health Forum, an event dedicated to bringing together communities to discuss mental health options for them, opening the discussions with groups and individuals to share knowledge and experience. It really was a warm and relaxing welcome.

 

 

Once people had a chance to engage with the stallholders, they could head over to a buffet, provided by Connections Café by Recovery Connections, who also helped organize the event. This saw many strangers sitting down to chat over cake and coffee, listening to the piano and looking at the art on display. Beside the buffet was a tombola of donated items, all proceeds of which were donated to The Women’s Health Hub. Further on past the tombola was a Zen area, an area run by The Conscious Crone (Ruby Valentina) and START/Recovery Connections volunteer Samantha Williams. This was a space for people to relax and partake in a sound bath, a holistic meditational experience which when embraced can help reduce stress and anxiety. Beside the Zen Area there was a giving hat, a mad-hatter styled hat for people to leave inspirational messages, and it was already decorated with flowers and messages.

Samantha then took to the stage and gave a short speech on the struggles and the power of coming together as a community of women and what the future could look like. Her words had such a beautiful meaning behind them, and she spoke true from the heart. Her speech reflected the unseen heroes that help to keep our world and our town moving. It reflected those who come out to help when no one else does, and it reflected everything International Women’s Day stands for.

“International Women’s Day is about recognition – and today, recognition matters. Because supporting people in recover or struggling with their mental health is not just about time. It is about emotional labor. It is about holding space for pain, grief, trauma, relapse, and hope – sometimes all in the same conversation. It is about believing in people when they don’t believe in themselves.”  

Samantha’s speech went on to discuss volunteering and those who give their time to help others. Those who go unseen and those who don’t ask for anything in return but give their all to help. She reminded everyone that International Women’s Day was to celebrate everyone, from those who support recovery journeys without judgement to those who give their hearts and energy while carrying their own struggles and everyone in-between.  

 She went onto say –

“Hartlepool knows what it means to recover. As a town, we understand resilience – to the glossy kind, but the real kind. The kind built slowly, through setbacks and perseverance. The kind that understands healing is not linear, and women volunteers are at the heart of that recovery story.” – Samantha Williams.

 She ended the speech by thanking everyone, by thanking those whose work goes unseen and those who champion others. She shared her hopes for the future and gave thanks to the care and support of those who gathered at the event, bring to the community.

It was a day of sharing and a day of communication. It brought everyone together in such an inspiring and unique way and really made the support and warmth for Hartlepool women shine. Events like this one remind us of how strong our community is and how many great women we have in the town who help to define us and help to support us. It was a reminder of the many groups Hartlepool has which are there to guide us and are full of women pouring their hearts and souls into helping others. Events like this help to ground us and showcase what Hartlepool has to offer to everyone who might want to be a part of it.

It’s exciting to see events such as this one happening right here in town and we can’t wait to bring more opportunities and celebrations such as this to showcase the unbelievable journeys and support that we have within Hartlepool. If you’re interested in any of the groups mentioned please get in contact or pop in for a chat and we will be more than happy to send you in the right direction.