Oct 26: Equality Brew ☕ – monthly blend of voices, ideas and updates for change
Welcome to the October edition of Equality Brew – our monthly round-up of news, opportunities, events and stories connected to gender equality, both across Greater Manchester and beyond.
This month, we’re celebrating a new addition to our volunteer team, sharing our upcoming 'An evening with Helen Pankhurst' event, announcing opportunities for young women to have their voices heard and looking ahead to activities bringing our community together.
We’ve also gathered some of the latest headlines from further afield with plenty of ideas and conversations to discover.
So, grab your brew and take a look...
📢 Read some of the recent blogs from GM4Women2028
Browse these articles online:
Join our October community meeting and get more active in our network. Read blog.
An evening with Helen Pankhurst: A pre-Sylvia musical event. Read blog.
Welcoming Carol Ann Whitehead as Co-Lead for Participation. Read blog.
Sep 26: Equality Brew ☕ – monthly blend of voices, ideas and updates for change. Read blog.
📍 New event: An evening with Helen Pankhurst
On Tuesday 20th October, 5.00pm to 6.15pm, we’ll be gathering at The Bonded Warehouse in Manchester for 'An evening with Helen Pankhurst', a special event exploring Manchester’s suffrage past and the continuing work for women’s equal rights.
Featuring a live conversation with Helen Pankhurst CBE and open Q&A, it's a chance to reflect on the Suffragette history while considering what still needs to change as we approach 2028, the centenary of equal franchise.
The event is a collaboration between GM4Women2028, Centenary Action, Hip Pop and Raising The Glass, with every penny raised supporting the work of the two charities – GM4Women2028 and Centenary Action.
For more information and tickets, go to Eventbrite.
🎉 Congratulations to our Sylvia musical prize draw winner!
We’re delighted to announce that Mandy McCormick is the winner of our Sylvia prize draw. She's won two tickets, worth £108 in total, to see the acclaimed production of Sylvia at The Lowry theatre later this month.
Thank you to everyone who entered our draw. With £5 pledged per entry, your support is helping to fund our work to push for a better, safer, fairer and more equal Greater Manchester for women and girls.
We hope Mandy enjoys this powerful retelling of Sylvia Pankhurst’s life – and the chance to experience her story on stage.
🤗 A very warm welcome to Carol Ann Whitehead
We’re delighted to welcome Carol Ann Whitehead as our new Co-Lead for Participation. A long-standing supporter of our charity and familiar face across our events, Carol Ann brings extensive experience in campaigning, women’s leadership, political engagement and public life.
Her appointment strengthens our Participation work, which explores the barriers and opportunities affecting women’s representation and influence in decision making. Carol Ann’s expertise and focus on building women’s confidence, connections and pathways into leadership will add a valuable perspective to our team.
🗓️ Add these dates to your diary
Check out these events happening near you in the coming weeks:
Black History Month Celebration – Hosted by the Nigeria Community Association, this event is taking place today, on Thursday 1st October, 5.00pm to 10.00pm, Champness Hall in Rochdale, is themed 'Honouring our communities through a festival of African arts, culture, dance and awards'. For further information, contact nigeriacommunityassociation1@gmail.com or call 07456 136150.
Women's Health Stage – This new event on Saturday 10th October from 10.30am to 4.30pm at the Treehouse Hotel in Manchester brings together the region's women's health community under one roof, offering women in the North a front row seat to the conversations shaping the future of women's healthcare through a day of talks centred on FemTech & Innovation, clinical expertise and patient experience. Discover more and book your ticket on Eventbrite here.
GM4Women2028 October community meeting – Happening on Tuesday 13th October from 1.00pm to 2.00pm, our monthly meeting is being held online via Google Meet. Read more and access attendee link here.
Wise Women Rising: Leading with Authenticity and Ambition – Also happening on Tuesday 13th October, 12.30pm to 1.30pm, this live digital event explores leadership, ambition, identity, wellbeing and belonging for Black women, while examining representation, workplace culture and the pressures to code-switch or overperform, and calling for more authentic and inclusive leadership. Learn more and register here.
Book Launch of 'Women in Turbulent Times: Crises, Transitions and Challenges for Gender Equality' – On Thursday 15th October, 3.00pm to 5.00pm, Alliance Manchester Business School, the three editors of the book will present its key themes, exploring the impact of economic, social and political crises on gender equality, while considering how developments such as AI and digital technologies, the transition to net zero and ongoing pressures on care systems are reshaping women’s lives, work and economic participation. Get your Eventbrite ticket here.
An evening with Helen Pankhurst – On Tuesday 20th October, from 5.00pm to 6.15pm, join us for a live conversation with convenor Helen Pankhurst CBE at The Bonded Warehouse in Manchester. Buy your ticket via Eventbrite here.
Sylvia musical group outing – After the above 'An evening with Helen Pankhurst' event, later the same day at 7.30pm, members of our community are going to see the new musical about Sylvia Pankhurst at the Lowry Theatre in Salford. Book your ticket directly with The Lowry.
Festival of Women – This all-day event on Friday 6th November at Blackpool's Winter Gardens promises to amplify the voices and experiences of women, exploring the critical themes of health, wealth and safety. Access the programme and purchase tickets here.
Portico Ubuntu: Queens in Print – This book launch event is on Thursday 10th November, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, Portico Library, Manchester. Join Jenny Garrett OBE and Leah-Sunshine Garrett, the mother and daughter behind 'AI for Equity: Who is it actually built for?', for a fireside chat hosted by Carol Ann Whitehead under the iconic dome where the first Black speaker, Moses Roper, delivered his speech on 21st October 1837. Find out more and get tickets here.
Data, Deeds & Determination 2027 – Save the date for 2027 as our annual Reveal event returns to showcase the latest Pankhurst-Fawcett Scorecards, reflect on progress and identify where action is needed. It’s scheduled for Friday 5th February online.
Dialogue, Deeds & Determination 2027 – Another save the date for 2027 as our flagship Dialogue event is back to create space for discussion, collaboration and shared learning to collectively accelerate the equality agenda. It’s being held on Saturday 3rd July in Bury (venue TBC).
🌐 Wider gender equality headlines from around the world
Browse this selection of stories from the internet about equality:
The 2-Minute Conversations That Can Help Teach Boys To Reject Misogyny. Huffington Post.
New recruits continue Birketts' campaign to fly the flag for gender equality. Business Weekly.
Women trade unionists come together in Dundalk to tackle misogyny, racism and the rise of the far right. Bectu.
A universal care service is the transformative vision social care needs, says WBG. Women's Budget Group.
New report reveals scale of violence against women and girls online. Today's Family Lawyer.
Government launches National Taskforce for Tackling Misogyny. Gov.uk.
'I was manipulated and silenced': Inside the secret courts failing women. Sky News.
Time to end class squeamishness: first government unit to improve life chances for working class. Gov.uk.
UK Elevates Social Class to Race and Gender Level—New Unit Reshapes Funding, Abolishes Commission. Upday News.
How the race they said women couldn't run took centre stage. BBC News.
Watch: Gloria Steinem dedicated her life to fight for women's equality. BBC News.
Gloria Steinem, journalist and feminist activist, has died aged 92. itvX.
The manosphere offers boys belonging. We must give them something better. LBC.
Stella Creasy sums up the Left’s hypocrisy on sexism and Islam. The Telegraph.
Women who lie about having a nanny deserve a special place in hell. The Telegraph.
Labour’s equality laws are backfiring for the Left. The Telegraph.
‘One day the Taliban will need women to be educated’: three sisters on being forced back to Afghanistan. The Guardian.
‘This is what I have to do to survive’: the Sudan refugees forced into sex work. The Guardian.
It’s not easy to show my scars. But I am proud to break the deadly silence around breast cancer in Nigeria. The Guardian.
Calls to increase proportion of girls in engineering and technology education. Nuclear Industry Association.
Women facing a ‘drop to the top’ from entry level to C-suite, data shows. Yahoo Finance.
Exclusive: Gender pay gap a 'failure of the state', says top trade unionist. The Scotsman.
Note: The opinions and perspectives expressed in the articles featured in this news round up are those of the original publishers and authors, and don’t necessarily reflect the views or positions of GM4Women2028.
❤️ Women's Centres – an essential part of early intervention
Stockport Women's Centre are members of the National Women's Justice Coalition. Together, they've have produced the briefing 'Women's Centres: An Essential Part of the Government's Early Intervention' which makes the argument that women need prevention and early intervention on issues including domestic abuse, parenting and housing insecurity, rather than late-stage crisis management which is more costly and does not prevent generational trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACE's).
They're making six recommendations to government on how women's centres can and should become an essential part of early intervention infrastructure including using devolution to improve early intervention pathways and funding, and implementing cross-government strategy and accountability.
Working with service users at Stockport Women's Centre, they've also created 'Rhianna's Story' to show the impact support can have before things reach crisis stage and the positive impact it has on women's lives.
To find out more, contact Amy Cubey, policy & engagement lead, via email at amy.cubey@stockportwomenscentre.co.uk.
⚽ Sport England wants to hear from South Asian girls
Sport England has commissioned a participatory research project exploring the lived experiences of South Asian girls aged 13–19 when it comes to sport and physical activity.
The project wants to hear from girls who are active in sport as well as those who aren’t, exploring what helps, what gets in the way and what could make things better.
Selected participants will take part in workshops and receive £20 per hour in vouchers for their time. There’s also an opportunity to stay involved beyond the research and shape future ideas and projects with Sport England.
📣 Fundraiser: Breaking the double stigma of period poverty
Nelle Lordon, a 23-year-old recent arrival in Manchester, is passionate about challenging the stigma and financial barriers surrounding menstruation. After exploring period poverty and its “double stigma” in her Sociology degree dissertation, she's now supporting The Crimson Wave, a social enterprise providing free period products and inclusive education across Greater Manchester.
To raise awareness and funds for this important cause, Nelle is taking on a personal challenge of running the Manchester Marathon in 2027 and encouraging others to support the campaign, helping tackle period poverty and ensure nobody goes without the essentials they need.
💬 Keep in touch with GM4Women2028
Equality Brew is one way we can share what’s happening and keep people connected.
If you’re involved in an event, campaign, project, research or community initiative that could be of interest to our network, we’d love to hear from you. To be included in a future edition of Equality Brew, please send your details to info@gm4women2028.org.
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