Glyn Wright Winchester - Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families
/What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Co-raising my three children to adulthood. They are bright, engaged, creative and have sharp senses of humour.
Most recently, coming up with the Jumble in a Box concept as an accessible fundraiser for refugee aid and Community Sponsorship. It is so easy! Clear out your unwanted things, books, clothing, etc., stick it all in a fruit box. (Or, contact me, I have plenty of donations to share out across the county!) Put it outside your door with a sign explaining the refugee cause you are collecting for, leave some envelopes and ask for donations. Let folks know they can take what they want and donate cash later through your letter box or print out website and donation links which they can access digitally. It really works! I envision Jumble in a Box all over the place raising money for good causes and promoting the re-use ethos.
What motivates you to do what you do?
To counteract the feeling of dread a few years back, with the rise of the right wing in my birth country of America and in my adopted country of the United Kingdom, I luckily joined forces with some like-minded friends who wanted to communicate that Falmouth and Cornwall are welcoming places for all sorts of people. Jude Munden came across UK government scheme Community Sponsorship, which was slowly taking shape around the country. A group in Bude had welcomed two Syrian refugee families through the scheme and we thought that Falmouth and Penryn would be a great environment in which to welcome a family fleeing war and wanting support to start a new life.
We launched the process in 2018. We welcomed our first lovely, amazing and delightful family in early December 2019. The pandemic added challenges with helping them settle in, but thanks to their resilience and positivity and our Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families team, the family is flourishing. As volunteers we have gained an incredible amount as well, which we all had not figured on. Giving is a two-way journey. We will be welcoming our second family this coming summer. I am motivated by the joining together of a community for a common humanitarian goal and the staying power of an organisation which is making a tangible difference for a lot of people.
What do you owe your mother?
A heck of a lot. My openness and friendliness. I think I was strongly influenced by her membership of the New Neighbors League in the early 60s when I was a little girl. Welcoming new folks to the neighbourhood is part of my Texan culture, and Southern hospitality, I guess.
My Mom was an incredibly fair person and taught me an enormous amount about accepting people for who they are. She died when I was eleven years old, but as I age I realise how much she did bestow on me in a short time. She also had an eclectic taste in music, loved the blues and had a fabulous singing voice, which I sadly did not inherit, but I do love all music and the continuous discovery of new types of music.
Which women inspire you and why?
My daughter inspires me. She and her friends, most of who she’s had since primary school, are an incredible force for good in our world. I love their insatiable curiosity in politics, the environment, people, equality, creativity, fashion, nutrition and skincare, combined with their activism. They all work so diligently in their chosen fields. I feel competition for everything is much tougher now than it was when I was in my 20s, but they are so positive in all of their pursuits and in their bond of friendship. The pandemic, I feel, is taking a serious toll on the younger generation, yet I see so much positivity from young people despite the obstacles facing them.
I also have a group of women friends who I sea swim with. Each one of them inspire me, mostly to dive into the cold sea and laugh together. They are The Swannies and our sunrise swims have enhanced my life immensely.
Additionally, my friend who is the mother of the family we welcomed to Falmouth, daily inspires me with her tenacity to learn English and forge a positive life for her family. I will always remember after not seeing her for quite a spell in person due to the first lockdown, when we met, she said, “Long time no see!” She had been diligently studying online with our dedicated team of ESOL teachers and was picking up idioms within months of arriving in Falmouth. My Arabic has not advanced at such a pace, or at all.
And, I can’t not mention every one of my gal pals, near and far, each one inspires hope and fun for me.
What are you reading?
Against a Peacock Sky by my friend and neighbour Monica Connell. This beautifully written story takes me far away and places me in the heart of a tiny village in Nepal, where Monica spent two years for her PhD in social anthropology. And, I am revisiting as a slow read, Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. Our sixth grade teacher read this to us in the early 70s. It made a huge impression on me then. I can’t believe how difficult a read it is for me now.
What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?
This is a tricky question for me as I have always plunged ahead with whatever I wanted to do. I was fortunate to be able to be a stay-at-home mother for ten years, doing voluntary work until I could work part time. My husband, though, would have baked a lot more cakes than I did if he had stayed home to raise them. I never had a burning career ambition, but I don’t blame that on my gender. I have become much less tolerant of mansplaining, which I can come up against with some men my age or older.
Luckily, with the power of age I now stand up to counteract the baloney or decipher if life is too short to waste the time. I believe younger women who have barriers but recognise them more clearly than I did, are able to knock them down more efficiently. I am concerned and disturbed the danger that being a woman encompasses, and though people are joining forces to counteract this vileness, it will be a continuous battle.
How can the world be made a better place for women?
I think that the question should be how can the world be made a better place for everybody.
Equal pay would be a huge step. Women increasingly in positions of leadership in all levels of society and who actively mentor younger women. Misogyny dying out. Mothers, grandmothers, aunties, fathers, grandfathers and uncles together teaching children and living by the value and strength of equality. Everybody sticking up for one another, no matter their differences. Embracing, accepting and celebrating the differences of people and cultures. Encouraging creativity. More teamwork and community-based projects. The obliteration of war. The fight for environmental common sense and practice. Knowing we each need to actively, strive to make the world a better place for everybody every day.
Describe your perfect day?
Getting to the beach for a sunrise swim, seeing some wildlife as a bonus. Laughing with my Swannies. A warm-up walk home. A bowl of porridge and a mug of tea. A potter in the garden. A long dog walk along the Helford River and another swim! A gin and tonic and a delicious dinner made by my husband, or one of the adult kids if they are home, they are all excellent cooks. Another dog walk under the stars to the beach. Tucking up in bed and planning a perfect day in the future when we can hit the road in our camper van and venture someplace, like Dartmoor, with a river to swim in, deserted moors to hike for miles to a pub with an orchard to relax in with a local gin and tonic.
We’ve noticed there really aren’t many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you like to see remembered?
Realistically, I would want the funding to go into an ongoing series of art workshops for all ages and needs throughout Cornwall. I would, though, like to see the artist Winifred Freeman (1866-1961) celebrated with a large-scale automata, placed on the Moor in Falmouth. Winnie was a strong character and a symbol of independence during her time, causing scandal by cycling in pantaloons around Falmouth with her easel on her back at the turn of the 20th century. Falmouth Art Gallery has a fabulous automata made by Fi Henshall in the collection. You can see it when the gallery reopens soon.
Give us a tip?
Smile at strangers. You never know when you just may make that person’s day. Or, make a new friend.
About Glyn
Glyn Wright Winchester was born in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1962. After University she travelled in Europe where she worked on a hotel barge on the Canal du Midi. There she met many Brits and came to work in London. She moved to Washington, DC where she worked for a Democratic congressman plus odd jobs waitressing until she fell into a freelance research job. That led her to Ireland. On her way to Ireland via London she met up with an old friend and they started a courtship. They travelled together across America on a Greyhound bus, plus bus and train travel throughout Mexico. They married in her hometown. Eventually the happy trails led to Falmouth in 1990 where she and her husband, Martin, have lived ever since.
Glyn currently works freelance for Falmouth Art Gallery doing social media. She is on the Board of Trustees of Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families and can't wait to get back to France to do volunteer work in Calais and Dunkirk.
Helpful links:
https://falmouthandpenrynwelcome.org/
https://www.mobilerefugeesupport.org/
https://www.falmouthartgallery.com/Gallery/Home