Dr Amy Goodwin - Traditional Signwriter

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I was recently awarded a Practice-Led PhD for my work re-establishing the identities of five fairground females from the Twentieth Century (two of which were from the West Country). Over the four years I undertook this doctoral enquiry whilst working full-time as a traditional signwriter and lecturer, and feel pretty proud of the balancing trick I pulled off to do so – however I feel that the greater achievement is that these five women's life-stories are now collated and archived, and won't be lost.

What motivates you to do what you do?

A passion for both the craft of traditional signwriting and for the preservation – and thus, restoration – of steam fairgrounds and heritage motivates my working practice. My work is heavily influenced from growing up with travelling steam fairgrounds in the West Country – the elaborate and visual typography, flamboyant colours and meticulous lines – and this is reflected in the work I create, using traditional methods, by hand with no tape or digital assistance. There is always a new technique to learn with signwriting which inspires me to continue to push on with it. 

In regards to the PhD work, this has now manifested into an archive in its own entirety: there is a strong passion for continuing to collating these stories, of other fairground females, to expand the work – the motivation is concerned with it being recognised as a space of importance, of history: the only archive of its kind, solely about travelling fairground women.  

What do you owe your grandmother?

My love of routine, my ability to work hard, and a sense of home. 

Which women inspire you and why?

The five ladies I now think of as 'mine', who I researched, wrote and made work about for the PhD, inspire me in a multitude of ways. In the 20th Century they were some of the first businesswomen: running a fairground, a (travelling) home & a family, but hidden from view. One was a suffragette, one was one of the first women to buy a steam engine, one left her husband and ran a fairground on her own, one did munitions work in World War One, and one had "a booming voice which delivered colourful language in a fruity West Country accent". They were all very inspiring. 

What are you reading?

I've recently discovered 'Silver Press', a feminist publisher, and am (slowly) making my way through the works they've published: I'm currently reading 'Talking to Women', by Nell Dunn, and have just finished 'Your Silence Will Not Protect You', by Audre Lorde. At the same time I'm also enjoying the graphic novel 'Mongrel' by Sayra Begum, which covers matters such as immigration, racism and the impact of a mixed-heritage relationship. 

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

I often get asked if I'm going to be "okay painting up a ladder"... I got over the hurdle by finding an old ladder once used in Falmouth Docks – it has this lovely patina on it and now some nice signwriting on each side. Now I'm very happy working up a ladder, in fact I often prefer to be up this ladder. 

How can the world be made a better place for women?

This is a huge question! Where to start? Better education, better representation, better opportunities, more equality, more conversation, for women to be heard... (the list could go on).

Describe your perfect day?

An early morning in my studio signwriting, a sea swim and brunch out, back to the studio for the afternoon to work, then either fish & chips with a G+T on the beach, or an evening at a steam fair or travelling circus. 

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

 A statue of Rowena Cade in Porthcurno, one of Stella Turk in Camborne, and one of Selina Cooper in Callington – in fact, a female statue in each Cornish town or village, remembering a female from that place, would be quite something!

Give us a tip?

An hour is the morning is worth two in the afternoon...and a cup of tea solves (almost) everything!

About Amy Dr. Amy Goodwin is a traditional signwriter and lecturer, based in Falmouth. Her work is heavily inspired by her upbringing travelling steam fairgrounds in the West Country and she now works predominantly in the fairground, circus and heritage industries. In 2020 she was awarded a Practice-Led PhD for her work re-establishing the identities of five Twentieth Century females, through the construction of a series of illustrated spaces in which signwriting was utilised to tell their stories. She currently teaches part-time on BA Illustration at Arts University Bournemouth.

https://www.a-goodwin.com/

Eliza Bell - Creator of 'Transplant Chats With Eliza' Podcast

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I would say producing my podcast for the transplant community.

After having a heart transplant I identified a gap in the support for pre-transplant patients. When I went through the transplant assessment there were a lot of intimidating facts on life expectancy, hair loss, potential kidney failure and cancer, to name a few.  The professionals want to make sure you’re prepared, but there was a lack of positivity at a time where you should be feeling ecstatic that you’re probably going to be given a second chance at life. So I made a podcast to change that!  

Since I’ve started ‘Transplant Chats With Eliza’ I have released 11 episodes; gained followers from over 28 countries and had over 1,500 listens. It’s a resource that will now always be available for transplant patients to listen to. Probably far longer than my days, which is an amazing but strange thought.

Having had a transplant, I often forget about how awful life was before. I’m proud of surviving and coping all of those years running up to my transplant. All those times I was just managing to keep it together. Those times I nearly had cardiac arrests when dancing in the night club. Those times I had so little energy I had to sit in a darkened room, not seeing the sun or feeling the wind or rain on my face for weeks on end. Those time my heart palpitations were so fierce I couldn’t fall asleep. I really am proud of myself for how far I’ve come over the past few years.

What motivates you to do what you do?

The people in the online transplant community motivate me to continue with this podcast. I have had so many messages from complete strangers saying how the podcast has made them feel less lonely, given them hope for their own transplants and the realisation that life can be good after their surgery. When I started the podcast I didn’t care if I was to be a success. If it were to help just one person who was struggling though their own transplant journey, then it would be worth it.

I get messages from my guests after the interview saying how helpful sharing their story has been for them. I see myself as the communicator/connector between the listeners and the transplant patient who is sharing their story. These people share their scariest and life changing moments with me. It’s such a privilege.

Another key motivator is the fact that I just want help make the world of transplant a better place. I don’t know a lot about science, I’m not a medical professional but I do have time. Time to learn how to create a podcast for the transplant community. After being given the gift of life, all you want to do is help and give back to the people who have helped you.

What do you owe your mother?

My mother is one of the most intelligent women I know. Politics, art, debate, reading, culture, history. She seems to know a lot about most things.

She has shaped me and my way of thinking and has exposed me to these experiences from an early age. Whenever we travelled nationally or internationally, we would visit museums, art galleries, markets and churches, instead of lying by the pool. We were always learning.

On my 12th birthday, we were in Turkey.  We could have opted to go to a waterpark. But no. Mum booked a cultural excursion. We visited the town’s tiny school, a mosque, and a traditional Turkish home with a prepared local lunch in the mountains. I was shown by my mother how to understand other cultures, with respect, interest and kindness.

As a child I probably did not appreciate all of these cultural things. Fast forward to adult Eliza and these experiences have really changed my way of thinking and my views of the world.

Now, whenever I travel somewhere new, I have to visit at least one museum, a National Trust property or see some form of art…it’s a natural urge. Thanks Mum for passing that on! 

Which women inspire you and why?

The female doctors and nurses at Royal Papworth Hospital who looked after me when I was on the urgent transplant list. Not only did they look after me medically, but they also became my extended family when I was 300 miles away from home. Pre-transplant, I had a heart procedure where the whole team in the lab were female. Doctors, nurses, radiographers, theatre assistants. The energy in that room was incredible. The future is women!  

Abigail Ringer – Abigail and I had our transplants in the same week at the same hospital and we were placed in the same ward for our recovery. The first time I chatted to her she could only smile at me as having new lungs meant she couldn’t speak properly (I didn’t realise this at the time). Over the days and weeks I learnt about her story and her life. She studied medicine at Cambridge whilst managing her condition, Cystic Fibrosis. After doing her Med degree she was told she was not fit enough to do medicine. But this didn’t stop her! She then went on to become a medical lawyer. Earlier this year Abi was told her lungs were failing and there wasn’t a lot the hospital could do for her. This really hit home for her, her family and for me. But amazingly a couple months later her results came back in the green and she’s now great again. She’s such a trooper. Abi is a beautiful person inside and out and I’m inspired by the way she lives her life.  

Beyonce - This woman can just boost my mood whatever the situation. Her music also really helped me in some really dark times of my life. Her music has been played in all of the procedures I have needed over the years including: heart biopsies, lung biopsies, right heart Catheterisations and ablations (the medical teams love/hate me for this).  When I was in end of stage heart failure, just before my transplant, happiness was a non-existent feeling for me. But in those few moments when I did listen to Beyonce, I was taken to my happy place. If this music has helped me I’m sure it has helped so many others.  She is such a strong, independent woman. How could you not be inspired by her?

What are you reading?

-  Women Don’t Owe You Pretty , by Florence Given – Florence shares her advice on patriarchy, the media, self-worth, relationships and everything in between.

-  Everything Is Figureoutable – This self-help book makes your most impossible thoughts seem possible.

-  Heart, by Sandeep Jauhar – This book is the perfect mix of memoir, heart anatomy and landmarks in the world of cardiology. The heart is an organ we should all know more about. So start with this!

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

If I am honest, I have not been put into a position where I’ve had to face gender barriers. Because of my heart failure I only made it to university for a couple months and was too weak to work from age 19 onwards. I guess I have all that to come now I’m a fully abled adult again. Yay…

I can let you in on another barrier I have faced a lot when I was in heart failure and even now after my heart transplant. Having an invisible illness is a real thing. I had an invisible illness. I still do. But you’d never know that unless I told you or I showed you the scar on my chest.

Before my transplant I would have real issues when out and about. I looked like a skinny, blonde, 20 something. People assume you’re in the prime of your life. When in fact I had the heart of a 70 year old and was in end of stage heart failure. I’d be placed at the front of queues as priority. This meant a lot of unwanted attention for me. People would get mad at the sight of me being in front of them as I looked so normal. One time this happened on the way back from a holiday in Turkey. We were placed in the disabled queue at the airport as I could hardly walk. A woman in the normal queue started angrily shouting at me and my family for being ahead in the queue. It was a really upsetting experience. In some ways I would have rather waiting in the longer line to avoid those problems. Apparently you need to be in a wheelchair to be chronically ill.

Even post-transplant I have been accused of things which are merely side effects of my medication. I got employed by a holiday letting company who knew about my condition before they hired me. On the first day of my job my boss asked me if I knew who my donor was and kept mentioning my scar. By the time she decided to let go of me she accused me of being nervous and always having shaky hands. When in fact I only had shaky hands because I was on an incredibly high dose of steroids. Her loss anyway!

How can the world be made a better place for women?

It depends what we are talking about.  Women who live in developed countries or less developed countries?

Life could be made better for women if they were given more support to be more confident in themselves.

I think women should be educated not only about sex education, but about self-love and respect from an early age. We are taught about how sex works but we aren’t taught about being a strong individual, making yourself a priority and understanding what your feelings mean.  From personal experience and from what I’ve heard from others, we grow up not understanding how important ‘self-respect’ is and only through painful experiences do we open our eyes up to this concept. As a whole we don’t get enough respect from society, but we can respect ourselves and become stronger females through doing so.

Social media is a dangerous thing for women of all ages. Being perfect has become the new normal online and if you do not appear that way then you feel like you’re failing (or at least I have in the past). Women need to understand this and start showing more true and realistic images online. Or if you’re the person looking at these images. STOP! Delete them out of your Instagram feed. Replace them with positive body image influencers and interesting accounts. I recommend @florencegiven, she’s a great person to start off with. Sharing all things body/confidence/boundaries and mind on Instagram. Let’s take action, not selfies.

For women in underdeveloped countries, education, health care and contraception are major issues which still need to be addressed. It seems that even after years of these things being in the headlines and being supported nationally and internationally, it is an issue which will need to be supported for a long time to get to a good place for women.

The easier availability of micro-loans would be an amazing step forward for women in these types of countries too. Women are so resourceful. Whether that be with crafts or farming, it would bring so much independence and confidence to these women’s lives without the need of support from men.

Describe your perfect day?

I’d wake up early. I like to try and get a walk in by the sea and potentially grab a naughty treat at a café. I’ll try and get some work done on the podcast, whether that’s editing the podcast, social media or writing. I’ll chat to one of my friends on the phone. Chats consist of chatting about work, how amazing life is, and then bigging up each other’s master business plans. By this point another walk will be way over-due. If I’m out quite late, I’ll watch the sunset whilst I’m out and pop on a mindfulness track on my phone. Through the day I’ll have NTS radio playing in the background (a radio you should definitely check out!). Before bed I like to wind down with a book.

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

I do not have one specific person. But I used to work for the RNLI as a fundraiser. One of the first jobs I did was fundraising at the Life Boat station at St Ives. I remember being shown around the station and being taken to the locker rooms where the crew’s work wear was all ready and waiting. The crew’s names were all marked above their areas. I noticed some of the plaques had women’s names on.

When you think about the RNLI and the lifeboats you automatically think the person that will be saving you is a man. And that’s not always the case. The sea is such a big part of our lives in Cornwall and the RNLI is always there if we get into trouble.

I think a statue of a lifeboat woman be amazing. It would be a great way show that the RNLI is run as much by women as it is by men. A statue like that would definitely get some second glances and would defy Cornish gender stereotypes!  

Give us a tip?

A Moomaid ice cream a day keeps the doctor away!

To find out more about the podcast you can find me at transplantchats.com.

You can follow me on Instagram @transplantchatswitheliza.

To listen to the podcast, just search ‘Transplant Chats With Eliza’ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Music or Pocketcast!

About Eliza: Eliza Bell is 22 years old and is a patient advocate from Cornwall, Penzance.

In February 2019, Eliza was a successful DCD heart transplant recipient at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge; a life-saving event that has further propelled her interest in human-centred storytelling.

She is now using her experience to educate professionals, the public and transplant patients on what it’s really like to have a transplant and why organ donation is so desperately needed.

Eliza set up the podcast: ‘Transplant Chats With Eliza’ as a much needed support platform for other patients. The podcast shares positive stories and advice from others in the transplant community. 

Bec Applebee - Performer, Creative Practitioner & Celebrant

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Ha ha! It seems like an easy question, but it’s not really is it? My greatest life achievement was having my wonderful son at the age of 40 after several unsuccessful pregnancies.

However, in terms of my working life, I have been very fortunate to have achieved many things of which I am proud and some that I can’t believe. When I was young I always knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to work in theatre. It was always very clear to me. I had a list of life ambitions that seemed totally out of reach at the time. So for example, at the age of 16 I wanted to work with Kneehigh theatre and travel the world. Impossible. At the age of 22 my journey with Kneehigh started and continued for 18 yrs. We travelled the globe and we went on some fantastic life adventures. I have danced with Monacan royalty and spent the night in a shebeen in the depths of Soweto shortly after Apartheid finished. Events far beyond anything I could have dreamed possible. This has happened throughout my life.

I am proud to live in Cornwall and to celebrate its unique language and culture and because of that have had the privilege of playing music as a member of Dalla with your very own Hillary Coleman for fifteen years. A musical dream. As a fan of World music, I had always fantasised about playing in an International music ensemble. In 2019 I was asked to represent Cornwall as a singer in the extraordinary Tosta Banda project as a direct result of having worked with Dalla. San Sebastian was the city of culture in The Basque Country and as part of their celebration they formed a band of minority language singers from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Friesland, Galicia, Basque Country and Cornwall. How did that happen?

I have just trained to become a Celebrant…something I have always wanted to do…

There are almost too many to write here. I am very lucky.

I think that is a very long-winded way of saying that my greatest achievement is to have impossible dreams.

What motivates you to do what you do?

People. People and their stories, I think that is the answer. There are of course the very direct everyday responsibilities of being a single parent and having to feed and clothe my family, working to pay the bills and keeping a roof over our heads, that sort of thing. Which are very strong motivators, especially at the moment having watched the industry I work in crumble. Things are going to be very different for the arts in the near future. I do love a challenge and to problem solve. I am not easily deterred so why not try to create projects and enable others to make work within the new guideline? (plans are afoot so watch this space). I have a very active brain that loves a challenge. It is always bursting with projects and creative ideas...too many. Some are rubbish and some can be quite good.

Apart from that It has always been people and their stories that act as motivation for me. I love that everyone has a story to tell and in my job as an actor I can help to share those stories. Hopefully making a direct emotional connection with an audience.

What do you owe your mother?

My mother passed on her love for the Arts and a deeply rooted creativity. She encouraged me to follow my passions and instilled a belief that everyone should be equal. I learned from her a gritty determination and an ability to make the best of things and an attitude to life and work that I deeply admire. No one is better than you and you are no better than anyone else.

My Mum is June Applebee, and what an amazing person. When we were young it would be fair to say that we were fairly poor. My mum was a single parent in the 70s, and she held down so many different jobs. She was a bar maid, lifeguard at Carn Brea leisure centre, she cleaned, ran a book stall in Redruth Butter Market, she became a nursery nurse at Gweal an Top infant school amongst other things. I don’t know anyone who can make food and money stretch as far as she had to. In 1978, we moved into a small two bedroomed cottage in Tregajorran - that is my brother Mike, my sister Gen, my Mum, our dog Smokey and cat Holly, plus the lodger, Chris, who lived in the hall with his two children and a variety of animals. It was a bustling household. So, two adults and 5 children…My Mum shared a room with me and my sister.

With all this going on she still somehow was able to share with us her love of Art, theatre, music and anything creative, we were always making things (sometimes to sell), sometimes forgoing a more expensive dinner choice for tickets to see a concert.  Mum is an adventurer, mild-mannered when you first meet her, but with a surprising and steely determination. When we all left home she left home as well, and travelled the world on the high seas working as a librarian on the QE2 for sixteen years.

Which women inspire you and why?

Kate Bush

Greta Thunberg

Malala Yousafzai

Cindy Sherman

Brenda Wootton

Women throughout the world who speak out.

I am surrounded by women who inspire me almost every day. Most of my female friends, family and work colleagues are inspirational in different ways. Many have endured and overcome personal challenges, many campaign for a greener and healthier world, many have achieved extraordinary things at work or are fantastic parents.

But it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t mention Mary Bryant. A young woman from Fowey born in 1765, Mary had the most incredible life story. After being tried and found guilty of highway robbery she was eventually sent away on the first fleet to Australia. She was a mother of two and with her children, husband and seven other prisoners escaped from Botany Bay in a small cutter and made what I believe to be one of the most extraordinary maritime journeys at that time. She escaped and then was re-caught and lost her entire family on the way back to England to be hanged, only to be pardoned when she returned.

When I first read her story, I couldn’t believe that she wasn’t taught in school history lessons. A truly remarkable woman. I researched her for a long time at the Cornish studies library and on Australian websites. You can find her signature and find out what she looked like. But none of the accounts really described what it must have felt like to have experienced what she went through. So, I made a one woman show about her, “Oh Mary”. Which strangely, because of Covid, I am going to be performing at the Minack in September.

What are you reading?

‘My Brilliant Friend’ by Elena Ferrante.

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

Mmmmm! In my performing career I have taken quite an alternative route and have always loved being physical. When working in the theatre, and particularly in Cornwall, it never occurred to me that I couldn’t do what would conventionally be considered a man’s job. So, on tour I relished the physical work, working ridiculous hours in all weathers, packing the van, sitting on the roof in the rain ratcheting down heavy scaffolding. In Kneehigh one of my nicknames was Betty Ratchet. At the time I didn’t see the inequalities, but they were there. The women I knew had to ‘prove’ themselves, whether it was being funny or being ready to work whatever your family circumstances. The men I worked with had an easier time.

But it was certainly different and more accepting than the more conventional acting world which is still so incredibly sexist. Just watch your television. Women still must be conventionally beautiful or young. Things are changing but as a young woman I made a conscious decision not to go to London to audition and put myself through the agony of what I knew would be rejection after rejection. Despite any skill I might have as an actor I don’t have a ‘TV or Film friendly face’, even now my features would be considered to be too big and uneven. I didn’t want to be told by an agent what parts I could play even if I knew in my heart that I could bring something different to a role. I didn’t want to be judged on my looks or be told that my nose was too big or my eyes too prominent. I would have hated that; my skin is not thick enough. So, I chose a different path.

How can the world be made a better place for women?

Your questions are huge.

We need Global equality and proportional representation. To end misogyny. Have an equal right to free education, welfare, sexual health and access to family planning for all women. A redistribution of wealth and political power and historical representation.

Describe your perfect day?

My perfect day could be any day. Some days are just like that. Little things make me happy and always have, particularly nature. But if I had to build one it would include a sea swim, social time with my son, friends and family, a campfire, some live music and the sound of rain on a tent, bees…and some phosphorescence. Any one of those things in a day would make it perfect.

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

Mary Bryant.

Give us a tip?

If you want to cut a banana in half but don’t have a knife, nick the skin on the inside curve with your nail and then bend it outwards…it will split in two.

About Bec Applebee Bec was brought up in Cornwall, went to college in Liverpool and has travelled extensively with her work. She is a Mum. is one of Cornwall’s recognised creative practitioners having worked first and foremost as an Actor but also as Director, Deviser and Workshop leader. Bec continues to tour, nationally, internationally as well as locally. She has performed with some of Cornwall’s foremost and ground-breaking companies which include Kneehigh Theatre (Red Shoes, King of Prussia ,The Riot etc) and Wildworks (The Old Man with Enormous Wings and Souterrain) .

Some of her more recent acting credits include;

The Mousehole Cat USA and Christmas tour with Cousin Jack’s Theatre 2019

Estah’s Story with Yskynna at Heartlands 2019

Operation Neptune at Trebah gardens 2019

Darke Women (2018) ‘Oh Mary’ and The Ugly Sisters with her own company Bec Applebee Presents.

Before I Wake and Dracula with Scary little Girls/ Minack/ Heligan

The Man Engine, Weather the Storms, Gogmagog (part of the Weymouth Olympic opening ceremony 2014) all with Golden Tree Productions

ImagineThat with the National theatre

Hansel and Gretel with Cscape Dance company

Bec often works as a performance director for Incandescence circus and has been a mentor for Rogue theatre

As a singer and percussionist Bec played with Dalla for 18 years producing 5 albums (A Richer Vein, More Salt, Rooz, Cribber, and K5) She plays with Didjan, the Nos Lowen band Skillywidden and also represents Cornwall singing in Cornish with the fabulous Tosta Banda which was formed for Donostia’s celebrations as European city of culture.

TV  and radio credits include BBC 1 series ‘Down to Earth’ and BBC 4 radio series ‘On the rocks’ , ‘Post cards’ and The King of Prussia

http://www.tostabanda.com

 https://www.minack.com/whats-on/oh-mary

Rachel Yates - Plastic Free Communities Project Officer

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Oh gosh! Questions like this always make me feel awkward. I think sometimes it’s easiest to just pick the things we’re expected to; my 20 year career in broadcast journalism/production, leading Penzance to become the first community to achieve SAS Plastic Free status, renovating a 200 year old cottage, bringing up my kids on my own. And I am proud of those things. But sometimes the biggest achievements are in the smallest things…still being able to make my two teenagers smile when they’re determined not to, making a REALLY good pudding, sometimes getting out of bed and through the day is an achievement! I read a quote the other day that said: ‘you gave your life to become the person you are right now. Was it worth it?’ That’s the real achievement, I think. Being able to sit in your life right here and now and say…it’s been worth it so far!

 What motivates you to do what you do?

It’s really hard to put it into words. I get these pulls to do things that I just can’t ignore! Sometimes my head is screaming ‘No!’ at me for all sorts of sensible reasons, but I just end up following the call. I know I’m on the money when what I’m doing fuels, inspires and teaches me. It’s really important to me to know that I’m using my skills and energy in a positive and meaningful way. Seeing positive outcomes really inspires me too, again the little things…an email saying thank you or an action that’s had brilliant knock-on benefits that weren’t expected. I believe wholeheartedly that we have the power to bring about positive change and I believe people deserve to feel empowered, valued and heard. But most things come back to the ocean for me, and the beautiful planet it supports. We are blessed to have this amazing home, I want to honour that.

What do you owe your mother?

A love of reading. She introduced me to the Brontës, Miles Franklin, Louisa May Allcott … and looking back I now see that she was bringing strong female role models and authors into my life. She aspired high for me and, while that had its pressures too, I was loved, believed in and encouraged. I feel like she wanted me to break the ‘glass ceiling’ and take the opportunities that she didn’t have or didn’t take. She also made me practice piano every day, which didn’t always sit well! But I ended up taking my Grade 8 and all that practice means I can still knock out a half decent tune today. When I moved back to Penzance she gave me the piano I’d played since I was six years old. It’s very special to me and one day I hope it’ll have pride of place in my own daughter’s home. 

Which women inspire you and why?

How long have you got? A few in no particular order; Barbara Hepworth, Viv Albertine, Sophie Scholl, Rachel Carson, Nina Simone, Jane Fonda, Bethany Hamilton, Virgina Woolf, Ges Wilson, Nimco Ali, a woman I saw in Falmouth once who was rocking it in her later years and I thought ‘I want to be her when I grow up’! I’m continually inspired by the women around me and that I come across in my work and reading. My daughter hugely inspires me, and my circle of friends… all strong, real and powerful women in their own rights. Anyone who isn’t afraid to be who they are and stick two fingers up to how it ‘should be’ when there is a better, kinder and more empowering way gets my vote.

What are you reading?

I tend to have a few books on the go at once; something that supports my work, research, learning and projects; something I can dip in and out of; and an escape route into story. Right now I’m reading and doing the work within Layla F Saad’s ‘Me and White Supremacy’, I’m loving dipping and diving into Katrina Naomi’s latest collection of poems ‘Wild Persistence’ and I’ve also just started ‘The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love’...which is already challenging me in its portrayal of women! Am interested to see how it progresses and what process I go through with it.

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

They’re around us all of the time and most of the time we’re so used to it, it’s so engrained, that we don’t notice or we don’t realise until too late. Things that stand out were my instinctive love of surfing and wanting to learn as a teenage girl…but it still being quite a male domain at that time and not having the confidence to brave the line up or the boys. In my early career I faced discrimination as a young mum and had I had the wits, knowledge and confidence I have now, I would have had a case to bring.

Being a single mum with no parenting support has also meant more barriers… and while frustrating and upsetting at times, they are outweighed a hundred times over by knowing that the most important role I’ll ever have is being a mum. And that’s not to be undermined or undervalued either. Attitudes to motherhood in itself are barriers…you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I’ve tried to walk a fair line down the middle, honouring myself and my aspirations and also my children and their needs. It is far from easy. 

How can the world be made a better place for women?

Education, Education, Education. To coin a phrase! More awareness and teaching around things like how deep-set attitudes are when it comes to gender, as an example. As I mentioned before, sometimes we’re not even aware it’s happening, let alone that we’re inadvertently taking part in perpetuating inequality and control. I’m really interested in particular in how language, semantics and how we choose to communicate perpetuate straight-white-male power.

Add to that; strong female role-models to learn from and strong male role-models for our boys to look up to and see how you can still be a man without the traditional concepts, behaviours and attitudes. You hear of men feeling increasingly ‘emasculated’. I hate that word ‘emasculated’. We need to switch it to ‘upmasculated’ instead maybe, and be positive about the levelling up of power and what benefits that brings men. As women we need to support our men and boys in that too, but with boundaries!

There is a great documentary called 2040 which looks ahead to the future we could build using existing technology and projects to avert the worst of climate breakdown. It’s brilliantly uplifting and one of the stand out moments for me was hearing that the best thing we can do to live in harmony with the planet is educate girls and women. In future I hope to work on environmental projects that do just that.

Describe your perfect day?

Waking to see the sun rise over the Mount (I’m lucky I get to watch it from my bedroom window) and then some yoga or a sea swim before breakfast and a damn good coffee in the garden. Then what? This is hard! I have lots of versions of perfect days! It could be pottering around at home, reading / snoozing in the sun, burying myself in my writing room, heading out to the coast for a surf, paddle or a good stank around the cliffs. Evenings would be back at home cooking up some good veggie food and curling up with a film or catching up with mates over a drink and a fire … with music of course, and that would no doubt end in dancing! I love my friends for that – even if all else fails, we dance.

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

There are lots of women who deserve recognition. I’d love to see Rowena Cade carved in granite … after she painstaking carved out the Minack into the cliffs at Porthcurno. Another sculptor of a different kind whom I adore, and have one of those ‘can’t describe why’ connections to, is Barbara Hepworth. Wow, her statue would be a real opportunity for a female commission and some beautiful work! Suffragist Selina Cooper from Callington also deserves a statue – she was a leading figure in the movement and was one of four women who presented the case for women’s suffrage to Prime Minister Asquith. She was also the first woman to represent the Independent Labour Party. There are so many more I could list – one for every town and village!

Give us a tip?

Always make your bed, draw back the curtains and open the windows on a morning. Clear space, light and air make all the difference.

About Rachel

Rachel Yates was born in Penzance and after 15 years living in various parts of the UK studying and creating a career as a broadcast journalist, she returned to her hometown bring up her two children by the sea.

While continuing to work in radio and digital media her desire to do more for the environment grew, and was sealed by a trip to the Philippines to support schools after Typhoon Haiyan. The sheer scale of marine pollution shocked her and on her return to Cornwall during the Valentine’s Storm of 2014, she was devastated to see the same scenes of plastic pollution on her home beaches. She organised a Surfers Against Sewage beach clean and the rest as they say is history!

In 2017, recognising that we can’t beach clean our way out of the plastic pollution crisis, Rachel signed up to lead Penzance to become a ‘Plastic Free Community’ with SAS, and in December the same year the town became the first to achieve the award, inspiring hundreds of communities across the UK and the rest of the world to take action.

Rachel now leads the national Plastic Free Communities campaign for Surfers Against Sewage, and in her spare time runs Plastic Free Penzance. She set up Sustainable Penzance in December 2019 to build on the success of Plastic Free Penzance and to work collaboratively across the community on wider environmental issues.

In her spare, spare time she works on writing and surf history projects. She is currently curating memories and anecdotes from the legendary Skewjack Surf Village near Sennen, for a book, exhibition and community workshops.

Emma-Leigh Stubbins - South West Water Networks Manager & Founder of Covid-19 Mutal Aid Group Penzance

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

 My first instinct with this question was to say I don't think I've achieved anything particularly great! But in terms of the response to the pandemic, I'm quite proud that I've been able to play a small part in helping people to access assistance and support from their community when they've needed it. I'm quite an independent person by nature and I'm terrible at asking for help, but it seemed clear quite early on that the only way we were going to get through this crisis would be to act as a collective. I think people are just as willing to help now as they ever were, but I think over time we've just become more reluctant to ask. It's just not the done thing now, but I can remember my mum sending me round to the neighbours for a cup of sugar on more than one occasion when I was a kid.

We needed to normalise the ‘asking for help’ bit, so that people could safely isolate without having to venture out for essentials which could put others at risk. The response was brilliant in Penzance; I thought it would just be my extended circle of friends when I first created the group, but it's really taken off. I'm incredibly proud that we were able to pull it off and bring the community together – it's been great to see the good turns that have happened.

In life generally, I'd probably say being brave enough drop everything to move to Penzance on my own for work. It was a huge leap of faith at the time as I didn't know anyone and I didn't know if it would pay off at all. The first few months were really hard – I moved down at the tail end of the summer season when everything was winding down for winter. But in hindsight, it was a really good career move and an even better one in terms of lifestyle. It may have taken a while to find my feet but I've been so happy here, and I finally feel like I've found my people.

What motivates you to do what you do? 

I think I quite enjoy solving problems – unpicking the different threads and figuring out the best solution. It seems to be a common theme throughout my career and volunteering history. As a kid, one of my best-ever teachers, Mr Jackson, told my parents I was bright but lazy; he said I'd find the easiest way to complete tasks and didn't always give my full effort. He was right! And he spent a lot of time pushing me to try harder, which I'm grateful for. But I think having that "lazy" gene can be quite handy if you can harness it. It makes you look at problems a bit differently, and if you can cut out the irrelevant stuff quickly, you can get to the point of what you are trying to achieve in a more efficient and strategic way. So, I guess I'm motivated by a desire to problem solve and to help people, aided by a small dollop of laziness!

What do you owe your mother?

My parents were huge advocates of education and really pushed me to do my best. My Dad always told me that the harder I worked in school, the easier I'd have it the rest of my life. My mum has always had an unwavering belief in me. When I was a kid she seemed utterly convinced I could do anything if I put my mind to it, she didn't see any limitations in my future and her strength of conviction in that made me believe it was unquestionably true. As you might expect, that confidence has been tested over the years! But having that voice in my head telling me I can do anything has always helped me pick myself back up when I've been knocked down, and have the strength to try again. 

Which women inspire you and why?

First and foremost, the amazing moderator team of the Penzance Mutual Aid Group. They really are the most brilliant bunch of women that I've had the pleasure of meeting. In no particular order: Pheona Lowell, Jade Carter-Bennett, Lindsay Buchanan, Vicky White, Sharon Close, Kristin Simmons and Tressa Lapham-Green.

Some of us knew each other BC (before Covid) but mostly we 'met' through creating the group and moderating it throughout lockdown. So much has happened in the last two months, but their resilience and determination to help other people despite their own struggles has been constantly inspiring. Despite the emotional intensity of the situation we have found ourselves in, they have facilitated, coordinated and curated interactions and information with endless compassion, patience and good humour.

They are all absolute stars and have brought their own specialist knowledge and skills to the group. I wouldn't have been able to do any of it without them.

What are you reading?

At the moment, mostly news reports and Government guidance documents! I think I'm long overdue a quiet afternoon in the sunshine with a good book, so I'll try and find time to do that now that we're allowed to spend a bit more time outdoors. 

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle? 

A few, I think, over the years. South West Water is a great employer, and committed to gender equality, but the water industry itself is heavily male dominated. When I first graduated from University and got a temp role in their head office in Exeter, I didn't think the job I'm doing now would be something I could ever aspire to – mostly because, at that time, there wasn't anyone doing the job that had a similar background to me, or that I identified with. As I've progressed there have occasionally been people that haven't taken me seriously, but I try to let my work speak for itself and that has stood me in good stead so far in my career.

I think there's been a big shift in the last few years, and more women are becoming interested in the water industry and viewing it as a career path that is open to them. I love that there is more focus now on showing the younger generations of women and girls that they can excel in STEM subjects, and that they can do stereotypically 'male' roles. I'm really proud that my team employed the first two female Waste Water Networks Operators in South West Water, and that we have a really balanced and diverse management team in our area. 

How can the world be made a better place for women?

So, so many ways. In life generally, we need more representation. Little girls need to be able to see a wide range of futures. Being the first woman to do something is a huge achievement, but it's 2020, it seems ridiculous that there's still some unchartered territories. We need better and more diverse political representation, so everyone's voices are heard, not just those of a privileged few. In the workplace, we need more flexibility for everyone. Maternity pay and leave tends to be a focus in these conversations, but I think offering more generous paternity packages and normalising men taking an active caregiving role helps women too – the more we can redistribute the domestic workload and the emotional labour that tends to fall to women, the better. 

Describe your perfect day?

Being woken up by the sun streaming through the window, and the chatter and squawk of seagulls. A tasty breakfast in the garden, with endless pots of coffee and the papers. A long walk with the dog on the beach, or maybe somewhere on the coastal path. Returning home slightly windswept, to a magically clean house without any of the effort to get it there! Maybe an afternoon pottering around the garden picking tomatoes and strawberries. And then an evening of good wine, good friends and lots of laughter to round off the day. Preferably without the need for Zoom or 2 meters of social distance!

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

I'll cast my vote for Hilda Runciman, the first female MP in Cornwall (serving the St Ives constituency) who was elected on 6th March 1928, ten years after the law changed allowing women to stand. Despite the decade of women being allowed to run, she was still only the 12th woman to be elected as an MP.  Her election campaign is interesting – her husband was due to move constituencies from Swansea to St Ives in the 1929 general election, but a snap byelection meant that if he were to run, he would have to give up his Swansea seat which would trigger another byelection there. Hilda agreed to run, in order to 'babysit' the seat for him, and I think as a result she tends to be overlooked.

But she was incredibly shrewd – getting elected as a woman in those early days required reassuring the votes of the men, whilst stimulating the votes of the few women who were eligible to vote to turn out in large numbers. She was well educated, with a first-class history degree from Cambridge, had been the president of the Women's Liberal Federation and was adept at debating and strategically getting a crowd onside. She avoided identifying as a feminist (not wanting to put off the sensitive men of the time!) but successfully persuaded many of them to agree with her on issues affecting women. She also used good humour to disarm criticism of her gender, which I love. She's known for saying "it is right and proper that women should agree with their husbands on all questions, but if you have Conservative husbands I implore you to think for yourselves". I think I like her most because of the way she was able to bring people together and change their opinions – nearly 100 years later, in the era of echo chambers and disparate partisan politics, this feels like a real achievement now more than ever. Sadly, she kept her promise to her husband and let him stand in her place in 1929, but not before she saw the implementation of the Representation of the People Act, which saw the vote extended to everyone, including women, over the age of 21.

Give us a tip?

"No" might make them angry, but it will make you free - if no one ever told you, your freedom is worth more than their anger. Guard your time fiercely. Be generous with it, but be intentional about it.

About Emma-Leigh Emma-Leigh Stubbins is a 29-year-old woman living in Penzance with her naughty-but-cute dog, Tess. Born in the Worcester, and educated at the University of Exeter, she has been edging gradually further south-west for the past ten years.

By day, she works for South West Water managing the sewerage network across East Cornwall, with a strong focus on pollution prevention and environmental protection. By night, she has founded the Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group in Penzance, uniting 6,000 members of the community during lockdown. 

With an excellent team of moderators, the group has ensured that residents in Penzance have access to reliable, useful information at a time when the world has been full of uncertainty, as well as enabling neighbours to come together to support one another. From shopping-collection and pineapple bartering to lost-chicken rescue, the group has seen it all over the past few months!

Links:

Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group Penzance (Facebook) 

Emma-Leigh Stubbins (Linkedin) 

Rose Barnecut - Farmer & Director of FEAST

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Excluding my two amazing boys who are my best contribution to the world, you mean?

I’m going to cheat, as I really have two lives. My true number one achievement is that with my brother we have succeeded in holding onto the family farm, when so many others have been forced to sell or rent out.  We are joined now in the partnership by one of my sons, and that is a real salute to the future.  We have not only kept the farm, we have kept it unspoilt. Anyone transported through time from 3oo years ago would recognise the fields, the buildings, the lane. We even have a map from 1860 locating mature trees for a national survey, and those oaks are still splendidly there.

My second achievement is devising and then leading the FEAST programme for the last 12 years. Artists and Cornish communities are awesome. It’s been a privilege to have the means to put them together and watch the magic.

What motivates you to do what you do?

A love of life, a love of the natural world and a delight in the power of creativity. Why would you not want to be part of that?

What do you owe your mother?

My mother died when I was sixteen. I owe her an unshakeable belief that I am loved and deserve it, that you need to stand in the shoes of other people before you make judgements  and that you must always make your own Christmas puddings. I have also learnt that the kindest, gentlest and most patient of mothers may have a daughter who doesn’t necessarily inherit those traits, but that you can be a half way decent parent as long as you hug a lot, laugh a lot and let them make camps with the furniture.

Which women inspire you and why?

I found this an incredibly difficult question. I would prefer to answer - who do I respect? To that I would say my great, great grandmother Jane Slade who, incredibly as a woman in the nineteenth century, took on and ran the Slade family boat building business in Polruan when her husband died. There is still a classic boat called the Jane Slade sailing the seas today. To the consternation of the family she was the inspiration for a Daphne Du Maurier novel in which the heroine is a bit dark. 

This sounds amazingly old school, and I don’t have much time for the rest of the Royal Family, but the Queen is pretty formidable.  We rightly applaud the almost centenarian for 100 laps of his garden on a walking frame but we have a queen doing a broadcast to the nation, listened to by 27 million people…and she is 94! I respect Nicola Sturgeon for being smart, Jacinda Ardern for getting it right, and Gabby Logan for providing a masterclass in how women can enter what has traditionally been a man’s world with apparent seamless ease and style. Perhaps I should use the word inspired after all!

What are you reading?

I am reading Stalingrad by Vassily Grossman. It is the War and Peace of the twentieth century. It is about Russia’s defence of Stalingrad against Hitler’s forces. It takes the enormous sweep of history and geography whilst providing the most moving, intimate vignettes of the lives of individuals caught up in it all. Amazing.  It is 965 pages long, so will see me to sleep for a lot of nights!

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

Maybe incredibly I don’t feel I have had to counter any real gender barriers. I came home to farm with my brother when our father died.  Of course farming has been, and still largely is,  a profession very much dominated by men.  But I truly don’t feel, - in all those markets I have been to, trades I have been involved with, conversations with other farmers about the low price of lamb or could we borrow the cultivator, -  that I have been treated as anything but an equal.

Perhaps I would have had a different experience if I had chosen to climb the traditional career ladder, but as of the age 28 I have never had a full time job. For most of my life I have been self employed and had a temporary part time job to supplement this. When you can afford to walk away you can be pretty bold if you don’t like something or someone!

How can the world be made a better place for women?

My goodness! I don’t feel equipped to answer this. I think sorting out what we as women and what society more broadly wants from motherhood and how we collectively support women to make the best choices when they have children, would be massive. At the moment women are on a career/ parenting treadmill that is driven by economic necessity and often doesn’t make anyone happy. Maybe this whole lockdown may force some invention about the ways we all work and take responsibility for each other.

This is going to be contentious but I also think, as women, we need to be aware that there is a whole scale of danger that women can be exposed to.  Let’s understand where real jeopardy lies and where we would be better placed to develop our antennae and stand our ground. I am very uncomfortable about the current ubiquity with which women are depicted as victims.

Describe your perfect day?

Wake to sunshine. Walk in the field with partner and discuss tadpoles, the geo politics of the Middle East and why the parsnips aren’t germinating. Eat breakfast in  garden. Listen to bees in the wisteria . Go to the farm where no sheep have broken out. Do a bit of work. Eat a pasty. Do a bit more work, then have a little sit down in the hedge. Watch swallows going into the barn to nest. Go home. Eat asparagus from the veg patch. Drink too much wine and dance wildly in the moonlight.

I am beyond lucky that this perfect day happens to me quite often (apart obviously from the sheep not breaking out bit).

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

I’m not big on statues.

Give us a tip?

If you have to ask yourself does my hair need washing, it always does

And seriously importantly  - See the beauty of the world.  Every day.

About Rose: I am Cornish, born on a farm in mid Cornwall which I still help run with other members of the family. Like many young people from Cornwall, I spent some years away at university and then establishing a career.  For me it was an English degree and secondary school teaching.  I came home in 1984 and have blissfully lived in the same house ever since. I brought up two sons here. One now farms and one teaches!

 I gave up full time teaching when I was 28 and have run two part time jobs ever since – best decision ever. For a while it was farming and teaching and now it is farming and arts administration.  I had the opportunity while Director of the Creative Unit at Cornwall Council (job share) to write a business plan for the Arts Council for a community arts investment programme.  This became FEAST which I have run for the last 12 years.  FEAST’s strapline is Making great art happen across Cornwall, and with funding and advice that is exactly what we do!

Links: https://feastcornwall.org/

Key Working Women of the Month

(From left to right) Gill Baldwin, Tracy Tonkin, Saffron Ingleheart, Lily Terry and Hannah Pearce.

This month, in light of the current crisis, we invited our Facebook followers to nominate their own key working women who are doing amazing things in our community during this challenging time.

We had this lovely nomination from Faye Wilson for our first key worker Woman of the Month:

Lily Terry, Midwife

'I’d like to nominate my niece Lily Terry who is a midwife caring for expecting mums during these frightening times. She is so caring and full of good humour ❤️ also want to mention that her mum (my sister) Tiffany Terry and (our mum) Viv Thompson are making masks for Lily and her colleagues.' 🙌🌻

Tracy Tonkin, Postie

Our second key worker Woman of the Month was nominated by her sister Lou. Tracy says:

'Being a postie has changed a bit in the last couple of weeks. Changes to keep ourselves and people we deliver to safe are key and we have become a really important part of people's lives, both for the businesses still trying to make a living and their customers as they order items online. I'm loving delivering the handwritten letters and cards people have started sending since the 'lockdown' and seeing the reactions as we all find different ways of keeping in touch.

Being able to keep an eye on the more isolated and have a chat from the end of the garden or a wave from across the road is really important. For some people we might be the only person they see. We also help out with getting bits of shopping.

I'm meeting more of the people I deliver to than ever, from a safe distance, because they would normally be at work. Some are so pleased to see us that we need to politely ask them to go back inside so we can deliver their mail safely. The beautiful bright rainbows in windows and messages of support pinned to doors are fantastic and make me smile as I work.'

Saffron Ingleheart, Care Worker

From Claire Ingleheart: 'I'd like to nominate my daughter Saffron Ingleheart who was supposed to be going on a 3 month trip to Uganda as part of her gap year and instead is working 12 hour shifts in a local care home and really enjoying it! Saffron is calm, compassionate and has a lovely sense of humour. We are super proud of her!' 🥳

Saffron says: 'The care job I have just started is completely new to me, it’s intense and tiring however I’m enjoying it and it’s very rewarding. After having to get my head around not going to Uganda, this job feels like the perfect thing to be doing at this fearful time and It’s a privilege knowing I’m able to help people’s loved ones whilst they can’t see them.'

Gill Baldwin, Retail

A lovely nomination from Rhia Hodder:

'I want to nominate my mother, Gill Baldwin mother of five grandmother of eight. She calls/video calls us all nearly everyday to check we are ok and have enough shopping. Plus to top it off she works nearly everyday as as a key worker in retail, never complains or is concerned for herself only her family, customers and cats!’.

Hannah Pearce, Un_Rap

Our final nomination is from Catie Close, 'for supporting our community, finding safe ways to deliver goods and making the process as streamlined as possible. Thanks for keeping us fed and still plastic free, and doing it with a smile too!' 🥦🍎🌽

Hannah says: Un_rap was set up to provide sustainable solutions to the Falmouth community & surrounding areas. We were welcomed so warmly into the community & we have dedicated regular customers that have been eternally grateful & extremely kind to me, the team & the business. Where possible I have helped people. During coronavirus is no different. Many of our customers are elderly, at risk, NHS staff or students living miles from home. As the situation unfolded, we were asked several times how long we would stay open. My answer was simple - 'We don't plan on closing.' We sell essential foods and there was no way I was going to abandon the community & the people I have come to know & care for.

On top of this, the business model lends itself well to rationing panic-bought foods & it is very low risk to shop with us, as we are such a small team and the customer does not need to touch anything. We have set up a 'click & collect' service, now offer free home delivery to those who cannot come out, and are open four days a week to those who want to pop in. They have to stand just inside the door and tell the team what they would like. Only one customer is allowed in at one time. So people can come shopping, not come into contact with anyone, not touch anything, have a conversation with someone outside their household & we have a great range of foods in stock because we limit how much people can buy, to ensure everyone can have some. The workload for me and the team has increased exponentially - but we are not going anywhere.'

Lizzie Sullivan - Founder of Whole Again Communities

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I can’t choose just one! First, my two children. Second, setting up Whole Again Communities – a space where lovely ordinary people in Treneere and the surrounds can come together and gain confidence to work towards reaching their potential. And finally, still gig rowing (badly) and loving it even more at 60.

What motivates you to do what you do?

My absolute passion and desire to give people a chance; people who have been discriminated against and/or who live in a part of our community that has been under-resourced. To give them the opportunity to build their confidence and reach their potential. To give them the opportunity to learn and achieve in a more practical hands-on way through cooking, gardening and upcycling. As an intelligent capable woman who has lived with the frustrations of trying to learn and achieve with a dyslexic, dyspraxic ADHD brain, I feel well equipped to understand a bit about how people can become/accept the labels they are given: lazy, stupid, a nightmare, all over the place. I wanted do well at school. I enjoyed learning and I liked expressing my views and opinions even though I was very shy. However, I couldn’t put things down on paper. I was, and still am, ashamed of my handwriting and felt, and still feel, constantly stressed and frustrated by my lack of ability to remember things and organise myself and my time.

I’m a very practical person who loves food and nutrition and caring for people in our local community and for our natural environment. I’m passionate about sharing this with others.

What do you owe your mother?

The ability to laugh and cry easily. An Irish sense of humour, practicality, bluntness, determination and an all-round general appreciation and joy for the simple things of life: family, friendship, food laughter and travel. She taught me the principles of basic healthy eating, using homegrown produce and eating a homemade diet on a budget and without waste. Anything we did not eat was kept for the next meal or fed to our dogs.

Also, my dyslexic/ADD brain.

Which women inspire you and why?

Goodness…so many! My dear friend Mo O’Brien has just completed a fundraising row of 3,000 miles across the Atlantic – Mo is 60-years-old and is deaf.

Women I have the good fortune to work with at WAC like Jo Crooky and Emma Harvey – hardworking, down-to-earth mothers with social consciences, who care amazingly well for children with learning challenges. These women manage their families, while dealing with challenging work and self-employment situations, but still find time to support others in their community,

Suzy Messenger, Isabella Moriarty, Judith Kingdom and Janet Ross for helping me to see and develop my own potential

Shirley Pitts, Anna Murphy, Sarah Judd, Lynne Coakley, Maria McEwan and Sue Nankervis – all amazing, strong, calm, resilient role models who have the ability to turn trauma and heartache into challenges for future motivation and success.

My daughter Yasmin inspires me with her strength and sensitivity when standing up for people. Yasmin can challenge a lack of fair play and articulate her position with passion and flair. She is a better and clearer version of myself with much untapped potential.

What are you reading?

Foodie nutrition stuff. Self-care stuff. I have a manic mind and I read quite slowly so I tend to flick through magazines and papers, but I have a big pile of books on the table beside my bed!

For relaxation, I read authors like Maeve Binchy. Any old crap really, particularly light-hearted funny books, about real people and real places. Irish novelists are my favourites.

I watched the film ‘The Reader’ years ago, and it had a profound lifelong effect on me. I’m currently reading this book. It’s about a German woman working as a warden in a concentration camp during WWII. She is ashamed of not being able to read, and so accepted the blame for signing the authorisation papers to have Jews sent to gas chambers, rather than have people find out she was illiterate.

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

From my early childhood living on the farm in a rural community in Ireland with four brothers, I was aware of gender stereotyping at this time. For example, when my mum went out to work, and had seven children all living at home, as the oldest girl I was expected to wait on my dad and brothers. I strongly challenged this.

Having spent much of my adult working life in support work in a predominantly strong female-orientated environment I have not been so conscious of gender barriers.

I have observed that in meetings, for example, some men “make fun of” me and other women who take the lead by rolling their eyes.

How can the world be made a better place for women?

Oh God… where to start? For me, it’s about making the place I love, Penzance, its people and communities and environment, the best they can be. We need more openness and fairness in distributing funding to provide more opportunities for women (and everyone really) to support them to earn a better living.

We need more education to help change attitudes about life stages, especially menopause. I’ve had the great fortune to have met and now sometimes work with Isabella Moriarty (who is an expert on menopause self-care).

We need better opportunities for woman to work flexi-hours or to work remotely. I often do my most productive reports, plans or funding bids from the comfort of my PJs and very comfy bed.

Describe your perfect day?

It wouldn’t be any one particular day. Any day where I have slept well and wake refreshed, have a sense of purpose doing something I enjoy – that could be work, walking on the beach or spending time with special friends. The most delightful and life-affirming thing that I do at this current stage of my life is spending time on the beach or walking the cliffs and countryside with my husband and gorgeous four-year-old grandson Charlie and my 16-year-old granddaughter Mia.

I love the rainy days where I stay in my PJs watching rubbish telly or reading, surfing social media, organising my busy calendar or creating lots of meals from a few basic ingredients.

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

I’d never really thought about this before! It’s a very good question!

Helen Glover, Mo ’Brien, Helen Swift, Rowena Cade … I’m afraid I don’t know enough about local historical women.

Perhaps a collage of all the lovely hardworking down-to-earth role models I have the pleasure to know and meet at my home and workplace, on the Treneere Estate. (I do have a simple idea up my sleeve for more local arty people to do something.)

Give us a tip?

The age-old tip: Keep it simple. Accept what you can’t change and change what you can. Enjoy our local environment, and use our lovely local shops and small businesses (Thornes, The Peat Project, Bosavern Farm, Archie Browns, local markets and refill projects). Walk, cycle or use public transport more. Take advantage of the many repair cafes that are popping up in our community.

Use a flask or other reusable container, challenge plastic waste and where possible only buy stuff that’s not wrapped in plastic and excess packaging.

If you ever get a chance to attend one of Isabella Moriarty’s workshops on menopause self-care, I hope you enjoy it and appreciate it as much as I have.

About Lizzie Lewis/Sullivan: I was born on a farm in the wilds of West Cork in Southern Ireland in 1959, oldest girl of seven siblings. My family moved to the London suburb of Bexleyheath when I was 9 years old, for better work prospects for us all.  

At age 27, I visited Penzance for a weekend and fell in love with it. I moved here within six weeks.

I missed my job as manager of a small healthy eating café in Greenwich and yearned for a catering opportunity. I fell in love with Dandelions in Causeway head (it sadly ceased trading around 20 years ago) and the now thriving Archie Browns.

I completed a catering/chef course and was developing a program of healthy eating recipes to deliver part-time courses at a local college; at the same time, I became pregnant. I put most career aspirations to one side and concentrated on being a mum. With no family in Cornwall and my then husband a fisherman, I could see no way to combine parenting and work for a few years at least.

I started work for CN4C when my children were in full-time education and absolutely loved working as a Community Learning support worker. However, the challenges of being dyslexic/ADD made it impossible for me to continue working in conventional learning and training environment.

I came up with the idea to reach out to and support the lovely ordinary people in my community, and began to devise soup recipes to improve my health whilst on a tight budget. I went on to set up Whole Again Communities in September 2013.

About Whole Again Communities

Whole Again Communities (WAC) is a social enterprise which encourages and supports people to learn to cook good quality, affordable food from scratch so that they can embrace healthy eating at home.

Whole Again Communities is progressing towards being self-funding through catering events – our catering service is available for meetings, workshops, weddings, parties and many more occasions, all reasonably priced and super healthy!

Whole Again Communities is a Community Interest Company. Started by Liz Sullivan in 2013 and founded on the stone soup principles, Liz began by running workshops for other women living on a shoestring budget with an interest in healthy eating. These workshops were such a success that the people who attended went on to help set up the weekly Open House, and in January 2016 we acquired our own venue which enabled us to expand our offer to more workshops, catering for outside events and offering venue hire.

Kate Campbell - Writer & Director of The Charles Causley Trust

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Being pregnant (I did not thrive!) giving birth (my son did not ‘pop’ out!) and then surviving the onslaught of views, opinions & expectations of other people and society in general surrounding motherhood and parenting (WTF!) but it was all worth it because I now have an amazing, thoughtful, opinionated, stubborn, determined, confident, kind teenager and I am so incredibly proud I could literally cry just writing this!

What motivates you to do what you do?

My enduring love of the arts in all of its many wonderful and evolving forms. My need to be always learning something new and creating stuff. My never ending curiosity and desire to understand the world around me. Conversations with other people. My expenditure versus income imbalance!

Seriously, I’d go mad if I wasn’t being mentally stimulated. I need to be engaged creatively inside of my working life and outside of it. I write, I read, I make, I create, I learn.

What do you owe your mother?

My creative genes. My argumentative nature. My compassion and empathy for other living things. My mum became a vegetarian in the 1970’s and she was, and still is, ahead of her time in her progressive attitudes about lots of things. She encouraged us to question things and to come to our own conclusions rather than follow the crowd. It wasn’t always easy advice to follow but now I’m glad and grateful.

Which women inspire you and why?

Any woman struggling up the road with a screaming toddler or trying to feed a crying baby amidst a sea of public disapproval. Every woman who has sacrificed (willingly or otherwise) her wants and needs for those of her children and/or her co-parent. Any woman with a child anywhere in the world who doesn’t get to pursue her hopes and dreams but still carries on nurturing and loving her children and making the world a better place. Any woman who speaks truth to power knowing it may be turned against her but she does it anyway. All the young women I meet who are grabbing the world with both hands and challenging the status quo because they see they have just as much right as their male counterparts (I’m a little bit jealous if you want the truth).

If I have to name names then it would be someone like American Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Just a brilliant, confident woman owning her own space.

What are you reading?

I had a lovely bunch of books for Christmas so I’m working my way through them. I’ve just finished Lemn Sissay’s autobiography My Name Is Why and it is a heartbreaking but life affirming and inspiring book. I first encountered Lemn when I was at University.  He came and gave a talk to us because he knew my lecturer and afterwards we all went out as a group to eat and talk. He was quite young then but now I realise, only a few years older than me, but he was such a life force. He seemed to literally crackle with energy and was completely mesmerising. He and his work had a big impact on me and kick started my love of performance poetry. I have followed his career ever since, seeing him perform all over the country. I knew about his difficult childhood because he has always talked about it from day one and it feeds his work but this book and it’s raw honesty made me weep for the boy he was. But it also made me whoop for the man he is.

I’m now reading Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardino Evarista. I had avoided reading it because I’m always a little wary of the hype around prize winning books but I’m so glad someone knew better and gave it to me anyway because it is really rather excellent. It lives up to its Booker prize winning status and I would thoroughly recommend it. It is beautifully observed and completely absorbing.

And in the spirit of speaking the truth, I must confess that I was also given Wham! George & Me by Andrew Ridgeley and devoured it from cover to cover! I completely own my 1980’s Wham! fan status!

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

None, or so I thought. And then I became pregnant and the world was shown to me anew! I was working as a journalist when I became pregnant and a male colleague who had interviewed me told me that I almost hadn’t got the job because a woman on the panel had suggested they bypass me because  “I would only go off and get pregnant at some point in the future”. At the time I remember being outraged and angry with this woman. Now I feel sad that she felt that was the only way to survive in a man’s world - to sell out other women. 

#MeToo was also an incredibly important and timely movement that has enabled women to reassess their experiences and reframe them for what they really were rather than what they were told they were. We have been able to see how, as women, we have been gaslighted and brainwashed into normalising our experiences and that includes me. It is an important time to be alive and I feel a great deal of hope for future generations of women. We have a long way to go but we’ve started being brave and challenging things, putting our heads above the parapets and having the courage of our convictions. 

How can the world be made a better place for women?

There are so many ways but a good start would be for society to not automatically assign all the drudgery of parenting to women. Attitudes need to change about women being seen as the carers and cleaners and men as the breadwinners. Women don’t have a genetic disposition that makes them better at it or makes them enjoy it more but we don't’ get much choice because it suits society and it suits a lot of men. We need to break these stereotypes that have been oppressing women for centuries and make it the norm for men and women to share care and domestic duties equally. More flexibility and support in the work place for parents of any gender. Better, more flexible support for men who want to stay at home looking after their children. More opportunities for women to be able to have children and have a career so equal paternity allowance. Society needs a massive overhaul basically. Unless we start changing the way we bring up boys and girls and the gender norms that we, as a society, are subconsciously enforcing, then we can change all the laws we want and it won’t change a thing in the long term. We really need to look at how gender expectations are set in childhood and then get reinforced throughout life. Don’t get me started on the whole media/social media pressure on young women to look a certain way or on how we need to have more open discussions about things like periods and the menopause. We have a long way to go but we’ve started important conversations so I have hope.

Describe your perfect day?

Getting up to discover that you are actually still a size 12 and do still fit into all of the clothes in your wardrobe and you had just been having a horrible nightmare about losing your waist to your middle years and only being able to wear things with elasticated waists!

Mooching around a museum or gallery, lunch with my family, who have been enjoying the mooching around bit as much as me (you did say my perfect day!). Some people watching. A bit of guilt-free reading followed by front row tickets for a theatre show then home to watch the Michael McIntyre Waitrose shopping sketch on YouTube with my son who never tires of it (it is very funny) before falling into bed knowing that you don’t have to set the alarm because it is Sunday the next day...heaven.

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

Dawn French.

Give us a tip?

Trust your instincts.

About Kate: Kate Campbell did a degree in English before going on to study journalism at The London School of Printing and subsequently working as a journalist. After becoming a mum, she worked as a Creative Writing teacher and freelance writer before moving into writing and directing for theatre and managing literature/arts projects. She was the Writer in Residence at Plymouth City Museum in 2012. In 2016 she undertook an MA in Theatre Directing and has big plans to write and direct her own play in the not too distant future. She is currently the Director of The Charles Causley Trust.

Catrina Davies - Author & Songwriter

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement so far has been to avoid some of the traps and pitfalls that make it impossible to achieve anything. Capitalist society is set up to force or lure us into a relentless cycle of production and consumption. We become completely preoccupied with day-to-day survival, which is so stressful or unpleasant we spend our free time distracting ourselves from the grinding nature of it.

I think it was Gary Snyder who said that happiness is the harmony between an individual and the life he (or she) leads. A certain amount of harmony between me and the life I lead is my greatest achievement so far, and this harmony will hopefully be the foundation for achieving something worthwhile. Unfortunately, what feels like harmony to me probably looks like failure to mainstream society. Trusting myself to decide what matters and what doesn’t is an ongoing challenge.

What motivates you to do what you do?

My books and songs are all part of an effort to process things I can’t process. So I’m motivated by a desire to not be mentally ill, and by the knowledge that sharing my experiences as honestly as I can will help other people, and therefore give my life meaning.

I’m also motivated by rage on behalf of the natural world, a desire to bear witness to the systematic destruction of all the things I love, and wanting to shout at the people causing this destruction.

In the context of ecological Armageddon and the climate emergency, it seems pathetic and futile to work to uphold the status quo.

What do you owe your mother?

My mother taught me to love, and be loved. I owe her my connection to the ocean, because it was her love of the ocean that brought us to Cornwall, and she was always putting us in it when we were children. She made sure I learned to play musical instruments, and taught me about empathy and compassion.

Which women inspire you and why?

My sisters both inspire me. They’re both much more out in the world than I am, on a day-to-day level, and I admire the energy they have for making things happen. I have a close friend who inspires me because of the effort she makes to live up to her principles. She catches her own fish and keeps her own bees and has a very soft kind of power that I think is truly radical. I have another friend who works in forestry conservation and rewilding. Her practical approach to ‘saving the planet’, which is completely without ego and based on total commitment and hard work is inspiring. My Nainy (grandmother on Dad’s side) inspires me because she survived a very difficult childhood  - working in a factory aged 12, then losing her whole family aged 14 when Liverpool was bombed in WW2. She lived into her nineties. Politicians like Angela Rayner and Nicola Sturgeon inspire me because they’re brave enough to be confrontational in public.

What are you reading?

Right now I’m reading Days Without End, by Sebastian Barry, which is a novel about two gay child soldiers fighting in the Indian Wars and the Civil War in America in the 19th century. It’s brutal but also lyrical. I’m also reading On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous, by the poet Ocean Vuong, who was a child refugee from Vietnam.

I recently finished Pat Barker’s novel, The Silence of the Girls, which is a retelling of the Iliad from a female perspective – also brutal. I also recently finished Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernadine Evaristo, which shared the Booker prize with Margaret Atwood. Two of my all-time-favourite books by women, which I dip into constantly while I’m writing, are Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett, and Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

I taught myself to surf in my twenties (it’s an ongoing process) and I still sometimes find the male energy in the water intimidating. There are more girls and women in the surf now, but it’s  still the case that I’m often the only female out - probably because I don’t have kids! Some men are lovely to surf with, and I have loads of male surfer friends, but sometimes there’s a really aggressive, pushy vibe, and it’s a battle not to end up feeling bummed out. I refuse to let it stop me surfing though. It’s one of the best things in my life.

When I started DJ-ing in my late twenties, and then founded Sir Vinyl, with Dave Spenceley and Will West, I used to have to battle to be seen by the promoters we were working with. It was like I didn’t exist. Will and Dave were totally supportive and treated me like an equal, and all we cared about was the music, but when we were doing gigs it often felt like an uphill struggle to be anything other than a token girl. I got there in the end.

I’ve travelled a lot on my own, busking around Europe in a van, and also hiking in mountains,  and cycling trips that have involved a lot of wild camping. I’ve often had to act tougher than I feel, because men can be predatory when they see a woman travelling on her own. I’ve been followed, and men have acted inappropriately around me. I don’t think men have to deal with this kind of fear, and I’m sure it puts a lot of women off travelling on their own. 

How can the world be made a better place for women?

Personally I’d like paid leave for two days a months, when I have my period. I have terrible pain and it’s impossible to function normally. I think there should be absolute quotas in politics, so at least 50% of all governments always have to be women, and men and women have to take turns leading parties.

Also women should not have to wear such ridiculous shoes. You can’t run in heels. It’s like being hobbled. There’s no way men would put up with that. It’s way past time for women to be liberated from having to dress up like male sex fantasies just to get ordinary jobs.

Describe your perfect day?

I wake up at my shed and drink coffee outside in the sun, watching the sparrows. I surf perfect waves all on my own, then have breakfast and more coffee in the Dog and Rabbit café in St Just. I spend the whole of the rest of the day walking or cycling somewhere new and beautiful. When I’m completely physically exhausted, and have therefore finally quieted my mind, I meet my favourite people for a cold beer at the top of Gwenver. We cook freshly-caught mackerel on a fire and fall asleep under the stars.

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

This is hard, because women have been almost completely written out of Cornish history. I’d probably go for Dora Russell (wife of Bertrand Russell, the famous philosopher – until he left her for their children’s governess). She was an author, feminist and social campaigner, who championed the use of birth control in the working class, started a progressive school, and campaigned for nuclear disarmament. She died at her home in Porthcurno in 1983, aged 92.

Give us a tip?

I have a brilliant tip for mending wetsuits: sew them up with dental floss. Seams you can just sew, for bigger holes save the weird little patch that always comes with a new wetsuit and sew that on. Trust me, it really works.

Sweeten rhubarb with bananas instead of sugar.

Put a layer of tiling mesh behind your skirting board to keep out rodents.

About Catrina Catrina Davies is an author and songwriter. She was born in Snowdonia and grew up in West Cornwall. She attended St Levan primary school and Cape Cornwall secondary school, before studying English at Cambridge University. She has worked as a TEFL teacher, gardener, waitress, flower-picker, DJ, circus cellist and builder. Her first book, a true story about busking from Norway to Portugal, was published in 2014. Her second book, Homesick: Why I Live in a Shed, a first-hand account of the housing crisis, was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction. Her second album, Belan, is released in January 2020.

LINKS

www.catrinadavies.co.uk

facebook.com/catrinadavieswriter

Twitter: @_CatrinaDavies

Instagram: catrinadavieswriter

catrina-davies-songs.bandcamp.com

mixcloud.com/catrinadj

Faye Dobinson - Artist

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Maintaining the rich weave of the roles of artist, single mother, and of being a Love Activist! It’s been the ultimate balancing act for me as I have such a rich inner world and engage so deeply with the outer world too that I can get a little overwhelmed!

My solo travels in far flung locations, including twice on the Trans Siberian Railway, through India and Nepal, and also having exhibitions in Tibet and Mongolia which I feel are also worth a mention…

What motivates you to do what you do?

I have a deep drive to make art, to use creativity and to love people, all in the service of Love as a fierce force for change. I have never had a natural sense of logic or order, which has made life more beautiful though often very difficult when trying to manifest my ideas and visions! I have a cross-disciplinary experience of applying a creative, heart-led approach to different endeavours - personally, politically, culturally and socially. And the result is always an unfurling heart and therefore increased peace, productivity, connection and love.

I firmly believe in collaboration, the creation of community and honouring existing community. I see that artists and creatives can help society reimagine situations and scenarios and therefore open up spaces of possibility, hope and resolution.

What do you owe your mother?

Apart from a million pounds, I owe my mother everything - my life full stop, my life as an artist. She is exemplary as a woman who loves fiercely, works hard, believes in the arts and has humour on her side (she is also a total romantic on the quiet, as am I!). We are alike. She can drive me insane. I love her massively.

Which women inspire you and why?

My female friends that see all the reasons that something is going to work rather than why it won’t.

My sister Emma is a true force and inspiration. Due to a dreadful accident she was in a coma and we were told horror stories about her future (or rather the lack of it). She proceeded to blow us all away by rehabilitating and healing in the most incredible way and is now a very successful and respected Producer in often what might be seen as challenging countries and contexts. For instance, she helped produce the first episodes of BBC’s Question Time with, and for, Palestinian TV, while living and working there.

What are you reading?

I’ve just been blown away by ‘Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel and the Christianity we Haven’t Tried Yet’ by Meggan Watterson. I currently have to keep it with me like a comfort blanket as it made me feel so seen and heard in terms of the courage required to pursue a life lived in love.

Two all-timers that I dip into again and again are ‘Women That Run With the Wolves’ by Clarissa Pinkola Estes and ‘To Bless the Space Between Us’ by the beautiful human John O’Donohue. Each of them I administer like medicine, with a dose being the random opening onto a page and drinking in the wisdom.

 What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

The emphasis on appearance equalling worth for women.

Coming of age as a female in London in the 80s and 90s meant stewing in a strange and restrictive pot of assertions about what one should look like, which I always found hard and exhausting. These ideas kept women much smaller and it felt like a constant push against a ridiculous limitation. My preoccupation with my looks and how they didn’t ‘fit’ this nonsense ideal used up far too much of my energy as a younger woman, energy that could have been spent on so much more of good. But being from a largely matriarchal family, I simultaneously had this reality of women as being funny, clever, quick, caring and a bit fierce reflected back to me. Thank goodness! It’s that force that my recent body of work has somehow given form to – it’s called, ‘The Rhythms Don’t Walk Alone: Discussion of Power and Love’, and suggests a way of being and moving through life that is rooted in generosity of spirit, vulnerability, radical kindness, humour as a tool to connect, fierce love, authenticity, dignity and the adopting of a more creative approach to shared concerns and sticking points. It is a way of freedom, rooted in love. That’s the world I am presenting to my 12 year old daughter!

How can the world be made a better place for women?

A world where a woman’s contribution is valued regardless of her configuration would be ace?

A world where female professionals are regarded in the same way as male professionals in ALL industries wouldn’t go amiss…

Women getting paid the same as men for the same job…

I could go on!

A massive step would be women being taught their history too - that is, the broad, brave, full story of women for the last 2000 years and beyond, and not just the edited highlights. We’ve only really heard about Mankind in any rich and complex way…and he sometimes has lacked imagination and humour! We are rewriting humanity’s story now INCLUDING womankind, so it’s going to be a much better, balanced, wry read.

Describe your perfect day?

Warm sun on my bones and shining in my face, a little adventure, art, laughter, wonderful food, a twilight swim and a rich warm night of sitting outside, laughing, talking, dining with people I love, culminating in dancing to phenomenal tunes (and some excellent kissing).

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

I reckon I would honour the ‘Soul of the Cornish Woman’ - she who has endured the same struggles as the men who are celebrated, but from a different vantage point. The terrifically hard, gruelling and relentless work of keeping a house running, keeping a family flourishing while also more often than not having another job on top of that, all in a climate and landscape that can be unkind and harsh. A celebration of a true and alternative view of female experience.

Give us a tip? 

Apart from putting a beer bottle top into the bottom of a lump of soap to stop it sticking to the sink (you are welcome...), I would say: keep doing what you can to re-humanise people rather than dehumanise them. It’s often hard, but regularly (not always, of course) reaps beautiful rewards. We all judge, and often negatively, but it’s what we do with those judgements, that’s where the gold is. I endeavour to talk to people, to find a point of connection, no matter how small, that helps us ‘see’ each other as a fellow human. As a result, even for a moment, we feel less alone and we are all in this together - and THAT is a great reminder, in these often challenging times.

About Faye Faye Dobinson was born in London in 1976 and now lives in Penzance. She studied Fine Art at Camberwell College of Art 1994-95 and Falmouth University of Art 2006-2011.

After leaving Camberwell College, Faye was at times a croupier in London casinos, also running creativity-based youth projects and teaching children with emotional and behavioural issues. She travelled extensively on her own exploring the link between topography and location with art, resulting in solo exhibitions in both Mongolia and Tibet. She continued making and exhibiting and also helped establish Europe’s first contemporary Tibetan art gallery in East London. Her move to Cornwall in 2006, itself a continuation of the influence of location over her artwork, coincided with discovering she was pregnant with her daughter, which led her to resume her studies at Falmouth University with her 9 month old, where she obtained a First Class Degree. Since then Faye has had a residency at Porthmeor Studios in St Ives while having a studio at Trewidden Gardens, Newlyn. She leads the year-long ‘Defining Practice’ course alongside her own shorter courses in Experimental Figure work at The Newlyn School of Art and is also a Visiting Practitioner at The London College of Fashion.

Faye’s exhibition ‘The Rhythms Don’t Walk Alone: Discussion of Power and Love’ is open at the new Jupiter Gallery in Newlyn, until 31/12/19, 11-6pm Wednesday to Saturday.

The next event in the space is Faye in conversation her work and process with artist Rob Unett on 8/12/19 from 1.30pm.

Visit www.jupitergallery.co.uk and www.fayedobinson.com for more information.

Mimi Beard - Trainee Accountant

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement today is passing my level 1 AAT qualification whilst being homeless. During this period I had lost my accommodation and was placed into emergency housing for 3 months. I didn’t have any internet access or food facilities so I stayed at college until late in the evening each day to ensure I could access course materials and study. By passing my AAT qualification it led me into my journey to become a tax accountant which I am on now. 

What motivates you to do what you do?

In a somewhat ironic twist, being close to death has inspired me to make the most out of life. I have always been motivated to try and change my circumstances it wasn’t until Halloween 2017 when I overdosed and later came around in the Intensive Care Unit that I realised I needed to change my outlook. I can no longer actively destroy myself and now fight to ensure that should I die today I could look back and be proud of my life. 

What do you owe your mother?

This is a very complicated answer due to the premise of my childhood and circumstances. I suppose to be polite I can say that I owe a part of my resilience to her, as the situation with her growing up gave me a multitude of challenges I had to face to survive. 

Which women inspire you and why?

The women that inspired me in a woman very dear to my heart, Kate Gibson. She has shown strength despite her challenging health issues and has fought to keep positivity in her life. Kate welcomed me into her family during one of the darkest periods of my life and has stood by my side showing me that things will improve. I cannot express in words just how amazing this woman is. 

What are you reading?

Now that’s an amazing question! I’m such an avid reader so I’ve got a couple of books on the go. 

The main book I’m reading currently is 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World written by Elif Shafak. A book bought for me by Kate Gibson, mentioned above. It’s a haunting but beautiful story about a dying woman’s perception of life after her heart stops. 

I am also re-reading Bottom Billion by Paul Collier, an insightful and brilliantly researched book regarding the wealth disparity between 1st and 3rd world countries. Why the Bottom Billion have been trapped in poverty and how to go about changing this. 

The final book I’m currently reading is Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom. The book takes a deep and personal dive into Mandela’s life and the fight against apartheid. A must read. 

What gender barriers have you had to hurdle?

I believe the main time my gender impacted my life was when I was homeless or in supported accommodation as i was at a much greater risk of danger than my male counterparts. There were times I was absolutely terrified when homeless that anything could happen to me. 

How can the world be made a better place for women?

I think the best place is to start with showing compassion to one another. In an ideal world there would be no violence against women but I don’t have that power. It is, however, extremely important to educate men and young adults about consent and help support women coming forward about their experiences and finding a way to make the police procedures less traumatic for victims coming forward. 

Describe your perfect day?

If I could do anything I wanted, it would be to sit out in a field or woods in the sun with a great book and a blanket - away from people and disturbances and truly get lost in the story at my fingertips. 

We've noticed there really aren't many (if any) statues of women around Cornwall - who would you see remembered?

It would be great to have a statue of Rowena Cade - the Lamorna woman who not only designed but built the Minack theatre which is a beautiful area in which people flock to to experience breathtaking plays performed with a view. Not only did she build it but she was known to have lugged the granite to the construction site herself.

Give us a tip?

The only tip I can give it to ensure the work you do is at a brilliant quality and to keep reaching out to women. We will support you. 

About Mimi: Mimi is a young adult who grew up in poverty in Penzance, Cornwall. During her childhood, she faced a range of challenges, for abuse, chronic physical and mental illnesses and street homelessness. Despite all of this she fought to break out of the cyclical trap and threw herself into education. She studied her A levels while being homeless once again and achieved two As and a B in Psychology, Business, and Economics. With all of this, she risked everything by moving town and starting a professional accountancy job, despite her health and is now determined to help out others that have struggled with similar conditions.