The Trust held an International Women’s Day event in the Chatsworth Suite at the SMH Group Stadium, which featured several speakers from different backgrounds.
Among those in attendance were Christine Durrant, deputy chief executive of Chesterfield Borough Council, Anjani Chinta, monitoring, evaluation and learning lead, Active Partners and Siobhan Peeling from Women’s Rugby.
The Trust was represented by Jayne Bacon (head of community), Maria Starkie (trustee), Georgia Ball (head of finance), Alyss Jackson (senior community officer) and Michelle Slater (head of women’s and girls’ development).
Jayne said: “We left it really really open. created such a safe space and I can’t believe how people shared their stories as a woman in Chesterfield and surrounding areas in whatever walk of life they were in. It’s been absolutely wonderful.
“‘Give to gain’, that’s what the message has been about. What can we as women give? Whether that’s through volunteering, whether that’s through just listening, that’s spending the quality time with somebody and how much you actually gain by giving.”
The aim of the event was to encourage people to make a pledge to GIVE something that will benefit a cause which supports women and girls, creating a lasting impact (GAIN) within the local area.
Maria added: “It’s been great to come here and be a part of International Women’s Day. A room full of fantastic, inspirational women sharing their stories, empowering each other, laughs, tears and a lot of shared experiences, so it’s been really positive.
“I think everybody’s taken something away with them. A lot of food for thought. Very, very emotional but hopefully something we can bring back and recreate at a later date for the club.”
