Inspiring confident allyship

We are extremely proud to have recently held Inspiring Confident Allyship, an event to raise awareness of domestic abuse and gender inequality, and discuss how we can all be better allies and work together to create change.

On 22 November, 120 people from across the county – ranging from business leaders to small charities and voluntary groups and public services such as the police – gathered together in the Legends Lounge at Swindon Town Football Club to learn more about how they can help to create a safer and fairer society for women and girls.

The event was also in aid of our Women and Girls Fund which was launched earlier this year. The fund supports local charities and voluntary groups that run projects which challenge the inequality, abuse, and discrimination faced by women and girls, amplifying their voice and advocating for change. The fund also supports young women with educational and vocational aspirations through bursaries.

Throughout the day, various sobering facts and statistics were shared with those in the room. For example, a woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK, with domestic abuse making up 18% of all recorded crimes in England. Furthermore, the maximum sentence for domestic murder is 10 years less than if the victim was a stranger.

Hosted by BBC presenter James Threlfall MBE, the audience heard from a range of inspiring and thought-provoking speakers. Pride of Britain Award winner and Chair of Refuge Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE started the event by setting the scene regarding the national picture of gender inequality and domestic abuse and drawing on her own personal experience of establishing the Joanna Simpson Foundation in memory of her friend.

Frank Mullane MBE followed next with a powerful and moving talk, as he shared his lived experience of domestic abuse, through the tragic death of his sister and nephew. Frank outlined how he set up Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA) to support families and those in similar situations to himself and passionately called on all attendees to educate themselves on the issues surrounding domestic abuse and how they should support someone affected by it.

Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service (SWDASS) Interim CEO Kate Rowland and Zurich’s HR Officer Steve Collinson also spoke at the event. Kate talked about the work her organisation is doing to support those affected by domestic abuse, education initiatives they are delivering in schools and working with perpetrators themselves on prevention programmes. SWDASS also offer a range of training and consultancy support for organisations focussing on domestic abuse. Steve shared with the audience how Zurich have worked together with SWDASS to create and implement a Domestic Abuse Policy which has now been recognised with a national business award.

Business leader and male ally Jeremy Blain was the final guest speaker, and covered themes including what being a male ally is in practice and how the leaders in the room can become advocates for gender equality.

He perfectly summed up the situation of inequality as a ‘male problem’, not a ‘female problem’. Jeremy also highlighted the economic boost that equal pay would have generate, and outlined the positive work that is occurring within some organisations to challenge the current status quo, such as Lewes Football Club, who pay both their men’s and women’s teams equally.

The day concluded with a speech from our joint Chief Executive Fiona Oliver, and entrepreneur James Phipps, who approached the Community Foundation with the idea for Inspiring Confident Allyship, following an International Women’s Day event in March. James, philanthropist and well-known businessman and employer, spoke openly and honestly about how much he didn’t know about the topics of domestic abuse and gender inequality. He reflected that he had never considered the impact this issue had on the people he had employed and how he was determined to do more and encourage others to do the same.

Reflecting on Inspiring Confident Allyship, our joint Chief Executive Fiona Oliver said: “I would like to thank everyone who attended our Allyship event.

“Our speakers spoke so passionately about their personal experiences, educating our audience on some difficult subjects while highlighting what we as individuals can do to tackle the issues of gender inequality and domestic abuse.

“It was a truly thought-provoking, moving and powerful day, with a clear message that things must change - we need to create a safer and fairer environment for women and girls.”

We hope that this event will act as the catalyst for change within our communities. We have been really heartened by the response we have already had to the event and the pledges people have made to support this issue. But we recognise more needs to be done and we are determined to continue to champion this important cause.

Thanks to chartered accountants Charlton Baker, who kindly sponsored the event, all proceeds from Inspiring Confident Allyship went directly into our Women and Girls fund.

To find out more about our Women and Girls Fund, click here.