The Pankhurst Centre

March Activities Timetable

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:53:51 +0000

The Pankhurst Centre and Women MATTA

Activities Timetable

Date	Activity
Thursday 1^st March	Pankhurst Centre Drop In 11am-4pm Thank you to volunteers Workshop 1-3pm Choir 2-3:30pm
Friday 2^nd March	Women MATTA Drop In 1pm-4pm Relaxation 2-4pm
Monday 5^th March	Turnaround Pre-Employment Course Week 3, 2-4pm
Tuesday 6^th March	Personal Development Course for Parents Week 8, 10am-12noon
Wednesday 7^th March	Fashion Workshop 2-4pm
Thursday 8^th March	International Women’s Day 11am-4pm and 7pm-10pm
Friday 9^th March	Women MATTA Drop In 1pm-4pm Women and Benefits 2-4pm Homeopathy 2-4pm
Monday 12^th March	Turnaround Pre-Employment Course Week 4, 2-4pm
Tuesday 13^th March	Personal Development Course for Parents Week 9, 10am-12noon
Wednesday 14^th March	Fashion Event 1:30-4pm
Thursday 15^th March	Pankhurst Centre Drop In 11am-4pm Introduction to British Sign Language 1-2pm Choir 2-3:30pm
Friday 16^th March	Women MATTA Drop In 1pm-4pm Photography 2-4pm
Monday 19^th March	Turnaround Pre-Employment Course Week 5, 2-4pm
Tuesday 20^th March	Personal Development Course for Parents Week 10, 10am-12noon
Thursday 22^nd March	Pankhurst Centre Drop In 11am-4pm Art Attack Workshop 1-3pm Choir 2-3:30pm
Friday 23^rd March	Women MATTA Drop In 1pm-4pm Cycle Ride with Breeze 2-4pm
Monday 26^th March	Turnaround Pre-Employment Course Week 6, 2-4pm
Tuesday 27^th March	Personal Development Course for Parents Week 11, 10am-12noon
Thursday 29^th March	Pankhurst Centre Drop In 11am-4pm Introduction to Zumba Dancing 1-2pm Choir 2-3:30pm
Friday 30^th March	Women MATTA Drop In 1pm-4pm Getting Back to Work! CVs and Interviews 2-4pm

For further information contact The Pankhurst Centre at admin@thepankhurstcentre.org.uk or call 0161 273 5673

WomenMATTA at womenmatta@womeninprison.org.uk or call 0161 273 1518

The Pankhurst Centre, 60-62 Nelson Street, Manchester, M13 9WP

Bags of Attitude Exhibition

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:53:06 +0000

Over the course of summer 2011, The Pankhurst Centre, in association with Oxfam, ran a series of creative workshops examining the way that the spending cuts have affected women. Led by the artist Charlotte Newson, women from across Greater Manchester came together to discuss the affect that the increased financial hardship is having on their lives.

A TUC paper, ‘The Gender Impact Of The Cuts’, highlights the following key points:

More women will lose their jobs because more women are employed in the public sector
Women are more reliant on public services, therefore stand to lose more from cuts to services
Women are more likely to depend on welfare system and will be hard hit by cuts to benefits
It is likely that the ‘Big Society’ will mean increasing numbers of women working as unpaid carers and volunteers

In such a climate women may suffer disproportionately. In addition to this women’s lived experiences are rarely heard, and media coverage of people living in poverty is highly negative – with people on benefits portrayed regularly as ‘scroungers’.

The women decided to creatively express their current financial difficulties by making exhibition handbags. They chose to make handbags, as the handbag is identified as an object used almost exclusively by women and the vast majority of women have at least one handbag.

Creating the handbags was only the start of the exhibition. Each woman then filled their bags with personal items to show how they have been affected by the spending cuts, items for example such as a shopping bill from 2010 and a one from 2011 to show the rise in household costs.

These bags will now be displayed along side audio of the women talking about the impact of the spending cuts on their lives which was recorded and edited by well known musician Claire Mooney. Members of the public are invited to rummage through the bags and see the devastating affects that the cuts are having on women.

The exhibition is at Number 4 Piccadilly Place, Whitworth Street, Manchester, and runs from Saturday 11th – Tues 28th February 2012 10am – 5pm. Entrance is free. There will also be a launch event on Friday 10th February 6-8pm. We hope that you will join us for what will be a truly though provoking exhibition.

Click here for further information

February Activities Timetable

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:22:22 +0000

The Pankhurst Centre and Women MATTA

Activities Timetable

Date	Activity
Thursday 2^nd February	Pankhurst Centre Drop In 11am-4pm Designing the Drop-In Area 1-3pm
Friday 3^rd February	Women MATTA Drop In 1pm-4pm Crisis Point 2-4pm
Tuesday 7^th February	Personal Development for Parents: Week 5 10-12noon
Thursday 9^th February	Pankhurst Centre Drop In 11am-4pm Introduction to Belly Dancing 1-3pm
Friday 10^th February	Women MATTA Drop In 1pm-4pm Homeopathy Money Mentors 2-4pm
Thursday 16^th February	Pankhurst Centre Drop In 11am-4pm Craft Making ready for International Women’s Day 1-3pm
Friday 17^th February	Women MATTA Drop In 1pm-4pm Women In Prison Focus Group
Monday 20^th February	Turnaround Pre-employment Course Week 1 2-4pm,
Tuesday 21^st February	Personal Development for Parents: Week 6 10-12noon
Thursday 23^rd February	Pankhurst Centre Drop In 11am-4pm Food and Mood Workshop 1-3pm
Friday 24^th February	Women MATTA Drop In 1pm-4pm Get Ready! With Business in the Community Manchester Carers Forum 2-4pm
Monday 27^th February	Turnaround Pre-employment Course Week 2 2-4pm
Tuesday 28^th February	Personal Development for Parents: Week 7 10-12noon

For further information contact The Pankhurst Centre at admin@thepankhurstcentre.org.uk or call 0161 273 5673

WomenMATTA at womenmatta@womeninprison.org.uk or call 0161 273 1518

The Pankhurst Centre, 60-62 Nelson Street, Manchester, M13 9WP

Christmas Opening Hours

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:14:42 +0000

The Pankhurst Centre will be closed for Christmas from Friday 23rd December and will reopen on Tuesday 3rd January 2012.

Over the festive period the omen MATTA Drop-In will be taking place on Wednesday 28th Decemebr 12-3pm and The Pankhurst Drop-In will be taking place Thursday 29th December 11am-4pm.

Heritage Centre Opening Hours

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:10:34 +0000

Unfortunately the Heritage Centre will be closed on Wednesday 7th December. On Tuesday 6th December the Heritage Centre may also be closed, we would recommend planning your visit for another day. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Women MATTA Focus Group

admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:45:07 +0000

Are you involved in the Criminal Justice System? If so WomenMATTA want to hear from you!

WomenMATTA are holding a focus group specifically for women under 25 involved in the Criminal Justice System to give them a voice in designing a new young women’s service. Please come along for a chat and free lunch to The Pankhurst Centre 12-1.30 on Friday 25 November.

What should we call the young women’s service?
Who should we invite – homeless women, youth clubs, women in prison?
What do you want to do – workshops, advice, trips?
What do you need support with – housing, employment, drug use?
When is the best time – at drop-ins, evenings, weekends?
What do you need from us to attend – childcare, food, friendly faces?

Please contact Siân with your ideas on womenmatta@womeninprison.org.uk, 0161 273 1518. We’ll be keeping everyone posted on the developments of the service via our blog:http://womenmatta.blogspot.com/

https://docs.google.com/open?id=1Y3wjcQd_NUBrKFeUoek7BrceNhFVQxN_SvpPGh441dCa5HeLeY-Xx166I3ah

Gardening at The Pankhurst Centre

admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:07:59 +0000

On a cold wintry afternoon in January 2011, an exciting gardening project began at the Pankhurst Centre.

Groundwork, working with Women MATTA, ran a 10 week project to encourage women to learn more about gardening and to get out and do some gardening in the Pankhurst Centre Garden.

The course covered:

Planting skills
Use of tools
Plant knowledge
Herbs and vegetables
Garden design
Working as a team
Confidence building

The group of 8 women who regularly attended the sessions designed and planted a herb garden, producing herbs for use in the Pankhurst Kitchen. Herbs were used in the free meals which are provided for women attending the weekly Women MATTA Drop-in.

One of the group developed a plan of the garden and also designed a T-shirt, ‘ The Green Leaf Pankettes’, for all the women gardeners in the group and the two existing volunteer gardeners at the Centre.

The group continued to meet after the course finished, meeting each month to work in the garden.

From the group, three went on to do college courses and three became volunteers at the Women MATTA Project.

Comments from the group:

“I remembered the lovely smell of earth and wood from childhood, I also enjoyed destressing.”

“It was energising working in the garden as a team.”

“ I liked chopping the branches because it allowed me to get my anger out in a safe way.”

“ … It gave me a chance to think and clear my mind.”

“… today was different, I was part of a team.”

Trish James Nov 2011

Job Vacancy: Women’s Programme Group Support Worker

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:44:08 +0000

The Pankhurst Centre has a vacancy for a Women’s Programme Group Support Worker

A highly motivated, energetic worker is required to provide support to women offenders attending courses run by the Probation Trust within a women’s centre setting. You will be working with women on the Women’s Programme, a group programme specially designed for women which addresses the reasons why women commit crime.

You will need excellent communication skills, and knowledge and experience of clients with support needs. You must be able to maintain accurate records, and reimburse travel expenses, and signpost women to appropriate other services. You must be able to cover a varied number of sessions. Times and dates of sessions may be subject to change.

Closing date: Friday 4^th November 2011 at 12 noon

Interviews to be held on Tuesday 8th November 2011

Job Description and Person Specification

Application Form

Job Vacancy: P/T Administrator

admin — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:06:51 +0000

The Pankhurst Centre is looking to recruit a part-time administrator for its WomenMATTA project. The post is based in the Pankhurst Centre, Manchester. The project which has been running for over a year supports the women of Manchester and Trafford who are at risk of offending, or have come into contact with the criminal justice system.

Please be advised that the new deadline for applications is 5pm on Thursday 29^th September. Interviews will be conducted during the week commencing 17^th October 2011 at The Pankhurst Centre. You will be contacted by phone to arrange this if successful. Please return all applications to Katie Fraser at Katie@womeninprison.org.uk or The Pankhurst Centre, 60-62 Nelson Street, Manchester, M13 9WP.

WomenMATTA Administrator Job Description

APPLICATION FORM

Manchester Day Parade 2011

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:45:45 +0000

On the 19^th June 2011, Manchester played host to the Manchester Day Parade. This day is to celebrate all that is special about Manchester and its iconic heritage – including the legacy of The Pankhursts!

Service users, volunteers and staff alike took part in a series of costume workshops to prepare for the entrance of The Pankhurst Centre into the procession.

This year’s theme was “A Voyage of Discovery” and throughout a series of creative workshops facilitated by Charlotte Newson, the service users, volunteers and staff of The Pankhurst Centre, created a stunning range of costumes to represent Manchester women in literature throughout history.

Those involved sported amongst other things, beautiful hats and headdresses made from twisted and sculpted newsprint and two of our cyclists “wore” giant books on their backs throughout the procession.

The day was great fun for all involved with a turn out representing The Pankhurst Centre of over 30 women.