On Thursday 26^th March, a group of women from communities across Basingstoke came together virtually to kick off a new initiative for women in Basingstoke.

Members from the Interfaith Group, Ukrainian Society, Caribbean Society, Basingstoke Sikh Sabha (BSS), and others met one another and spoke about some of the issues facing women in our communities – health inequality, personal finance, violence, and mental health.

The purpose of the group is to organise events in Basingstoke where women can network with each other, share good practices, and raise awareness about sensitive topics in as safe environment. They also hope to invite female experts for Q&A sessions in future for relevant topics.

The network are also here to empower Black and Minority Ethnic Women with resources and to be advocates for their communities, bringing females from diverse cultures together to improve the health and wellbeing of all women and girls throughout their lives.

The women discussed the kinds of issues they would want to tackle, such as care for senior citizens and adult education, but ultimately concluded that it’s imperative to find out what women actually need, not decide for them.

At the BSS, we are proud to have female representation in our committee (6 women out of 14 members) and a strong sisterhood group. Our community was represented by Simran Atwal (Communications Lead) and Madhu Panue (Trustee) on the night, and they are eager to hear from the women in our sangat about what they need from their community and ideas on how to build stronger support systems for our women.

The Chair of Inter Faith Basingstoke, Barbara Hudson Owen, has organised a Mental Health Awareness Event at Carnival Hall on Thursday 14^th May, 11am-2.30pm. In partnership with the Hampshire and Isle of White Trust, they will talk about reducing health inequality, with a range of mental health teams discussing other issues as well. This is open to all, and so we are extending the invitation to our sangat members who may be interested in learning more.

Inter-community connection is important to us at the BSS, and this is a great step forward for women safety and equality in Basingstoke!

If you have any questions, you can contact Simran on WhatsApp – 07914826689.