International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month Events
Royal Agricultural University
International Women’s Day (IWD) and
Women’s History Month (WHM)
March 2024
IWD theme: ‘Inspire Inclusion’
WHM theme: ‘Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’
If you are interested in attending any of these events please email Professor Lorraine Thomas at the Royal Agricultural University
Friday
1 March
09:00-10:00 Andrea Beddows, Regional Support Officer (Midlands Region) The Farming
Community Network ‘Raising awareness about the work of The Farming Community Network’
(Module Leader: Jenny Howse) Room: EJ07
10:00-11.00: Dr Olena Melnyk, Senior Researcher at ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Associate
Professor Sumy National Agrarian University (Ukraine) and Honorary Professor RAU ‘Assessment
of damages and ways to restore agricultural lands of Ukraine addressing the war hostilities: RAU -
SNAU collaborations’ (Including online presentation for SNAU and RAU students and colleagues)
(Module Leader: Dr Kelly Hemmings) Room: EJ06
Microsoft Teams meeting
Email Professor Lorraine Thomas for Teams Meeting Link
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Saturday
2 March
A Room Of One’s Own Exhibition opens and continues until Friday 5 April 2024.
Previews on Saturday 2nd March (12.00-17.00) and Sunday 3rd March (12.00-15.00)
This group exhibition showing in the Irving Gallery (Oxford) brings together the diverse artworks of 75
women and non-binary artists. The exhibited artworks were selected from over 400 submitted works,
resulting in an outstanding collection of work by these 75 contemporary artists
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Monday
4 March
Useful reading and website:
Dewhurst, E., & Campbell, S. (2023). Uncertain Futures: 100 Women - A research report on the
inequalities facing women in Manchester around work. MetroPolis.
https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/281224925/Uncertain_Futures_Report_2023.pdf
See also: Women-Space
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Tuesday
5 March
09:00-10:00 Dr Jessica Stokes, Senior Lecturer in Farm Animal Welfare Science and Policy
‘TransformDairyNet research’ (Module Leader: Dr Jessica Stokes) Room: EJ07
09:00-10:00 Judith Norris, Owner, The Rural Planning Practice Ltd https://therpp.co.uk
‘Planning and Development - A Consultant’s View’ (Module Leader: William Leschallas) Room: EJ06
11:00-12:00 Gill Reindl, Consultant, GR consulting
‘Developing an entrepreneurial mindset: a journey though the unexpected...’
(Module Leader: Dr Liudmyla Batsenko) Room: FG10
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Wednesday
6 March
11:00–13:00 Field trip to Jolly Nice Farmshop, Rebecca Wilson, Founder & Managing Director Jolly
Nice Farmshop jollynicefarmshop.com (Module Leader: Dr Carol Zhang)
11:30-12:30 Research seminar Dr Cassie Newland, Associate Professor ‘Masters unlocked: creating
access and success in postgraduate heritage education’ and Imogen Day FT PhD student
‘Micronutrients, soil and my PhD’. Zoom link available from Becky Atterbury-Thomas
12:00-13:00 Dr Kelly Hemmings, Associate Professor ‘The RAU Herbarium: collectors, conservation
and crop wild relatives’ (As shown on ITV News at Ten!)
(Module Leader: Dr Kelly Hemmings) Room: FG10
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Thursday
7 March
10:00-15:00 Dr Cassie Newland, Associate Professor ‘Reclaiming the Past’ (Please ask Cassie for
the Teams link)
11.00-13.00 Hannah Hartop, Veterinary Physiotherapist ‘Equine Physiotherapy’ (Module Leader:
Charlotte Sinclair) Room: EJ01
16.00-18.00 Katherine Clough, Director of External Relations ‘Panel member at International
Women’s Day: Lessons in Leadership’ online event https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/event/internationalwomens-
day-lessons-in-leadership
18:30 – 21:00 ‘Fairer Food, Better Britain’: An evening of discussion, connection, and empowerment
for a better food future. (Light refreshments from 18.30 - Parkinson Lecture Theatre)
In honour of International Women’s Day tomorrow, Roz Savage MBE will kick off the evening with a
short presentation about her own journey into environmental activism, with the message that every
one of us has the power to make a difference.
Tickets via Eventbrite: £5 waged, free for full time
students/ unwaged
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Friday
8 March
10.00-14.30 Field trip to Helen Browning’s Eastbrook organic farm
(Academic Leads: Dr Karen Rial-Lovera and Professor Olivier Sparagano)
14.00-15.00 Dr Patricia Mathabe, Senior Lecturer in Agricultural Technology, and winner of Silver
(Education) and Bronze (Agriculture) in Women Changing the World Awards, 2023
‘Bridging the gender divide: Promoting gender-smart and inclusive technology for sustainability’
(Module Leader: Dr Patricia Mathabe) Room: EJ07
16.00-17.00 Professor Alex Bentley, Professor of Anthropology at University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, USA ‘Women in Human and Cultural Evolution’ and Dr Lisa Morgans to interview.
Room: Boutflour Hall
Carrie de Silva, Visiting Professor Please see Women in Street Names research project:
Carrie is also speaking at RICS about the first woman
chartered surveyor for International Women's Day and is a delegate for the British Federation of
Women Graduates at the forthcoming UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, March
2024
Display regarding Women in Farming, including the Women’s Land Army (Library)
Enid Barraud blog post: See Library blog here: https://raulibrary.wordpress.com
IWD is a national holiday in Uzbekistan
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Monday
11 March
11.00–12.00 Professor Olivier Sparagano, Dean of Agricultural Sciences and Practices
Lecture regarding the legacy of Marie Curie-Sklodowska and her daughter Irene Joliot-Curie (Module
Leader: Dr Andrew Hemmings) Room: Parkinson Lecture Theatre
14.00–15.00 Abi Reader, Deputy President NFU Cymru, Dairy farmer and RAU alumna
(Module Leader: Phil Hudson) Room: EJ06
Display regarding Women in Farming, including the Women’s Land Army (Library)
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Tuesday
12 March
12.00–13.00 Tara Best, Coach, Mentor, CEO of The Best Coaching Company, Farmer, Farm shop
owner and RAU alumna ; ‘How I built two successful businesses with the mindset of "If you don't ask, you don't get"’. (Module Leader: Dr Kat Watson) Room: EJ07
15.00-16.00 Liz Lawrenson, Director of Quality Enhancement, Land Based Colleges and Universities
Aspiring to Excellence (Landex). ‘Women and the fourth industrial revolution’ (Module Leader: Dr
Patricia Mathabe) Room: FG09
15.30-16.00 Bridgette Baker, Farmer and RAU alumna ‘What it’s like to be a FarmHer in 2024'.
Bridgette Baker graduated last summer and, while she was a student here, she wrote a monthly
column for Farmer’s Weekly. Last year, she and her father also started doing a bi-monthly podcast for
BBC Radio Somerset from the family farm in Somerset (Module Leader: Dr Karen Rial-Lovera) Room:
EJ06
18.00-20.00 Cirencester Menopause Support Group The RAU is delighted to host our local
Menopause Support Group, providing a safe place for advice, support and friendship. The group will be
welcoming guest speaker Andrea Marsh to look at the Chinese medicine approach to resolving
menopause symptoms naturally. Andrea is a shiatsu and Chinese medicine practitioner who deciphers
and resolves menopause issues holistically. All staff are welcome to attend (see information from HR)
Room: Kenneth Russell Room
Display regarding Women in Farming, including the Women’s Land Army (Library)
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Wednesday
13 March
Display regarding Women in Farming, including the Women’s Land Army (Library)
Useful website: https://bfwg.org.uk/bfwg2
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Thursday
14 March
10.00-11.00 Lydia Heywood, Events Rider
‘Lived experiences of a woman who advocates for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Equine
Industry’ (Module Leader: Dr Andrew Hemmings) Room: EJ01
Display regarding Women in Farming, including the Women’s Land Army (Library)
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Friday
15 March
*Bridgette Baker, Farmer and RAU alumna, and Emily Norton, Farmer and Agricultural
Commentator (Online)
Farmer’s Weekly survey and Women’s Hour:
(from 35.48 onwards).
*Bridgette Baker graduated last summer and, while she was a student here, she wrote a monthly
column for Farmer’s Weekly. Last year, she and her father also started doing a bi-monthly podcast for
BBC Radio Somerset from the family farm in Somerset.
Display regarding Women in Farming, including the Women’s Land Army (Library)