Joyce meets Llanelli women ‘making a difference’ to public life

Joyce meets Llanelli women ‘making a difference’ to public life
A Llanelli scheme that aims to give women the confidence and skills to get involved in public life will be showcasing their ideas at Llanelli Library this Saturday (25th May).
The Women Making a Difference project was recently (26 April) visited by Assembly Member Joyce Watson. The Mid and West Labour AM is a founding member of the scheme, which runs courses to equip women to become decision makers in their communities.
Mrs Watson, who was a Pembrokeshire county councillor before being elected to the National Assembly for Wales in 2007, was invited to speak to the Llanelli group about her work in the Assembly. She offered advice on how other women can make the break-through into front-line politics.
Speaking after the meeting at the Felinfoel Adult Education Centre, Mrs Watson said:
“I was delighted to meet the group and to listen to their experiences about how Llanelli women are coming together to improve the communities in which they live.
“With the death of Margaret Thatcher, there was a lot of debate about her role as Britain’s first – and, so far, only – female prime minister. While we can argue about whether she actually did much for women, it is a fact that more than 50 years after she first entered parliament, public and political life is still dominated by men. This scheme is all about redressing the imbalance.”
Course organiser Val Thomas said:
“Joyce told us how she was taking the lead on work to combat human trafficking, it made is feel that there is something that ordinary women can do about the big issues. She clearly knows all about the barriers that women face in getting involved – we were inspired.”
The Carmarthenshire group currently runs a befriending scheme as well as a project to make schools safer for girls. They are also raising awareness of the decline in the bee population.
Women Making a Difference will be showcasing their ideas at Llanelli Library this Saturday to mark Adult Learners Week, which runs all this week (18 – 24 May). The next round of Women Making a Difference courses will run during June and July.
For more information about Women Making a Difference, contact 02920 221965 or email [email protected]