Charity leads powerful International Women’s Day march through South Shields

Bright Futures, a South Shields-based women’s charity, has lead more than 120 people on a march to show solidarity as part of International Women’s Day.

The march, which was held on Tuesday, March 4, aimed to allow women in the borough to “reclaim their community” and empower them to embrace their strength and feel emboldened by who they are.

Marchers were also joined by Cllr Fay Cunningham, Mayor of South Tyneside, and Stella Matthewson, the Mayoress, who also showed their support for the cause ahead of International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8.

Hannah Woodward, a project worker at Brighter Futures, has expressed her pride at everyone who came along to show their support and take part in the march.

She said: “What a fantastic display of support we received from our community. The march was an incredibly powerful event.

“We wanted this march to help young women across South Tyneside feel proud of their presence within their community, and reclaim the environments where they have felt unsafe.

“The march showcased the resilience and power of young women and the collective strength of South Tyneside.

“We are so incredibly proud of all the powerful young women who took part in the event, and grateful to our community for such a wonderful display of support.”

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The event also saw young women from the charity’s weekly ‘Girls Standing Up’ sessions delivering heartfelt speeches and poems, during which they shared their experiences, hopes, and determination for a safer, more equal future.

After the march, 16-year-old Keris Finn commented: “It was an amazing event, spreading awareness and getting our message out there.

“I had such a great time and I got to use my voice to talk about issues women face and I gained confidence too.”

You can find out more about the work that Brighter Futures carries out in the borough by visiting: https://brightfuturesne.co.uk/.