Northern Region |
Northern Region has 4 Regional meetings each year, usually on 1st or 2nd Monday of September, December, and March and the 3rd Monday of June, which is followed immediately by the Annual General Meeting. Meetings are at 10.30am in the Coachman Hotel, just beside the Victoria Road entrance to the Railway Station. There is a speaker at the March meeting, this year it was Adrian Hilton, Regional Climate Change Coordinator, speaking on Climate Change and the North East of England, Impacts, Opportunities and Economics. Three times a year, in December, March and June, the Northern Newsletter keeps us up to date with news from our branches. |
National Council of Women Darlington and District Branch Luncheon 2010 |
Liz Burnley, Chief Guide of Girlguiding UK, was the speaker and guest of honour at the Annual Luncheon held by the Darlington and District Branch of the National Council of Women. Liz told us of how Lord Baden Powell, founder of the Scouting movement, was asked for 'something for girls'. That was one hundred years ago and it was from there that the Guiding movement developed into what we know today. Guiding gives girls the opportunity to develop their own skills and confidence, helping them to develop self-awareness and an understanding of others' needs. International Guiding is a powerful movement, giving guides from around the world a chance to meet with, and experience, other cultures and traditions. With our own increasingly multicultural society, this has great significance. The Trefoil Guild is open to guides and women over eighteen years, which carries on the traditions and spirit of the movement. An enthusiastic speaker, Liz made NCW members aware of the importance of the Guiding movement in the twenty first century and of how it is still as relevant today as it was a hundred years ago. Sheila Eaton, the President of NCW, spoke of the parallel core values between Guiding and NCW. The aims of NCW to get more young women engaged in issues that affect them, help to give them greater confidence, self-esteem and a 'voice'. She also spoke of the International Council of Women Conference Resolutions in South Africa, such as the sexualisation of children, rape and giving women much greater support, especially in third world countries.
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Arts Seminar: Rebranding a Region through the Arts - The North East Experience |
Northern Region's arts seminar provided a very fresh view of arts activity in north-east England over the last twenty years. Speakers touched on public sculpture, new buildings, glass making, regional writing and films, as well as local authority interest, funding, arts and the media, regional marketing, and public engagement. The general view which emerged was upbeat about the achievements of this period. Personal hard work and capital investment had been rewarded by a marked change in public attitude, perhaps best symbolised by the history of "The Angel of the North". Plans for the sculpture had been vigorously attacked when first proposed, yet ten years on the public had awarded it a Newcastle United shirt, and it had become an icon for the region, with other regions seeking to follow its lead. However, all contributors were aware that a golden age of investment was ending and that a coming period of austerity would be very challenging. A full report can be found here. |
