NWR 1960– 2020 THE BIG THREE ZERO! Again, the publicity brings many enquiries. Members decide that NWR should build on its original aims, update its image and investigate a regional structure. The national office moves to Norwich.
Photo by Andrew Hurley
1990 1991
MAUREEN NICOL RETIRES as trustee and is given Honorary Life Membership. The magazine, renamed ‘The Register’ is now mailed directly to members.
1993
Photo by Miryam León on Unsplash
AN OBE FOR ‘services to women in founding NWR in 1960’ is awarded to Maureen Nicol in the Queen’s Birthday honours. 231 groups take part in the first National Telephone Treasure Trail, organised by Abbots Langley group.
1995
NWR’S NEW IMAGE is launched, and the strategic plan is published. This includes the introduction of Area Organisers to improve communication between members and the National Group, and the creation of Regional Organisers within the National Group. Regional Organisers are to work with Area Organisers to increase members’ awareness of the national organisation, encourage new groups, and help existing ones to form closer links with other groups in the area and take full advantage of their membership. Mary Stott retires as trustee and is made the first Honorary Life Member.
1997
AS INSUFFICIENT THE NWR ARCHIVE VOLUNTEERS come is professionally forward to maintain catalogued and can the National now be viewed on Group, a ballot of request at the Women’s members decides Library, at the London on the creation of School of Economics. two new paid staff In memory of Mary – a membership Stott, who died in 2002 coordinator and aged 95, the annual a marketing NWR Woman of the coordinator. The Year Mary Stott Award National Group is is instituted. dissolved.
1999 2000
2003
GROUPS AROUND THE COUNTRY celebrate NWR’s ruby anniversary. An article in the Guardian commemorates our origins. There are nearly 1,200 enquiries and increasing interest in NWR. NWR GOES DIGITAL. Member and former National Group Treasurer Jackie Harber creates NWR’s first website.
The first full colour magazine is published, and the first colour version of the Annual Report.
News and views FROM THE BEGINNING, members wanted to exchange news and ideas with other members. Some areas produced local news sheets, then in July 1960 Maureen Nicol sent out the first national newsletter, run off on a borrowed duplicator, giving news of group activities, spread of membership, profiles of members, and booklists. At first these appeared every few months, but eventually a regular pattern of spring and autumn newsletters was established. The first professionally printed newsletter appeared in 1965, its format changing as the register developed.
Building Bridges and Crossing Boundaries - Bristol 2014
Inspiring talk on forced marriage
J
asvinder Sanghera CBE received a standing ovation after her passionate speech on the subject of forced marriage and honour-based abuse.
An advocate for the rights of those experiencing forced marriage and honour based abuse, she is the founder of Karma Nirvana (peace and enlightentment), a campaign born out of her own experiences, and shared her strong feelings on this most horrifying of ‘customs’ with a rapt audience.
...and Bristol fashion Shockingly and sadly it is often the family women who are the main problem, but Jasvinder emphasised that, in order to initiate the demise of the tradition, it is also essential that religious leaders say firmly that there is not, in fact, any written part of their religion that legitimises forced marriage. At the time of her own challenges, there was no law that could be enforced against this practice as the government had said it did not want to oppose any community traditions. Jasvinder has been a leading light in the campaign to criminalise forced marriage and was able to announce that, since this year, it is now a specific criminal offence in England and Wales – a fact that warranted a huge round of applause.
Born in the UK of Indian Sikh parents, she fought against her family’s tradition whereby girls are taken out of school at the age of 15 and married to men they had never met. Her older sister was one such victim. At 14, she herself was shown a photo I was on the sixth floor of the Tate Modern, surrounded by a fantastic view o of man she was going to marry, but emphatically refused. Her London and ten minutes into a preparatory workshop a week before ‘Silver Action mother padlocked her in her room but she managed to escape Amid twenty-five other participants and two facilitators, all around 60, sporting and was found by police who actually (and unusually) believed varying her when she said she was being forced into marriage by hershades of grey hair, assertive, excited and exuding ‘woman power’ I felt a little uneasy. I had read the circular from about ‘Grey Hair Action’. I took in the word own parents. The outcome was that her parents disowned her ‘grey hair, an art work, inclusion and social relevance, the Tate Modern because her obstinate action affected their perceived ‘family conversations, participation’ and ‘400 women’. I skimmed the word ‘activist’ bu honour’. Her first book Shame resulted in threats to her life.
What the heck am I doing here?
12
NWR Magazine 1960–2020
Silve
noted ‘Housewives Register’. So I had only myself to blame if I felt uncomfortable.
In 1993, Jasvinder set up a helpline for teenage girls, as exercises at tables of five were focused on activism. There was a time line on accusing their family is very difficult. It gets 850 callsThe a month.
