21 minute read
LOCAL HEROES As International Women’s Day takes place this month, we’re meeting some of the area’s most heroic women.
Breaking The BIAS
Tuesday 8th March 2022 represents International Women’s Day, the theme of which for 2022 is #BreakTheBias. This month we meet several local women who perform extraordinary jobs or roles in their community and who envisage a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination...
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ALICIA KEARNS
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, RUTLAND & MELTON
What a start to life as an MP. Last time we interviewed Alicia was February of 2020. With the retirement from politics of her predecessor, Sir Alan Duncan, Rutland said farewell to a local representative who had held the seat of Rutland and Melton for over 27 years. And prior to that, Sir Michael Latham had represented the area for 18 years, including Rutland from 1983 following border changes. In terms of the duration of how long Rutland hangs on to its MP, very little seems to change, very quickly. But since 2020, politics has moved fast and the country has had a bumpy ride with the ousting of the second ever female Prime Minister in Theresa May to the arrival of a more ebullient leader in Boris Johnson who, we all reckoned, would inject a bit of character back into politics. There has been little to laugh about since, though, with the twin issues of Brexit and Covid… and more recently partygate, at time of writing the verdict upon which remains out, pending the release of Sue Gray’s report. Meanwhile, Alicia wasted no time in meeting constituents and determining what her local priorities should be. She grew up in Cambridgeshire, studied Social & Political Sciences at Cambridge and worked in the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice and in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, becoming a defence expert before standing as an MP first elsewhere and then in 2019 for the Rutland and Melton seat.
“Back then, I had only just been given the keys to my office and I’d been briefed on parliamentary protocol, but I still hadn’t assembled a full team around me,” she says. “Three months after sitting in the Commons for the first time, having been elected to represent my local community, I found myself having to vote to take away my constituents’ liberties.” Lockdown began in March 2020 and in the first week of lockdown, Alicia and her still incomplete team had received 6,000 communications already, both about Covid and local issues more broadly. “As an MP you do have many victories. Many of them are silent victories that go unreported. Like communicating with landlords on behalf of tenants or helping constituents who are experiencing domestic violence. They matter enormously to the people concerned and to me. On average my team is contacted by about 300 constituents a week.” Alicia tends to travel from Rutland to Westminster on Sunday evening with her family. As well as the couple’s three-and-a-half-year-old son, she now has a daughter aged just over a year. Alicia’s working day starts just after the nursery drop-off and although Thursday’s 6pm is considered an early finish, from Monday to Wednesday, MPs typically sit until 10pm. Sometimes not even voting on a particular issue takes place until that time, if a debate has dragged on, seeing votes not finish until midnight. “With two young children, I’ve occasionally functioned on just two hours sleep. When I arrive, any schedule I have can change because your whole day is arranged around the Chamber. When the division bell rings you had to be present to vote within eight minutes. My first office was right on the cusp of that time frame so I had to run (literally run) to vote. I was moved out of that office because of ongoing work in the building. Any ideas of Parliament being very plush soon disappear when you see the mice and the asbestos. My new office is even further away in an old Department of Health building. Fewer mice, though.” “Parliament has now introduced remote voting for maternity and paternity leave, which would have been handy a year ago, as I was back at work 32 hours after giving birth. HMP Stocken was facing an outbreak of Covid so I needed to be present. There’s provision for women to break from the Commons to feed a baby, but I don’t believe that feeding should take place in the Chamber. It’s not a nice place, someone feeding a child in there can’t be focused on parliamentary business. Proceedings are live-streamed, too. I can’t think of many mums who wants to have their feeding broadcast around the world.” >>
Women in UK Politics
Facts & Figures
n As of December 2021, 223 Members of the House of Commons (MPs) are women. This is a record high, and 34% of all MPs. 220 were elected at the 2019 General Election, up from 208 at the 2017 General Election, and 191 in 2015. n Of the 552 women MPs ever elected, 306 (55%) were first elected as Labour and 172 (31%) as Conservative MPs. n The Local Government Association reported that in 2018, 36% of local authority councillors in England were women. n In January 2021, there were 10 women serving as Head of State and 13 serving as Head of Government. n The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) reported that the UK was ranked the 38th in terms of women holding positions in a country’s lower or only house... that’s out of 193 worldwide parliaments.
ALICIA KEARNS
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, RUTLAND & MELTON
“But women are now better represented in Parliament, and so better able to represent women from Parliament. As of December 2021, there were 223 women in the House of Commons, the highest ever, at 34%. Representation in the Commons is more than a third and we now rank 39th in the world for women represented in parliaments.” That sounds progressive, but Alicia and other female MPs are still the recipients of regular abuse and threats, not least via email and on social media, even in a post-Jo Cox and David Amess era.
“People seem to have dehumanised politicians and it’s heart-breaking but true. I’ve had threats to the effect of someone knowing where I live, or that my family are in danger… even sexual threats.” “My team try to protect me from seeing the worst of them but every single day in an MP’s inbox are the worst kind of threats and abuse, and I feel sorry that my staff should have to see those emails, never mind me.” “People don’t expect to hear from their MP once they’ve contacted them, and on occasion when I’ve replied to an email the sender has said they feel very ashamed and that they didn’t expect it to be read… but still the emails are sent in the first place and what people will say to a female MP can be especially shocking. The fast news cycle and social media have made it easier than ever to hurt someone whilst ensuring they remain increasingly anonymous. You’re no longer just shouted at in the street.” It’s not just ill-considered emails and posts from the public, either. One political sketch writer for a broadsheet is particularly inappropriate, referring to Alicia’s dress and appearance about eight times in the past six months.
Meanwhile, back in the Commons itself, politics is still played out to shouts and jeers. “In every political party you’ll find at least someone like you, who wants to ignore the theatre and get on with being constructive,” she says. “I don’t enjoy the aggression and the screaming and shouting. It’s not professional. People only resort to that if they have no reasonable arguments left to make.” Alicia is championing Ask Her To Stand, which is a cross-party group which aims to improve the representation of women in politics. She’s also a part of a 78-strong committee in the Conservative Party who have formed a caucus to lead policymaking and promote the recruitment and retention of women in politics, ensuring that women’s voices are well-heard and respected. Among her other achievements in her first two years as a voice in regional and national politics, Alicia has campaigned to ensure women didn’t have to attend antenatal appointments or give birth alone, and she is involved in introducing a UK-wide ban on LGBT conversion therapies. Locally she’s supporting the area’s farmers, investing in roads and further afield, Alicia has recently visited the Ukraine to offer support those living in fear of imminent war. If anyone doubts that Rutland and Melton’s MP goes to work on a Monday morning with any aims but to make the world better, or that women are anything but a terrific asset to national and local politics, serious reflection is needed… or perhaps, just a peek at Alicia’s very full diary. n
WOMEN IN POLITICS
SIGNIFICANT FIRSTS IN THE UK
n 1907: Qualification of Women (County and Borough Councils) Act allows women to be county and borough councillors –many stood in 1st November elections. n 1908: First elected mayor in England (Elizabeth Garrett Anderson). n 1918: First MP to be elected (Countess Constance de Markievicz, Dublin St Patrick’s constituency). n 1919: First Member of Parliament to take seat (Nancy Astor, who died at Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire, 1964). n 1924: First Minister (Margaret Bondfield). n 1928: Vote given to women on same terms as men. n 1929: First Cabinet Minister and privy counsellor (Margaret Bondfield). n 1958: Life Peerages Act; first women peers take seats (Lady Reading, Baroness Wootton). n 1963: First Hereditary Peer to take seat in House of Lords (Baroness Strange of Knokin). n 1964: First Parliamentary Whip in the Commons (Harriet Slater). n 1965: Parliamentary Whip in the Lords, (Baroness Phillips). n 1967: First Deputy Speaker in the Lords, (Baroness Wootton). n 1970: First Deputy Speaker in the Commons, (Betty Harvie Anderson). n 1975: First Leader of the Opposition (Margaret Thatcher). n 1976: First openly lesbian MP (Maureen Colquhoun). n 1979: First PM (Margaret Thatcher). n 1981: First female Leader of the House of Lords (Baroness Young). n 1987: First black female MP (Diane Abbott). n 1992: First Speaker of the House of Commons (Betty Boothroyd). n 1997: Full-time Minister for Women (Joan Ruddock) n 2014: First Minister of Scotland (Nicola Sturgeon). n 2016: First Lord Chancellor (Liz Truss). n 2017: First Black Rod (Sarah Clarke).
ALEXIS GRAY
ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER
Alexis is an on-call firefighter, what used to be known as retained, although that term is less understood by the public. Alexis is originally from Washington in the North East, a town equidistant from Sunderland, Newcastle and Durham. Fire and rescue infrastructure there is based more around whole-time fire recruitment, as larger stations with permanently crewed firefighters is more justifiable given the greater population. But for rural communities like those in Rutland, on-call firefighters really are a much more efficient way to ensure sufficient coverage and greater flexibility in terms of how the service can deploy resources. For Alexis, too, it’s an opportunity to give back to the community she’s lived in for a decade or so, and it fits in really well with both family commitments and her enjoyment of remaining active. “I was always aware that there was an on-call role in the service, and I was always keen to find out more. I’ve worked at Oundle School and later Uppingham School in physical education and promoting community fitness. As part of my job I was based at Uppingham School Sports Centre and whilst working there I met Mel Finnemore who worked in the town as an on-call firefighter.” “She told me more about the role and encouraged me to look into joining the service, which I did in 2018.” “There are still a number of preconceptions around on-call firefighting, especially about how fit you have to be. I was already pretty keen on fitness, but really the demands aren’t huge. The service is interested to know that you can do the job safely, and prior to Covid19, I started to run Train to Save sessions, which are aimed at preparing people for the role. So many people are already ‘fire service fit’ without realising it... you don’t have to be in Olympic condition!” “One of the most rewarding things about the role is the skills that you pick up. Leadership, communication... there are so many ways you can bring your own skills to the service as well as learning new skills yourself.” Some on-call firefighters are self-employed, whilst others are released from their work in the event of emergencies by their employers. In return, employers also gain the benefit of the skills an on-call firefighter gains and brings into the workplace. The service also works with on-call firefighters to accommodate existing commitments. For example, Alexis and her wife have a young daughter, and the hours she works can fit around nursery drop-off and pick-up. There’s a preconception that the service is male-dominated. Perhaps just decades ago? Maybe not. Alexis, though, says she’s never seen any evidence of that. These days, it’s the most inclusive employer, with a keen interest in demonstrating that women, LGBT team members and people from all ethnicities and social backgrounds are equally welcome… and incidentally, there’s no age limit; another preconception that seems to persist. “I’m currently the only female on-call at Oakham, but my colleagues are nothing but welcoming. Sometimes there will be circumstances when I need to put my trust and potentially my life in the hands of my colleagues and visa versa, and in those circumstances, nothing matters but the ability to work safely and effectively as a team; gender is irrelevant.” “One shout that stands out for me is when two elderly ladies had been involved in an RTC and we attended the scene.” “I was in the car with them and
Leicestershire calmed them down, talked to Fire & Rescue them and offered reassurance, talking them through what the team was doingThe service was established in 1947 following an amalgamation around us.” of two historic services. The service’s 20 stations are “Quite beyond the actual staffed with a mix of wholetime, physical rescue or the act ofday-crewed and on-call firefighters. firefighting, being there for people, giving something back to the community is a big part of the role and it’s a really enjoyable one. My colleagues are wonderful and I really do enjoy the role… it’s one that more people can do, and should consider!” n
Saving Lives Locally
Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service...
Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service has with two stations within Rutland itself located in Oakham and Uppingham. Oakham maintains a wholetime pump plus a retained appliance with six wholetime firefighters and seven on-call firefighters who work on rotation. Meanwhile, Uppingham’s fire station is on-call crewed. n To find out more about on-call roles, see www.leics-fire.gov.uk and search careers.
SARAH OUTEN MBE
ADVENTURER, AUTHOR, SPEAKER
In November 2015 Sarah Outen completed her London2London:Via the World expedition. The adventurer rowed, cycled and paddled a kayak 25,000 miles around the Northern Hemisphere. The journey took four and a half years and was all the richer for not turning out exactly as planned. But what happened next...?
Sarah Outen is the area’s record-breaking adventurer. By the age of just 30, having grown up in Ashwell and attended Stamford High School, she had also already rowed the Indian Ocean solo, looped the world using a rowing boat, bike and kayak and picked up an MBE on the way. Sarah completed her 25,000 mile challenge – her second expedition – in 2015, and has since sought to motivate and inspire others using her experiences to write two books and create a film about the journey and what it can teach others.
“When I was younger, I was always out exploring and I loved the outdoors. I completed the Duke of Edinburgh, I was part of the local canoeing club at Rutland Water and I would go cycling for miles around the Rutland countryside. I always knew the outdoors would play an important part in my life and I have always wanted to journey.”
“When I’m outside, I just love the connection between me and nature. Nature is real and essential to me. I find it connecting and balancing and a space for me to be whatever I need it to be. The outdoors is bigger than me and that helps me gain perspective.”
“It makes me feel calm and I find elements of the weather hugely comforting. I enjoy slow journeys, especially seeing how landscapes and seascapes change. The outside challenges, teaches me, and it inspires me. I also think a lot of our ailments –physical and mental – can be healed by being outside.”
“I wouldn’t say I had any heroes as such but I found Ellen MacArthur hugely inspiring especially during my teenage years. Ellen was eight years older than me and her sailing exploits inspired me. I knew that one day I would follow in her footsteps and make a sea journey.” “I completed my first expedition, going solo across the Indian Ocean, for two reasons. The first was my need for adventure and the second was to help deal with the grief and emotion of my dad’s death three years earlier. I became the first – and at that time the youngest – woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean. And it was life changing.”
“I always knew I loved the ocean and you can’t help but be changed by it, in what you see and feel. I felt truly alive in the ocean and almost at one with my surroundings. It was this excitement and the idea of seeing other oceans, lands and the way nature changes across the globe that made me want to take on my next expedition, London2London.”
Sarah’s London2London: Via the World expedition saw the adventurer loop the planet using a rowing boat, bike and kayak. It was a phenomenal journey of some 25,000 miles that took four and a half years to complete in total. She went through deserts, snow, rough terrain and choppy seas to do so.
“This was my once in a lifetime journey and I cannot express in words the impact of this journey. Even though the journey started over a decade ago, it will always be a huge part of my life and influence and affect my future decisions.”
“The London2London expedition pushed and challenged me to my limits and beyond. There were many moments when I wasn’t sure if I would make it out alive but I was determined to see it through to the end. I have been humbled and inspired by the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met, which made for an amazing few years.”
SARAH OUTEN MBE
ADVENTURER, AUTHOR, SPEAKER
>> “But if I had to choose though, I would say the ocean phases are among my most memorable, for the vistas and scale of them; the dynamism, the storms, the calms and wildlife.”
“I remember one day on the Atlantic Ocean in 2015 when I stepped out on the deck of my tiny rowing boat to see a herd of four sperm whales, logging and rolling and spy hopping at the surface. They were a boat’s length away and we watched each other for about 20 minutes. That sense of connection was very humbling.” In June 2012 on the solo row from Japan to Canada across the North Pacific, Sarah and her boat were hit by Tropical Storm Mawar. Unfortunately, the damage that was sustained meant that it was not possible to continue the row. Sarah was rescued by the Coastguard and she soon flew home to the UK.
“My life post-ocean was also just a crazy storm. There was the expected culture shock that came with coming home from a 15month expedition, the grieving and sense of loss for my boat Gulliver, and the huge trauma of that final storm which blanketed itself onto everything. All of my combined emotions of all of this trauma certainly took its toll.’’ “Having been to some frightening lows, I am keen to encourage anyone in that position to be brave and stand up and ask for help, and for anyone near those facing such lows, to be brave enough to take an active interest in supporting them. It is never enough to assume that someone is fine and coping; you need to ask questions and find answers.”
“Some of the most powerful moments in my recovery were hearing some well-respected sponsors and friends of mine tell me of their own battles and sources of strength, and the reminder that nothing will last forever. For me, my most important fixer was Dr Briony Nicholls, psychotherapist and friend, but there are plenty of people who helped me get back to the surface and I am so thankful for them all.”
“Every day and especially on the down days, I made a conscious effort to the make the most of the good things. I would make sure I found one thing every day to be grateful for. Sometimes this would be easy as there were many hundreds of good things but on other days this was much harder.” After London2London, Sarah decided to tell her story in a book called ‘Dare to Do’ and then by creating her film, Home, too. Woven out of hundreds of hours of footage, Home intimately and unflinchingly captures Sarah’s journey, telling a story of heart and soul, of struggle and joy and one extraordinary woman’s trek towards true emotional acceptance. “It was always my intention to share my journey and my story through film. Film is a different form of storytelling and the film is made with raw footage from my journey.” “There wasn’t any set vision for the film, and I turned down a number of opportunities as I knew I had to find the right film maker, given that I was trusting something so precious to them. I eventually worked with Jen Randall who is a fantastic film maker. Jen is bold, brave and also a compassionate storyteller whilst being creative, intuitive and playful.” “The film has won nine international awards including British Adventure & Exploration film at Banff Mountain Film Festival. I knew we had made a really special film and I am honoured by the awards it has achieved but the most important part to me is how people have connected with the film, related to my struggles, fears and the ups and downs of the journey.” “Throughout the film I have shared my mental health challenges and in turn this has really helped others. I am humbled by the response it received. I am also extremely thankful as half of
London2London the funds for the project were Via The World crowdfunded. It was backed by so many people and I am extremely grateful for that.” Sarah’s second exhibition began in 2011 and was completed “My life and relationshipsin 2015, with a delay following the loss of her boat in a tropical are now quite different – I storm. Her journey took am married and I have 25,000 miles and ended with a proposal to some pet donkeys – so I don’t wife Lucy. think I would make a journey quite like London2London again!” “My spirit of curiosity is still there so I will do smaller trips and journeys. I am also starting a new adventure and training as a psychotherapist. As well as this, I am involved with local charity Inspire+, a sports and education charity for school pupils. The legacy of inspiring folks, especially school children, is something I am very proud of.” “I think it’s important to be positive where possible and to hold in your mind that periods of distress will usually end. Embracing your feelings, not being scared to admit fear and worry, is important. It’s not possible all the time, but usually you can find something to be grateful for.” n
