ON 8 MARCH 1857

New York women workers of the textile and clothing industry demonstrated in protest against their low wages and poor working conditions.

Painting of Alice Hawkins at Equity Shoe Company in Leicester by Sylvia Pankhurst Part of the collection at the Newarke Museum

ON 8 MARCH 1907

Women in New York demonstrated on the anniversary to call for the vote for women and the end to child labour and sweatshops.

IN MARCH and APRIL 1907

Alice Hawkins organised a meeting in the Boot and Shoe Hall in Leicester and formed the Leicester branch of the WSPU (The Women's Social and Political Union) with the first meeting of the branch taking place on 9 April 1907 at the Welford Coffee House.  Alice is generally acknowledged to be the founding woman of the Suffragette movement in Leicester.  In 2007, we will be celebrating the centenary events of Alice's life work.

IN 1909

The day had been formally recognised as ‘Women’s Day’ in the USA. Rallies and demonstrations were held the following year in Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and the United States. It is estimated that more than one million women went on the move demanding the right to vote and an end to sex discrimination.

IN 1910

At a women's international conference in Copenhagen, Clara Zetkin of Socialist International called for 8 March to be marked as International Women's Day.

IN 1913

Russian women first celebrated the day when it was declared a national holiday by the Russian Parliament.

UNTIL 1968

Relatively little was heard of the day until 1968 when women in Chicago revived the celebration of International Women’s Day as part of the resurgence of feminism in the 1960s.

IN 1971

A demonstration of 5,000 women marched in London demanding childcare, equal opportunities and easier access to safe abortion.

IN 1975

The United Nations formally recognised 8 March as International Women’s Day.

IN 2002  

The first LeicestHERday conference took place at the old Leicester Football Club Filbert Street stadium.  We expected 300 attendees and 500 showed up for the first Conference.

IN 2003

The second LeicestHERday conference took place at the Ramgarhia Centre. 

IN 2004

The third LeicestHERday conference took place at De Montfort Hall.

IN 2005

The fourth LeicestHERday conference took place at Walkers Stadium and comprised a full week of events from Women of Achievement Awards to the Conference.  The Conference itself had an attendance of over 1,000 women, girls and men and included a special Twilight Party for young people.   In 2005, LeicestHERday started to be more active year round and put on a pilot project of Mini LeicestHERday events addressing women in disadvantaged and isolated communities.

Audience of 1000 people at the 2006 LeicestHERday conference

IN 2006

The fifth LeicestHERday conference took place on Friday 10 March at Walkers Stadium..   Over 2,500 women, girls and men attended a full week of events from 3 March to 12 March.

Continuing the very successful pilot project of Mini LeicestHERday events, the Trust started to grow and develop in other ways.  We continue to look at our strategy and development and with the help of Facilitator, Pravin Patel, are beginning to look at how our growth and dynamics can make a huge difference for women and girls (and families and communities).  We held our first Fit and Fun Day and started our first Business event- Minding Your Own Business. 

Through the assistance of our partners and small funding, we have a full time co-ordinator (pilot) which post we hope to continue.  This year has been about development, strategy, capacity building and partnership.  More, much more to come!

IN 2007

The 6th Annual Conference took place on Friday the 16th March 2007 at the Walkers Stadium. This year’s theme was “A Century of Change and Challenge”, celebrating the centenary of Leicester Suffragette Alice Hawkins and commemorating her tireless fight for the vote. The event was attended by over 650 people, who enjoyed an exciting programme of workshops and activities. The Trust also ran a number of Women’s Opportunities Days (formerly Mini Days) in neighbourhoods where women could cross familiar thresholds and open up horizons to enterprise and training. Delegates were able to receive advice and guidance in a range of areas including jobs, training and education, new skills and qualifications, career/lifestyle changes and childcare services. We were awarded a Microsoft Community Award and a BT Community Award for our efforts in Information Technology and Broadband. We continued to run our successful brand of Mind Your Own Business Events, helping a total of 495 attendees in 2007. In September, the Trust held our 2nd Annual Celebration Garden Party, recognizing the amazing contributions that over 100 local women had made to our homes, schools, businesses and communities. 

IN 2008

2008 saw the Trust hold our 7th Annual Conference, again at the Walkers Stadium, this year entitled “It’s a Woman’s World: Don’t Waste It”. Taking on an environmental theme, we encouraged over 600 women, girls and men to learn about the small changes everyone can make that would have a big impact on our planet. The event offered delegates the opportunity to speak to environmental agencies and learn more about eco-issues, attend fun and informative interactive workshops, discover quick and easy ways to save money and become more energy efficient. We continued with this “green theme” throughout 2008 and in July and August went into local communities to run two pilot events in partnership with Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities (NLDC) called “Go Green, Save Money”. Broadcaster, Journalist and Environmental Consultant Penney Poyzer ran a series of fascinating workshops that offered handy hints and tips that delegates could use to save money – and energy - in the home. 2008 also saw over 1,700 attend Opening Doors to Jobs events. Ran in partnership with a consortium of organizations including SRB6 City Strategy, Job Centre Plus, Next Step and others, the events provided access to information, advice and guidance to help delegates access jobs, training and childcare in deprived areas. The Trust continued to go from strength to strength with a year round programme of events that included Mind Your Own Business events, SETting an Example, Fit and Fun Days and many more.