IWD 2023- Honouring Inspirational Female Figures
(Main photo above: Nemone Mercer. Photo below: Sarah Wilson)
Written by Naimah Miah, Challenge:ELBA Project Manager
International Womens Day is a global day to celebrate the social, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year, we are honouring the achievements of some of our female community partners.
Meet Sarah Wilson, she has worked in adventure playgrounds for the past 10 – 12 years and within a year of managing Shakespeare Adventure Playground Association (SWAPA) she has made amazing progress.
“An adventure playground at its heart belongs to the children who use it. They are places for children to test themselves, be loud, be messy, be silly, be creative… all the stuff that kids excel in.”
Sarah’s inspiration comes from Marjory Allen, Lady Allen of Hurtwood who was a Landscape Architect and major advocate for children’s rights and play welfare. During Lady Allen’s travels in Copenhagen, she had visited the first ever adventure playground, Junkyard Playground. Allowing children to play with construction materials, such as rope, bricks, hammers and nails instead of traditional toys, allowed the children to organically play and develop creativity. Lady Allen, with the support of a lot of community action helped to establish many adventure playgrounds in the UK after the war, often on old bomb sites. Waste material from bombsites were turned into children’s toys. Now, decades later just like Lady Allen, we have Sarah advocating for play welfare through adventure playgrounds.
“She was advocating for children’s rights to be children, to be seen and heard and to make a mess and to do real things in the real world, to not be tucked in the corner. Thank you to Lady Allen for laying the foundations to these crazy adventure playgrounds.”
– Sarah
Another empowering woman that ELBA works with is Nemone Mercer, Core Landscapes Project Director; part of Core Arts a mental health charity and creative education centre. She has been running Core Landscapes, for almost 10 years steering and managing their movable meanwhile garden. Now based in Hackney, Core Landscapes transforms under-used green spaces to promote mental health for all and is currently developing a community-led gardening project which Nemone has designed. Before working in Core Arts, Nemone had been working in the TV and film industry for 20 years but has always had a passion for gardening. Since starting her work at Core Arts, she has been able to facilitate the creation of green spaces that enable people to feel safe and can be themselves, be accepted, be valued and give people an opportunity to be a part of something bigger which impacts not only themselves but the wider community. Core Arts provides quality education, training, employment and social enterprise initiatives that enable people who experience mental health issues to overcome barriers, fulfil their potential and participate fully in their community.
When asked who inspires Nemone, she mentioned Jiuliana Molinari, Deputy CEO of Core Arts. Juliana is a multi-tasking extraordinaire, working hard all while having an incredible sense of humour and compassion to everyone in need at the centre. Nemone shared that she also feels inspired by some of the older volunteers at Core Arts who have helped to dispel any preconceptions people have about old age. Seeing enthusiastic individuals with so much vitality and the same spirit as younger volunteers, not only allows for inter-generational discussions but inspirational figures to the project too.
Nemone’s advice for young women is:
“Do it anyway and ask for permission later! You’re not expected anything and don’t take no for an answer. Believe in yourself, be kind and learn how to look after yourself both mentally and physically.”
Women continue to inspire us with their strength and determination, who inspires you?
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