Welsh Women’s Aid and the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling (GEECS) at the University of South Wales are pleased to be exhibiting the Forty Voices, Forty Years project at The Welfare Hall, in Ystradgynlais from Tuesday 6th November until Thursday 22nd November.
Forty Voices, Forty Years is a heritage project[1] led by Welsh Women’s Aid in collaboration with the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling at the University of South Wales.
The project recognises that the voices of women who have been involved in the movement fighting to end violence against women in Wales, or personally affected by violence and abuse, are often written out of our national heritage.
In the 40th year of Welsh Women’s Aid, the project is capturing and preserving this often hidden history, ensuring that women’s memories, voices and lives can be heard in the form of inspiring digital stories.
We hope that this project will commemorate the work of these women over the past forty years, but also enhance understanding of the violence against women movement in Wales, highlight the strengths of women affected, and improve community knowledge of these types of abuse and our work to prevent it.
The exhibition enables members of the public to hear the remarkable stories of women who have accessed support, women who have dedicatedly run services for many years, and those who have campaigned for change including the first ever national coordinator, Jane Hutt AM.
Emily Underwood-Lee, Research Fellow from the George Ewart Centre for Storytelling says:
“We are delighted to be collaborating on this important exhibition. The stories we have collected paint a powerful picture of the women’s movement in Wales and help us to understand how some truly remarkable women have changed the world for the better. For too long women’s voices have been marginalised; with this exhibition we are able to make women’s voices heard and uncover the history of the struggle to end violence against women and girls. At the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling we believe that everyone has a story to tell and that listening to the stories of others, like those in this exhibition, creates understanding and celebrates our shared heritage.”
The exhibition is free for all to enter, and will be at The Welfare Hall from the 6th of November until the 22nd of November. The Welfare Hall will be opening the exhibition up to the general public on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 9am – 1pm, or alternatively you can ring the box office on 01639 843163. We encourage people to go and visit this important exhibition to view the hidden history of women across Wales.
[1] Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Awards for All and Hanfod Cymru