What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 than by speaking to the co-founder of Facebook group Welwyn Hafield Women - Cllr Lucy Musk?

Lucy and Fiona Norman set up the group in response to the tragic death of Sarah Everard, which saw various women within the Welwyn Hatfield area contacting them with concerns about their safety.

The group is a safe space for women and men who take women’s safety seriously. Women are able to open up and discuss issues of concern, feel good stories, motivational quotes, women’s history, and anything else that makes them feel safe and empowered.

“If you are feeling down or a little bit lonely, especially as a woman, and don’t have time to socialise, it’s just a space for women to see what’s going on within the borough, a place to make friends and expand your social circle, but at the same time, if people are feeling at risk, they can come and share, give advice, listen and have some friendly banter as well,” Lucy said.

The group of women also walk the talk and take part in protests and marches to show their support.

Lucy explained: “A group of us did protest outside Welwyn Hatfield Police Station when it became apparent that Sarah Everard had been murdered by a certain police officer, and we heard more and more reports of police officers causing significant harm and damage to women. We just wanted our voice to be heard as we are in solidarity with all these women."

She has also brought up the issue of women’s safety to the borough council multiple times in her role as a councillor and liaise with women in similar positions at the county council who do the same. They are asking for more safety procedures to be put in place for women, such as brighter street lights, to make them feel safer.

Lucy believes that having a platform for the women to voice their concerns is extremely important.

“We have always needed a platform to speak, whether it’s the Suffragettes fighting for our right to vote back in the 1900s, or right now. We seem to have women silenced constantly. All across the world, women become victims of men's war machines. So even if it is just something that would make a woman smile after having done a day’s work, or doing the housework, or looking after the kids, giving them something to laugh about, it is important.”

Speaking about International Women’s Day, Lucy said that one of her greatest achievements as a woman was getting into politics in a male-dominated field.

But most importantly that she has not been silenced and stood up against somebody who had harassed her and lent her voice and platform for other people, giving them the strength to also come forward and feel that they are heard and things are being done for them.

“Men are making decisions and women are being impacted by those decision. So, it is important to have a voice and not be quiet. In the run up to International Women’s Day, we talk about it, and after that it gets forgotten again, so those cuts will still be there, and the danger will still be there, but we won’t talk about it because it’s not on anybody’s agenda.

“There are so many women that need to be celebrated, whether it’s bringing life into this world or being someone like Eleanor Roosevelt. It is important to celebrate women, but also hear women, in what we are doing and what we are going through, and act on it as well.”

To join Welwyn Hatfield Women and find out more about their work in the local community, visit facebook.com/groups/150281760210189/ or search for 'Welwyn Hatfield Women' on FB.