medway womens history month – The Net Community Hub

Saturday 22nd March from 1pm-2pm (as part of Brainstormz!). Doors open 12.15pm. You can book tickets here.

The Net Community Hub plays host to three extraordinary women, who, in spite of the difficulties they face, make the lives of Medway residents so much richer.

Sue Bulpin, Sam Rapp and Kate Belmonte are in conversation on Saturday, March 22nd at the Net Community Hub from 1pm.

Sue lives with Functional Neurological Disorder and, as she put it “hit a wall” at weekends. Volunteering since she was forced to give up work due to her condition, Sue kept herself busy all week but found herself losing energy at the weekends.

Thus Brainstormz! was born. Beginning at the Hub on Saturday afternoons and now expanded to Rainham Healthy Living Centre on a Monday, Sue has engaged many people with neurological conditions, and was rewarded with being a Pride in Medway finalist in 2022, MVA’s Volunteer of the Year in 2023, and being chosen as one of only 500 Royal Voluntary Service’s Coronation Champions, also in 2023.

Sam Rapp, the Dyslexic Poet, is a lawyer by trade and if that wasn’t impressive enough in itself, she has been a stalwart of Medway’s creative writing scene for many years. She has performed as The Dyslexic Poet in the UK and internationally, and has won awards for her poetry and plays. She runs many creative writing workshops under the banner of Fun With Words Productions, dedicated to making writing fun for all abilities.

Sam is chair of Dyslexia House Association, Medway and Co-Chair of the disabled staff network for legal services in the public sector. She writes a regular blog for Dyslexia Scotland and has published her first book Rant Dyslexic Me.

Kate Belmonte co-founded and is the director of an award winning local non-profit social enterprise, the Mutual Aid Road Reps, which was created in 2020 to combat loneliness and isolation across the Medway Towns during the pandemic. It continues to expand, offering essential services such as befriending, shop and drops and taking people to appointments.

Self employed since 2007, Kate ran a sign company before specialising in graphic design and website building. She has worked with and for small businesses across the Medway. A keen environmentalist, she has campaigned to protect our green spaces and agricultural land in Rainham, Twydall and on the Hoo Peninsula, and stood as the Green Party candidate in Gillingham and Rainham at the last general election.

We’re honoured to host Sue, Sam and Kate. The event is free, and tea and coffee will be available for a suggested £1 donation. If you have difficulty due to mobility or finance issues attending the hub, please contact Jaye at: community@waldersladehub.org as there is a travel bursary available to people living in Medway.

For the full programme, visit here.

We look forward to seeing you.

Saturday 22nd March 11am-12noon. Doors open 10.15am for refreshments. Tickets can be booked here.

Jennifer Godfrey talks to former Chatham and Aylesford MP, Dame Tracey Crouch, DBE, and current Gillingham and Rainham MP, Naushabah Khan, about the rise of female representation in parliament and what struggles they still faced in the 21st Century, drawing comparisons between them and the early female pioneers.

Jennifer Godfrey lives in West Kent with her husband, two children and dog. She is the author of two non-fiction books, published by Pen & Sword Ltd, entitled ‘Suffragettes of Kent’ and ‘Secret Missions of the Suffragettes – Glass breakers and Safe Houses’. She is currently researching and writing her third book, also about women’s suffrage. Jennifer has enjoyed writing stories since she was a young child and over the years has been involved in many writing courses, groups and projects.

Dame Tracey Crouch DBE was MP for Chatham and Aylesford for 14 years, 2010-2024. Within that time, Tracey held various posts, including Minister for Sport, Civil Society and Loneliness in 2017. She took a principled stand over the delay to introduce reduced limits on the stakes of fixed odds betting terminals, and resigned the post in 2018.

With a particular focus on older people, Tracey was responsible for implementing the Loneliness Strategy, and held regular Over 55s fairs, where the public could meet service providers and see what was available to them. She said: “From a Member of Parliament perspective you see so many people in the community when they reach crisis point and sadly, they’re not necessarily aware of some of the activities that are out there for them which may have prevented them getting to that crisis point.” Tracey is also the Patron of The Net Community Hub.

Naushabah Khan has been the MP Gillingham and Rainham since July
2024, after serving for a decade as a Medway Councillor. She proudly identifies as a feminist and previously served as a trustee for the Fawcett Society, a leading charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights. Naushabah has been consistently vocal on issues affecting women, particularly those from diverse communities.

Her commitment to amplifying these voices and addressing systemic inequalities has been a driving force throughout her political career. In Parliament, Naushabah continues to champion policies that promote equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring that the concerns of underrepresented communities are brought to the forefront of political discourse.

Get their early for this fascinating discussion. The event is free, although there is a donation ticket. Tea and coffee will be available for a suggested £1 donation. If you have difficulty due to mobility or finance issues attending the hub, please contact Jaye at: community@waldersladehub.org as there is a travel bursary available.

For the full programme, visit here.

We look forward to seeing you.

Tag: medway womens history month

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