Knowle Townswomen’s Guild
What will catch your eye when you look at our tree is the colour scheme of red, white and green. These colours were first used by the “National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies” (NUWSS) who campaigned for, and won, the right for women to vote. Red symbolised courage, white represented faith and green was the symbol of hope. When (some) women were finally given the franchise in 1929 the NUWSS evolved in to the Townswomen’s Guild (TG) whose mission “is to continue empowering all women to make their own lives, and those of others, better.” To celebrate our organization's 90th birthday the tree is festooned with rosettes.
Our Knit and Natter group has been running for many years and its members have designed and decorated the tree .Did you notice the teddy bears in the TG colours? They represent the many hundreds of teddies, knitted by the Guild and their friends, which were given to Avon Fire and Rescue. These” trauma teddies” are given to children who find themselves in need of the fire service and help to relieve anxiety
Since its inception TG has been a campaigning organization and has tackled issues such as enforcing and expanding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) legislation and the banning of gambling advertising.
Alongside all this worthy and serious work we are described on our websitehttps://www.the-tg.com/ as “a social group for women” and we meet together in Guilds, usually once a month, to have FUN!
Prior to the pandemic Knowle Guild met on the first Tuesday of the month at Redcatch Community centre. We would have talks from a variety of speakers followed by a time to drink tea and socialize. Outside of the Guild meeting members had the opportunity to join a variety of activities such as coffee mornings, a book club, a knit and natter group, plus theatre visits and outings. Old friendships have been sustained and new friendships forged. Life will return to normal one day!
During this time of lockdown, with many of our members vulnerable and shielding, our Guild has never been more important to us. We have kept in touch by telephone, email, Facebook and on Zoom. When the regulations allowed we have met in groups of six at the Redcatch Community Garden. The National Townswomen’s Guild has organized many online activities from quizzes to a pantomime and meeting up (virtually) with members from around the country has been an enriching experience.
We hope you will enjoy looking at our photos and you would be very welcome to join us.
TG provides the opportunity for women everywhere to find support, encouragement, friendship and fun!
Find Knowle Townswomen’s Guild on Facebook.
