It’s been a while since we last posted anything, but the Hackney Wicked Women are still going strong, in fact we are having our best membership year ever with nearly 40 members joining before we’ve even had our first meeting of the new membership year (which confusingly is now in April)!
We’ve been so busy having fun and welcoming members new and old that we’ve neglected our blog a bit, but it’s always nice to have something to look back on to remind us of all the things we’ve been up to, so here’s a quick rundown of what’s been happening in the HWW WI world…
December – Now it’s spring it feels weird to be going back in time to Christmas 2022 when we had our final meeting of the year with a casual session of Christmas card making (and mulled wine drinking!). We were too busy chatting and enjoying some festive beverages to take any photos, so you will just have to believe it when I say we made some INCREDIBLE sprout prints, as well as some fabulous foiled stamped cards and a various glittery delights!
January – we embarked on a bit of visible mending/decorative embroidery with committee members Nora and Chloe. After a quick intro into the basic techniques everyone was let loose with needles and thread, to see if they could lengthen the life of some slightly worn garments…
February – for our vaguely Valetine’s-themed meeting this month we tried our hands at some feminist origami with Emily from Femigami, who, despite some serious WIFI issues (ours, not hers!), managed to teach us all how to make some fabulous origami – ranging from little envelopes for empowering notes, to vulvas (with added glitter and design) and penises.
After a bit of background to what the Fawcett Society do, they led a wonderfully raucous session of feminist bingo (no “two fat ladies” and more facts about powerful women). With prizes generously donated by Yardsale pizza, Genesis and Hackney Picturehouse cinemas, Shoreditch nails, Galentines and Labour and Wait, we also raised over £300 for Bloody Good Period to support in their mission to provide period products to those who can’t afford them and provide reproductive health education to those less likely to access it.
March – this month we were joined by Fawcett East London, a group of volunteers joining forces to promote the Fawcett Society’s vision in East London: Creating a society in which women and girls in all their diversity are equal and truly free to fulfil their potential, creating a stronger, happier, better future for us all.
Yes, I only took one photo. And yes, I’m a bit OCD when it comes to colouring in my bingo card.
April – we started the new membership year with an overwhelming number of members, both new and old, after the speediest AGM ever (President Sophie wasn’t messing around) we were so excited to welcome Amarachi Clarke from Lucocoa, London’s first Bean to Bar chocolate maker. She talked us through how she first came up with the idea for her business, starting in the spare room of her Hackney flat all the way up to her current operation in a proper factory in Bermondsey. In order to avoid the child and slave labour still prevalent in many cocoa-growing farms, Lucocoa does things differently and ensures their cocoa growers are properly paid and work in decent conditions.
After learning a bit about her chocolate, we moved on to the bit we were all waiting for – tasting the chocolate! We tried four different bars, with varying levels of cocoa (including a “blonde” bar – the equivalent of white chocolate). There is even a tea made out of the leftover cocoa husks, which Treasurer Chloe may have taken the sample tin of home…