Think you know about issues affecting women today? Read on for a review of the Feminism In London Conference 2014

'I really like hardened milk but could we just not refer to it as cheese?' Yes I have said this, well not quite these words, but something very similar. I think my exact words were 'I am not a feminist but I do believe in equality' I can't take credit for the cheese comparison as this was far more succinctly put by event host, comedian and activist Kate Smurthwaite at the 'Feminism in London' conference MNH was invited to attend last weekend. Any stigma that I had attached to the word feminism was about to be blown apart by a day of starkly informative and impassioned talks covering a diverse range of subjects. I came away in a daze with easily enough material for a plethora of blog posts. So to do this experience justice and not just present you with a shopping list of topics, I have cherry picked just some of the amazing issues that were raised.

Comedian and activist Kate Smurthwaite opening the conference

  

The conference began with a dedication to the counting dead women campaign, with projected images of women who had died as a result of male violence, including a photo of 15 year old Shareka Marsh, shot by her boyfriend in Hackney 6 months ago. I have long been aware of the atrocious statistic that 2 women die a week as a result of domestic violence and to actually put faces to these women was chilling reminder that more action was needed to put an end to this suppressed and needless killing. After a rousing speech by Annette Lawson, Chair of the National Alliance of Women's Organisations, highlighting the ridiculousness of the fear surrounding the word ‘feminism’, we were then given an incredible talk by anti-pornography activist Dr Gail Dines. So, Porn on the internet - something I know is there but haven't ever investigated and always assumed that, unless you are willing to pay, it was meagre pickings. Being shown what, in a few years time, my own sons could easily access for free in approximately 10 seconds via google was sickening. I had no idea that nowadays you could no longer put porn into boxes marked 'soft' and 'hard' and then stow them away neatly: soft living on the newsagent top shelf; and hard away in a locked box under the counter of one of those 'adult' shops, only obtainable by bribing a shifty looking shop assistant. If you would like to view soft porn now then I give you 3 words, 'Game of Thrones' and the hard stuff is located on your internet search engine. This easily accessible, sexual objectification of women, portraying degradation, aggression and violence and packaged as ‘what men really want’ makes up 36% of the internet and is defining the sexual template of boys as young as 11. A UK campaign to challenge the effects of uncensored pornography has now been launched - Resist Porn Culture needs your support now. If you have a moment do take a look at one of Gail’s lectures on her website - click here. 

Just one of the amazing campaigns attending the conference  - Mothers at home matter

 This was then followed by a discussion chaired by research psychologist and journalist Clare Dolman, about the pressures on modern mothers to be ‘super mum’ and how this is permeated by the general lack of pregnancy and post natal mental support for mothers. In London alone only a quarter of the services required to provide mental health support are currently in place. Obstetrician Dr Susan Bewley then discussed the massive impact on women’s health caused by domestic violence, which in the UK affects 24% of women (versus Japan 17% or Ethiopia 71%). Women are 40% more likely then men in the UK to develop mental health issues and 75% more likely to report issues with depression. Probably two of the most thought provoking questions for me that were asked were ‘what is your image of an ideal mum?’ followed by 'what is your child’s image of an ideal mum?’, put forward by Dr Susan Pawlby who also highlighted the lack of support for pregnant women. Pawlby’s research also describes the impact of stress on an unborn child and is campaigning for mother’s maternity leave to have a compulsory start date of a month prior to giving birth, which is already in place in Germany. For more information about Dr Susan Pawlby’s research click here.  

The next talk was by Francis Scott, founder of the 50:50 Parliament campaign, currently petitioning for a debate to get better gender balance in parliament. The figures speak for themselves, women make up 51% of the UK population and yet men make up 77% of parliament. Currently there are just 147 women in parliament compared to 503 men. There are many factors that compromise women getting into politics, including the fact women are still paid nearly 20% less than men and that female MPs experience 50% more media intrusion than their male colleagues. Interestingly, 40% of the female population of the UK are mothers and yet only 12% of female MPs are mothers, even though the average age of a female politician is 50. There are numerous ideas that could create more political, and therefore constitutional, equality proposed by Francis and her team, including mandatory male and female representatives sharing one political seat or quite simply positive discrimination. If you would like to sign this petition please click here. Francis was incredibly impressive and when asked if she would consider going into politics and she responded that she would happily if 178 female MPs walked into parliament with her.

The day’s talks were concluded with the presentation of the Emma Humphrey’s memorial prize, recognising women who work against male violence. The nominees included an individual and group prize for some incredible and inspirational women and organisations - too many to list here but for more information about the nominees and  who Emma Humphreys was please click here. Their immense courage shown by these people who had fought through  unspeakably horrific circumstances was utterly incredible.

There was so much more, I haven’t even touched on the other campaigners that were present - No more page 3, The Feminist Library, Million women rise to name just 3 of so many. Possibly one of the most shocking statistics of the day was that more women die as a result of trafficking than war, cancer and incarceration combined. However, I’ll finish with my favourite quotes of the day from Dr Gail Dines, which I have paraphrased slightly: ‘Beyonce will be a feminist when she is the one fully clothed next to a naked JayZ'. You heard it here first - when it comes to success in feminism - get dressed. 

There’s a shard of fright at London’s newest iconic landmark this Halloween

Don't panic! Please remain calm, yes we know it looks like the Shard has been taken over by giant web weaving spiders but if that really were the case do you think Mumsnet Hackney would have paused for a photo? Not a chance. However, we are very pleased to have been invited to the Shard by Cadbury this afternoon, who are really getting into the freaky Halloween festivities with their spooky spider and web installation on the top floor. 

Look out for Mumsnet Hackney's tweets on this @MumsnetHackney

The Shard is not an obvious choice of outing for me as I have always thought it somewhere to take my 2 boys when they’re a bit older (they are 2 and 4) However, I have to say watching them squeal with delight over the incredible birdseye views of railways, trains and boats made for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and that was before we’d even ascended to the 72nd floor to find the giant spiders. 

This will be here for one day only so if you’re at a loose end tomorrow and the good weather forecast should make for some spectacular views of London, this is definitely worth a visit. To book tickets click HERE

MUMSNET HACKNEY received free tickets to this event in exchange for an honestly spooky review

A yummy product review of Mr Organic Pasta sauces

I don’t mind admitting that pasta sauce is something generally that does not appear on my shopping list for a specific reason, my partner is Italian and therefore pasta sauce out of a jar is classed as blasphemy in our household. So what exactly was my logic on agreeing to test a product that I wouldn’t usually buy let alone feed my children? Well as a self nominated pasta sauce expert, i felt this mindset meant I was very well placed to give an impartial review and try something new. 

The timing of the arrival of the box of sauces couldn’t have been better, it was a frayed Friday afternoon when I was exhausted and completely lacking in culinary inspiration or organisation, so it was without snobbery I gratefully cracked open a jar. 

Before I talk about flavours etc the first thing I always look for on the labels of food my children are the sugar and salt content. Having spent 3 months of this year on Sarah Wilson’s 'I quit sugar' detox I am now extremely mindful of sugar levels in both mine and my children’s food. All the information I was looking for was easily found on the jar labels as all the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information were clearly described. All of the products I was given, bar the ketchup, contained zero sugar and were all suitable for vegans, vegetarians and were also gluten free. This was a good start. 

Our first sample was the Veg A'more Tofu: ‘A delicious pasta sauce with Tofu, sweet red peppers and sun ripened tomatoes’ I don’t usually give my children Tofu so was interested to see what they would make of it. They cleaned their plates. It’s quite a roughly textured sauce with a beautifully deep, rich flavour from the peppers and tomatoes. I have to say that this is something I would buy again to keep in the cupboard as not only did it taste great it offers something I wouldn’t usually prepare for my family.  The next pasta based meal we tried was the Authentic Italian bolognese sauce ‘sun ripened tomato, fresh onion and mediterranean herb sauce’. Again, this was nice and my children happily tucked in. In particular what I liked was the freshness of the flavour which is the one thing I’ve thought would be difficult to find in jar. If this was something that I didn’t make myself for a fraction of the cost (these retail between £1.99 and £2.30 a jar) then I certainly would consider buying it for both taste and good quality, organic ingredients. The last sauce to try was the 'Authentic Italian Basilico: sun ripened tomato and fresh basil sauce’. As a basil junkie my high hopes for this were certainly upheld as it did not disappoint on flavour nor was it overpowering. Again this is one that I would consider buying as again it offered something a little different to my own sauce creations. 

The product I found the most disappointing was the ketchup (£2.49 a bottle). This is absolutely a product which, based on the packaging alone, I would buy, as it contains a gram less per serving of sugar, compared to Heinz. However, I felt it didn’t deliver on flavour and had an almost grainy texture that I found distinctly unappealing. 

The star products in my view though, were the basil and sun-dried tomato pestos (£2.99 a jar). This is a product that I do buy, as I rarely have the motivation to make my own because quite simply I am the only person in our house who eats it however to my complete shock, both my kids really enjoyed the sundried tomato pesto. What also really impressed me were the ingredients. My usual brand of Italian pesto contains a long ingredients list including a variety of chemicals, cheese and sugar however Mr Organic contained just 6 ingredients and is both sugar and dairy free. This is definitely a product you will be finding in my cupboards.

So, while I would never advocate shop bought over home made I don’t have a time machine that facilitates me being able to create everything I feed my family from scratch, so bearing this in mind I would buy some of the jars of sauce as my plan B and will be replacing my pesto purchases with Mr Organic from here in. What’s great about these products? They are good quality with organic ingredients produced in the UK giving you automatic air mile brownie points and the packaging is clear and easy to read. If you are catering for a specific diet or an intolerance these will certainly be your friend. Unless you shop at Ocado, Budgens or smaller niche health food stockists you might be hard pushed to find them on your shop shelf, but of course they are all available online. 

So there you have it, a pasta sauce review - in a pine-nut shell. Mumsnet Hackney was given a selection of sauces to try free of charge, in exchange for an honest review 

Putting the silly into Dalston - A children's theatre review.

The 'toss the beanbag' stall

Who would have thought that in the heart of Dalston lies the concealed rural village of Silliton, where they are in permanent state of May Day celebrations. You will be lead to the bunting adorned village green by singing Morris dancers (with a distinctly West Country twang) and invited to play ‘toss the bean bag’, ‘splat the rat’ or find out if the raffle ticket you’ve been issued with on arrival wins you a prize, all whilst being serenaded by harmonised folk song. Yes, I think we can definitely say so far the children’s production at the Arcola Theatre of ‘The 3 Sillies’ started off with a bang - or should we say splat. 

This tale of love and potential heart break begins with our hero announcing he is unable to marry his love Rose because, after an incident in the cellar involving a mallet, she and her family are just too silly and so he sets himself a challenge whereby he must travel the earth and discover at least 3 people who he deems sillier before he will consider returning to take Rose’s hand.

So he travels the winding roads of England, the year is 1914 and he quickly discovers numerous acts of completely hysterical silliness with intermittent and brilliantly subtle intimations of the onset of the first world war. A delightful twist is the silliest, silly of all, when our hero travels to France and witnesses the needless mass loss of life. How do you portray the corpse-littered battlefields of Europe tastefully without distress to little ones whilst maintaining warmth and more importantly fun? Watch this production as this was seamlessly achieved. 

Welcome to bunting land!

In this show there was no formal stage and instead the cast with their puppets and musical instruments mingled with the audience seated on the astroturf green. My sons, aged 2 and 4 were captivated especially when some of their ad libs were even adopted into the script by the cast. This was a genuinely enjoyable and charmingly heartwarming production. It is a rare thing indeed that will capture my children’s concentration span past its official expiry time of about half an hour but they loved every minute - all 60 of them! I don’t usually see the ending of most theatre shows as I have invariably had to defect half way through in the name of entertaining my restless children however, this was not the case today. THE THREE SILLIES is being staged at Arcola Theatre as the theatre’s contribution to the National Family Arts Festival in October half term 2014. If you want a morning or an afternoon of thoroughly enjoyable silliness get your tickets here as the village of Silliton is well worth visiting! 

Mumsnet Hackney received a free ticket to the is event in exchange for an honest review. 

WARNING: This review may cause you to reinstate your soap dish

So Mumsnet Hackney was very fortunate indeed to receive a bundle of goodies from the Maldon Soap company, in exchange for an honest review. I had quite forgotten about the humble bar of soap, having long been converted to liquid hand soap and shower gel, probably since leaving University.. too long ago then I care to mention. Soap is surely something that’s just one of those items that in a few years time our children will see in books or programs about the 80s which they’ll point and laugh at right? Well, after languishing in numerous long baths all in the name of ensuring I gave a fully informed review (yes it was tough), I expected to come out of this experience with confirmation of soap’s fall from fashion and probably considerably drier skin, so I am pleased to say I was proved very wrong indeed. Actually my first thought was one of dismay as I realised I would need to invest in a soap dish!

A little further information about The Maldon Soap Company taken from their website ‘All of our soaps, shampoos and cosmetic products are handmade using only the finest ingredients, locally sourced wherever possible. We use Maldon Sea Salt and Maldon Honey in some of our products. We use pure aromatherapy quality essential oils so you can be sure that each product will be beneficial for your skin, hair and wellbeing.  We do not use palm oil, parabens, SLS or other nasties, nor do we add extra foaming agent to our cold process soaps. We use vegetable glycerine from palm free sources and nothing we use has ever been tested on animals.

  

I have to say it was a pleasure to test all of the soap and cream pots I was sent, however there were some that were exceptional so what can be more ideal at a time of year when skin is prone to being dry and the subtle hinting of ideas for Christmas commences I thought I would give you my top 5, all neatly linked should you wish to click on their names to find out more or maybe just treat yourself to one or two:

5)  Skin saving balm - beautifully creamy balm with tones of citrus and lavender. Sweet tasting but possibly a little too acidic to be a lip balm but perfect for dry hands and elbows. I also used this on some dry patches on my face, another perennial symptom of the onset of autumn which I usually find can only be resolved by Nivea lip balm and this stuff worked a treat!

4)  Glycerin and lavender hand cream - texture of a lip balm, wonderfully calming scent and just lovely on washing-up liquid addled hands

3)  Parma violet soap - Did I say soap belonged in the 80s? Well this particular soap will take you back there with it’s retro aroma that really does smell like parma violets. It’s positively glorious and it’s rich lather leaves your skin both cleansed and moisturised.  

2)   Coconut and oat soap. My favourite soap of all in terms of scent, lather and beautifully soft outcome despite being roughly textured. I felt like I’d not only washed my hands but also used a moisturiser! This has replaced my kitchen liquid hand soap

1)  Minty scrubby foot gel. Ok so I’m not sure I’ve ever used any kind of foot scrub in the past but this I can genuinely say this stuff is amazing. I never thought I would use the word invigorated to describe my toes but that’s certainly how they felt after using this. Give your feet a treat, this stuff is magic. 

From this there is only one thing I can deduce - the soap shaped hole in my life is now most certainly filled. 

Mumsnet Hackney was given a selection of Maldon Soap Products in exchange for an honest review. 

Have you heard of Urban Escrima? Matt Damon has...

It’s never easy talking about a time you got yourself in a sticky situation, where you couldn't defend yourself and ended up feeling more vulnerable than you ever thought possible. Open territory for the taking was how I was left feeling several years ago, after an unfortunate incident in a night club with a man who seemed to think I was his property. At the time there was physically nothing I could have done to escape him and had it not been for several people realising what was happening and their swift intervention, it could have gone a lot differently and I might not have just come out of it with a few bruises. So it was with some cynicism that I attended a self defence class for women a few weeks back at the Urban Escrima Studios at London Fields. I felt that I had been there, done it and it didn’t work. What could I possibly be taught in a couple of hours that would change my rather dim outlook on self defence? Luckily, as it turns out, quite a lot. 

Never before had I encountered the martial art of Escrima. It originated in the Philippines and was made famous as Matt Damon’s weapon of choice in the Jason Bourne films. Urban Escrima’s studio is located inside one of the railway arches next to London Fields station and for a self defence gym it had a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

After a quick ‘warm up’ sparring session, which basically involved me lamely waving my hands in front of my face, we then discussed what can sometimes prompt unwanted attention i.e. the appearance of vulnerability, be it walking around somewhere looking lost or, something I certainly do on a regular basis, walking whilst looking at your phone. I found this refreshing as have had previous suggestions made that by wearing a skirt you are essentially ‘asking for it’, however the acutely sensible idea of paying attention to your surroundings was embarrassingly something that had never really dawned on me. 

At this point I must re-iterate the most important message that was communicated in this class (which I know might be a little like me telling you to always read the instructions) is that your first course of action in any threatening situation, should it be available to you, is escape. If it means losing your phone or another personal item it is nothing compared to the value of your safety and this should always be your priority. 

Another screamingly valid point that I had never considered before was the concept of giving yourself permission to defend yourself.  Where am I going with this? I am a pacifist who's only experience of live combat is some sharp elbow action at the january sales, so the thought of actually defending myself by actively fighting back, even bearing in mind my past experience, has never been on my spectrum. What if I surprise myself and really hurt someone was just one of the thoughts whilst I had flapped around in the opening sparring session and I wasn’t the only one to feel this way. So we were given the scenario of having to defend someone close to us. Immediately the thought of having to defend my children is a no brainer, I would be straight in there with as much feisty rage as I could muster and I was able to project that protectiveness onto myself. Feeling a little more confident with the idea of personal defence we were then shown the weapons, which at first I hilariously thought were just some blunted knives next to the spilt contents of a lady’s handbag. However, we were then shown how things like a hairbrush, phone or even mascara could be used as a weapon, if the situation arose. 

After lots of sparring with various cosmetic items, which was great fun and also a brilliant workout, we then discussed the effectiveness of traditional self defence moves. There were other women, who like me, had found themselves on the wrong side of someone far stronger than them. Our instructors were pragmatic about the fact that if someone is stronger than you there is no magic move that will get you away, hence arming yourself to use whatever is available at that moment is your best hope of self defence. 

A group shot of all the participants at the end of the class (I'm the one looking exhausted, in stripes)

I was worried that doing something like this would be scaremongering and make me feel more vulnerable or I would go the other way and be gunning for a fight. However, I can honestly say that I left Urban Escrima feeling more confident and self assured and would heartily recommend this to anyone who either would like to build their confidence or have a laugh and meet some lovely new people. Please click HERE for details about the next Urban Escrima Studios and the next Ladies' Self Defence Workshops 

MUMSNET HACKNEY RECEIVED A FREE INVITATION TO THIS CLASS IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. 

Park (new) Life!

The new and improved West Hackney Recreation certainly isn't short of seating

 This isn’t the first time Mumsnet Hackney has championed Hackney’s parks. I don’t mind admitting, however, that I never thought my park of the hour would be West Hackney Recreation Ground, despite it being my most local of Hackney’s 57 green spaces. In my experience this particular park has only ever been populated by flocks of seagulls and those who enjoy daytime drinking, thus ensuring my continued and rather begrudging avoidance. So to suddenly see it closed for refurbishment (as the result of receiving a lottery grant) with the appointment of a new park keeper and a re-opening party set for this weekend had me buzzing with excitement, coupled with some apprehension. After all, surely no amount of money can change a park's inhabitants. 

One of 2 new mini play areas at each end of the park

The origins of this 1 hectare of land is that it was formerly the graveyard of St Paul's Church, which explains the, now gleaming white, tombstones that surround it on 3 sides. The site was recently awarded £670k Lottery grant to fund major improvements to both the Recreation Ground and the area surrounding the church. St Paul’s Church provides not only a place of worship and Church Hall facilities, but it hosts the vibrant Stoke Newington Farmers’ market every Saturday and also provides a venue for North London Action for Homeless, offering twice weekly sit down meals for the local homeless community. So it seems fitting that this essential community hub receives a well earned makeover, courtesy of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Labyrinth 

I caught up with newly appointed park keeper Sam Silverlock, for a tour of the array of newly constructed features and also find out what brought him to this exciting new project. Sam, a Stoke Newington local, previously worked in Ecotheraphy, providing counselling and rehabilitation through working with and cultivating the Earth and has firm ideas about the purpose of this new green space. Specifically, he wants to make sure that people using the space will have fun, be able to socialise and make friends and create not only a developed space for people to use, but a haven for wildlife also. These attributes the park now boasts that will promote all of these aims include 2 mini play areas (a slide, stepping stones and wobble boards) a stone labyrinth, which is like a maze but drawn out in stone on the ground, an entire circle of park benches (pictured above), an outdoor mini gym and an ecological meadow. The Police have also pledged to address anyone using the park for less desirable pursuits by including the area in their regular patrols.

Here I will be completing 50 daily chin ups

The re-opening party this week with the Rt Revd Adrian Newman, Bishop of Stepney and Hackney Mayor Jules Pipe, among others due to attend, should hopefully be the first of many events set to take place in the park. Already the church has created a fantastic archive of local stories (click HERE for more info) and are keen to recruit anyone who’s interested in researching the history of people’s grave stones surrounding the park. So if you’re looking to get involved in fresh exciting local project or just looking for somewhere to host a picnic then do pop along and if the weather doesn’t hold the Church offers free gazebo hire. You can’t say fairer than that.  For more information about this Saturday's re-opening   party just click HERE.