International Women’s Day Festival at the OB promises to be a roaring success
CHRIS CONNELLEY
Hear Me Roar 2025 is a day-long community festival celebrating International Women’s Day and the many inspiring women and women-led organisations in our town.
Kin Choir at Hear Me Roar 2024
Organised by Women’s Voice Hastings, the event will be held at the Observer Building, with a full programme of talks, activities, workshops and performance.
It also features a variety of stalls from community organisations including A Touch of Gentleness, Black Butterfly, Oasis Project, and Hastings and Rother Rainbow Alliance.
Attendees will be able to participate in a range of activities, including embroidery and cross stitch with Stitch TLC, collaborative colouring with Afri Co Lab and badge-making with Arts on Prescription.
The festival also offers two free workshops focusing on empowerment and self-expression. Rise and Resist: Yoga for Empowerment is an inclusive yoga practice that cultivates courage and resilience through movement, breathwork and rest, whilst the Spoken Stories Poetry Writing Workshop with Naomi Wood and Marie will explore personal experiences and nurture creative voices in a fun and supportive environment.
Throughout the day, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from a diverse lineup of speakers, including representatives from UNISON, Trans Pride, and the Green Party.
Organisers are also promising a special guest, a film presentation from the Refugee Buddy Project and musical performances by violinist Sam Brown and KIN Choir, as well as a presentation by Claudine Eccleston about the Black Flower Seller.
Let it Roar 2025 runs from 11-5pm on Saturday March 8 at the Observer Building, 53 Cambridge Road, Hastings, TN34 1DT
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
It’s a shame that women who support women’s sex based rights and know that being a woman is more than just a feeling were not welcome at this event. East Sussex Women’s Rights Network contacted Hastings Women’s Voice to ask if we could have a stall to celebrate International Women’s Day. Sadly, our request was rejected as we are not sufficiently “inclusive” (we don’t include men in our definition of women).
However, East Sussex Women’s Rights Network did hold a successful street stall in Hastings town centre instead.
https://x.com/WRNEastSussex/status/1898379890337951820