March against the loss of jobs and vital services for women

For immediate use: 22 February 2005

The Women’s Policy Forum has organised a march tomorrow to protest against funding cuts which are creating a crisis in the women’s sector.

Belfast Women’s Training Services, for example, will be closing its doors on 31 March 2005. BWTS has delivered training, support services and free childcare for eleven years to more than 2,000 students. Those services will be lost to our community and eight members of staff will lose their livelihoods.

The meeting point for the march is in front of Havelock House (UTV), Ormeau Road at 12.00 noon on Wednesday 23 February 2005, finishing at the Department for Social Development (Voluntary and Community Unit) in the Gasworks.

Marchers will hand over a letter voicing concerns about the lack of funding for the women’s sector and asking for:

the recommendations of the Taskforce on Resourcing the Voluntary and Community Sector to be implemented as a matter of urgency; the Executive Programme Funds to be extended; and the proper implementation of funding schemes such as Neighbourhood Renewal.

Anne O’Reilly, Chair of the Women’s Policy Forum, said: “The women’s sector provides frontline services, works tirelessly within the community for equality and social inclusion and is at the forefront of building peace and reconciliation – work that is at the core of government policy .

“When can we expect to move from the crisis funding that means the loss of jobs and services to the long-term funding promised by the Taskforce ?”

Footprints Women’s Centre has stated that if critical funding is lost: “The vulnerable and isolated will be pushed further to the margins and our shared vision of an inclusive society with equal access across all sections of the community will become more remote and will undermine the peace process that we have all embraced .”

We are asking all women from the voluntary and community sector and supporters to attend.

Notes to editors

The Taskforce recommended that a fund of up to £25 million per year should be created to award core funding to voluntary and community groups for community development work.

The Women’s Policy Forum is facilitated by NICVA and represents women’s groups throughout Northern Ireland. For more information please contact Zoë Anderson at zoe.anderson@nicva.org , 028 9087 7777 or Paul McGill at paul.mcgill@nicva.org , 028 9087 7777 or mobile: 07721 746805.