Our new branch has been announced!

Thank you so much to everyone who attended the WEP Leeds branch election. It was a great evening and we are thrilled to introduce you to the new Women’s Equality Party Leeds branch committee!

Alice White, Joint Campaigns Officer:

‘I've been volunteering with the Women's Equality Party in Leeds as a Communications Officer and have helped with press activity, social media and strategic partnerships. I would really like to broaden my knowledge of equality issues and play an active role in campaigning in future with WEP so I have decided to become a Campaigns Officer.’

Laura Wood, Joint Campaigns Officer:
‘I joined WEP last year and straight away started campaigning in the Shipley general election campaign. After this fantastic experience, I became the leader of the Leeds Branch. I’m very proud to continue on the branch with a different role and excited to continue working with all of the wonderful people in the party who work so hard to fight for equality.’

Caroline Hunt, Election Agent:

‘I've been involved with WEP for 18 months now.  I am the coordinator of the Northern Hub, trying to bring all the Northern branches of the Women's Equality Party together to work strategically and share best practice. However, Leeds is my home city and I love elections.  As such I've asked to stay on as election agent for the Leeds branch.  This means that when it comes to the local elections in 2019 I will organise our candidates and campaigns.  I believe we could stand up to four candidates in the local elections next year but for that to happen we need candidates to come forward.  Let me know if you are interested and we can start working together, the sooner the better!’

Jess Hankins, Community Officer:
"Hi I'm Jess, formerly Fundraising Officer for the Leeds branch and now in the newly-created role of Community Officer. I'm looking forward to finding ways to connect with local organisations that share our aims, working with local businesses who wish to support us, and finding ways to build our membership and grow the party locally."

Jenni Richards, Treasurer:

‘I am a new mum and will shortly be returning to my job in environment/health and safety. I joined the party last year and I have been looking for an opportunity to get more involved in the local branch ever since. I have held Treasurer positions in other groups I am involved with, so I feel this role is the best way I can help the branch.’

Su Edwards, Joint Data Manager:
‘I’ve enjoyed being joint data manager for the last 18 months. I have returned to active feminism after a 30-year quiet spell and it’s great fun to do politics differently!’

Fiona Heseltine, Joint Data Manager:
‘I wanted to get more involved with the Women's Equality Party as I am passionate about achieving equality in Leeds. I'm currently on maternity leave from my day job as a head receptionist and I chose the Data Manager position as I feel the skills I have learned through my job will help me to be an asset to the party in this role.’

Bethany Alice Barry, Ending Violence against Women and Girls Champion Officer:

‘I have been volunteering for the Leeds Women’s Equality Party as the Communications Officer for the last year. Taking a key role on the branch committee has been an amazing experience and I am now excited to start my new role, focusing on how we can help tackle violence against women and girls in Leeds.’

Jenny Manuel, Equality in Healthcare and Medical Research Champion Officer:
‘I am a 60-year-old retired GP. I worked in Chapeltown Leeds for the majority of my career, providing direct patient care and training new GPs. I amassed working knowledge of the health system and feel that my experience may be useful for the branch to tackle inequality in Healthcare and Medical Research.’’

Louise Jennings, Equal Education Champion Officer:

‘I was the WEP candidate for Headingley & Hyde Park in the 2018 local elections. This was a great experience and I would like to continue making a difference with the Leeds branch.  I work in STEM higher education and am a School Parent Governor at my son’s school, so I would like to use this experience to champion equality in education.’

Rachel Hawker Equal Media Treatment Champion Officer:

‘I am a PhD student, studying atmospheric modelling at the University of Leeds. I chose the Champion Officer for Equal Representation in Media role because I'm continually frustrated by both the under-representation and the biased portrayal of women in the media.’

We hope you are as excited as us to welcome the new branch officers!

As you can see, we still have several branch positions open. These include: Branch Leader, Communications Officer, Fundraising Officer, Equal Representation in Politics Champion Officer, Equal Pay and Opportunity Champion Officer and Equal Parenting and Caregiving Champion Officer.

Please get in touch if you are interested in finding out more about any of these roles by emailing [email protected]