In the club area before the meeting, there was a distinct
buzz as members old and new filtered in, catching up after Christmas, tucking
into homemade cake and poring over our snazzy new programmes! We’ve been at
our venue Electric Works for a whole year now so it brought a smile to my face
to see new members getting excited about their first ever go on the helter
skelter!
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| Chella shows off her committee rosette and our new programme |
Then it was into the conference room for the meeting, where SHWI
president Lindsay gave an introduction to Seven Hills for those new to the
group. There was lots of exciting news to share – spin-off group
events, the Sheffield Food Festival in May and a welcome meeting arranged
just for newbies on 4th February. Members were also reminded that
they could nominate
a charity for us to support this year which we’ll be voting on at
February’s meeting.
Getting 2014 off to an arresting start (geddit?), our
speakers for the evening were Chief Superintendent Rachel Barber and Chief
Inspector Caroline Rollitt from South Yorkshire Police. Both have acquired
their own notoriety locally, after taking part in charity stand-up challenge,
Funny Business, in aid of Weston Park Cancer Charity. A few gags even made it
into their talk, showing that they can crack jokes as well as crime. (Thankfully,
their jokes were were better than mine).
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| Members listen intently |
Both started in the police force in the late 1980s and
shared how they had handled being a woman in a male-dominated environment. The indelible
description of Rachel having to hitch her police-issue skirt up to her crotch
so she could give chase showed just how far things have come. The comical spin
showed a softer side of policing, but there were also glimpses of gallows
humour. Insight into how it serves as a coping mechanism for the more
challenging aspects of their work, perhaps? Prostitution, guns and erm,
international football all featured as they gave us a potted history of their careers
in the force, with a few life lessons shared along the way.
Caroline and Rachel seemed largely unphased by many of the
challenges – both in their work and in the organisation – although I suspect
that’s come with experience. It was inspiring to see how down-to-earth and
pragmatic they both were without being jaded or cynical.
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| Members Sarah and Cat join Rachel and Caroline's squad |
As the meeting came to a close, Lindsay announced that we
were now full for 2014 which means we’re now at 135 members. No doubt it’ll be a merry meeting next month, as we welcome
Beer Central to Electric Works to give our members a taste of some of the best
brews.
Jen
(Vice President)
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