Held at the Dorking Halls, Monday 21st March, 2022
Jan Cornwell and Deborah McAdam were the Nutfield Gals representatives at the 104th Annual Council meeting at Dorking Halls.
The event was hosted by our Chairman Carol Gartrell and included the Chairman’s and Treasurer’s report, award presentations including the Eileen Bower competition winners and the federation raffle.
There was a very poignant and, sadly, very large bunting strung around half of the hall, which contained the names and photographs of over one hundred women who died as a result of domestic and non-domestic violence during the two years of the pandemic. It was truly shocking and sobering to see the ages of the women which ranged from young teenagers to women in their eighties. Not something to forget.
We were treated to three excellent speakers, all women who have achieved extraordinary success, in the many varied ways that word can be applied to an individual.
Sally Varah MBE
Sally spoke about the work of the Michael Varah Memorial Fund. Her late husband, Michael, became the Chief Probation Officer for Surrey in 1988 and was passionate about the need to support individuals affected by crime and give them the opportunity to rebuild and transform their lives. The fund delivers Watts Gallery art workshops to women artists at HMP Send, who have their own WI within the facility. At least one woman has gone on to become a professional artist.
Professor Patricia Wiltshire
Patricia is a forensic ecologist, botanist and palynologist. Using her expert knowledge of pollen grains, various kinds of spores and other microscopic entities, she has worked with every police force in the UK, helping to solve high profile criminal cases. She interprets what can be revealed by plant, fungal and soil traces picked up from crime scenes and other places pertinent to criminal investigations. She is an experienced expert witness and has appeared in court many times.
Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton
Sabrina has been a firefighter since she was eighteen years old. She is now one of the most senior female firefighters in the UK.
After leaving home at fifteen, she was homeless and lived on the streets whilst still attending school where she continued her education untill she was sixteen. She then joined the fire service in Wales and while she climbed up the ranks, she studied at the Open University and then at Cardiff University, eventually completing a PhD in Psychology. Her subsequent research into incident command in the emergency services has not only won awards but has also influenced policy at a global level. Sabrina was recently conferred as an Honorary Fellow at Cardiff University.
Her first book, ‘The Heat of the Moment’, was published in 2019 and she is currently writing her second book. She is an ambassador for the Big Issue which she sold whilst living on the streets and which she credits with helping her to achieve her goals.
Jan Cornwell
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