By The Ripple Effect Team, Sam Dixon
“WOW Rotherham celebrates women, girls, trans and non-binary communities of Rotherham.”
Since 2022, the WOW (Women of the World) Rotherham festival has brought the community together to celebrate women, girls, trans, and non-binary people. Open to individuals from all walks of life, the festival focuses its celebrations on culture, community, and entrepreneurialism.
The vibrant weekend featured a diverse host of activities, events, talks, debates, and live entertainment.
To bring people together through creativity, the Rotherham Ripple Effect joined forces with the team from REMA (Rotherham Ethnic Minority Alliance) to provide interactive, accessible activities for all attendees. The collaborative space was buzzing with energy as visitors decorated cakes, crafted stick puppets, and painted suncatchers. A talented Henna artist also joined the team, sharing positive energy and good fortune through stunning, bespoke designs.
We had a world map displayed where people could come and put a pin in the map of where they were from. Rotherham Ripple Effect was introduced lightly; one particular lady was interested in listening to what the project is about and said it sounded like it was a very good project and was needed. She was asked if she wanted to be involved at some capacity and stay in the loop about the project to which she was not overly enthusiastic about so I gave her a leaflet and told she could reach out if she had any more questions about the project. It seems the people who show interest in the work we are doing are on a spectrum. There are people who tell us the project sounds brilliant yet still don’t really want to be involved or stay in the loop about it. They just like projects like this exist and it gives them some sort of peace. Overall, the festival was a true reflection of what Rotherham can achieve when the community pulls together. It served as a powerful reminder of how vital it is to stand together, celebrate diversity, and support women and the issues that affect them every single day.
