Celebrate International Women's Day on 8th March

Celebrate International Women’s Day with us on Sunday, 8th March by exercising in our centres and if you can by wearing purple. We will be engaging with visitors to the centres with raffles, word searches (for all ages) and pledge walls.  

We believe days like this are not about tokenism and an opportunity to showcase what we do regularly. If you are not familiar with our women and girls only programme based in the south of the borough you can view the activities at Leyton and Leytonstone.  

At Waltham Forest Feel Good Centre to address the childcare issue for young mothers we work with Mamma Swim on Monday and Thursdays 10am-12pm by giving a complimentary space for them in Midnight room to peer support each other's babies whilst they go for a swim.  

For International Women’s Day we have partnered with EMD UK to put on a special, high energy, dance class in the Sports Hall at Waltham Forest Feel Good Centre. This is bookable through the Better UK app.  

 There are lots of ways to stay fit and healthy, so we have also put on a free Women-Only Muay Thai at Score Leisure Centre 12pm-1pm. Book via email with our delivery partner, khatiza@amanahfitness.co.uk Amanah Fitness have regular sessions at Score which you can join if you enjoy the activity.   

Another important issue for womanhood is violence against women and girls. To be an allie in this we have worked with Waltham Forest Council to get our staff trained to spot potential warning signs and have the knowledge to direct people to the relevant services. As a result of this and other staff training, we have been able to list our venues as Safe Spaces.   

Want to know about the history of International Women’s Day? 

One of the first noteworthy steps in the pursuit to help women achieve parity with men worldwide occurred in America in 1908 when the Socialist Party recognised females’ successful strikes over working conditions in the textile industry. The following year a national women’s day was held. This prompted a chain of events across 17 countries as the Socialist International pushed for a joined-up approach to the quest for suffrage and greater equality, leading to the first International Women’s Day.  

The campaigns had various successes in countries across the globe over the following decades before the United Nations started celebrating International Women’s Day annually from 8th March 1975. 

Each year there is a theme, and 2026’s is #GiveToGain to encourage a mindset of generosity and collaboration.