YORK International Women's Week coordinator Sue Lister is reflecting on "our most diverse and well-attended women’s festival for years".

"The festival has grown from ten events in 2006 to 30 events in 2007 under my coordination, and now, in my ninth year, around 2,825 people enjoyed 62 events. Exciting times!" she says.

"There was something special about this year’s Women's Week, spearheaded by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Julie Gunnell. The six events she hosted in the Mansion House involved 345 people and included the Aviva Women’s Network; the Archaeological Trust conference, focusing on women’s contribution to archaeology; insight into women’s work around the world by the Centre for Applied Human Rights and the International Service; a celebration of the diverse women of York organised by the City of York Council; artist Catherine Inglis demonstrating her pastels, which raised £600 for the Kyra Women’s Centre; and a fashion and make-up extravaganza with She Loves York."

Coun Gunnell says: "As the Lord Mayor of York, I was extremely proud to be able to contribute to the city-wide events for International Women’s Week. The Mansion House events were all well attended and each event attracted women of all ages and backgrounds. My involvement in celebrating and helping to raise the profile of the contributions girls and women make to our society has been an extremely important element of my Mayoral year. Thank you to all who helped to make the week special, memorable and successful.”

York International Women's Week ran from March 8 to 15, and among the highlights picked out by Sue Lister were Hollie McNish and York spoken word poets performing to a packed Basement bar at City Screen; F. Mary Callan testing the waters of her new Edinburgh Fringe show, King David’s Wives; and York Settlement Community Players' production of The Stepmother that played to 73 per cent audience capacity over ten days at the Theatre Royal Studio in bringing Githa Sowerby’s work to modern audiences.

Kate Fox, Union Jill and colleagues teamed up for Letting Off Steam at City Screen and Bloomin Words Women’s Day Cabaret in Thirsk, and buoyed by such feedback as “your production was amazing, Sue's company, Real People Theatre Company, is next taking Anne Lister’s Ladies to the home of that notorious lesbian lady, Shibden Hall near Halifax, in June.

Further events included the stories of the Rowntree's Aero Girlsl; flower arranging by the Acomb Flower Guild at Acomb Explore; silk roundel painting with the York Carers Forum; York Feminist Network's city-centre women's march; and the Loose Women panel at York Explore with York Bike Rescue's Bernie Cullen, York Open Studios' Anne Hutchinson and Councillor Sonja Crisp. Stories were told of mothers of children with learning disabilities and these are soon to be published in a book, The Uncut Cord.

A Frock for FROK raised hundreds of pounds to support the education of women and girls in northern Pakistan and Jameela’s Kitchen, a women’s initiative in Palestine, was so busy it had to turn away people from Clements Hall.

Photographs from the 2014 YIWW can be found online at yorkwomen.org.uk

Keep an eye on that site for details of the next festival in March 2015.