On 8 November the Ulster Reform Club was the unique venue for a very special Ladies Afternoon Tea, where inspirational women of integration came together to celebrate the role and importance of women in the Integrated Education movement.
The Ladies Afternoon Tea was hosted by long timer supporter of Integrated Education, Wendy Wason. Wendy is an established actress and comedian, whose TV shows include Coupling, The IT Crowd and Half My Age Plus Seven. Her stand-up shows have wowed sell-out audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond. She has supported Integrated Education through participating in the Stand-Up for Integrated Education Comedy Night on several occasions.
Wendy was in conversation with a panel of inspirational women of integration, comprised of Pamela Ballantine, Maire Thompson and Hilary Copeland. Pamela, a freelance TV presenter, is best known for her 40 year career at UTV. This year Pamela was diagnosed with breast cancer and has used her profile to raise awareness and support those currently undergoing cancer treatment. She shared some of her experiences of undergoing treatment and the ladies at the Afternoon Tea let out a resounding cheer as she talked about getting the all clear following her treatment.
Maire Thompson joined Pamela in the conversation. Maire is the Principal of award winning Hazelwood Integrated College. In 2022 Hazelwood Integrated College was awarded the Secondary School of Year at the TES School Awards. Maire recalled the excitement and surprise for the school receiving such a prestigious accolade. Maire also touched on her own personal upbringing and how that impacted on her passion for Integrated Education.
The final member of the conversation with Wendy was Hilary Copeland. Hilary is the Director of Fighting Words, a Belfast based creative writing charity for children and young people. She is a founding member of the Board of Integrated AlumNI, a group of advocates and campaigners for Integrated Education. Hilary shared her experience of attending New-Bridge Integrated College in Loughbrickland, talking about entering in through the ‘metaphorical school gates’ as the school had so few facilities in the early days. She also reflected on how the choice to go to an Integrated school led to her having a great experience of school and continues to influence her decisions today.
Actress, comedian and writer Tara Flynn brought some laughter to the event, by reading excerpts from her own book ‘You’re grand’, including amusing personal anecdotes.
The Ladies Afternoon Tea also included an element of self-care, with goodie bags for each attendee. The contents of the goodie bags were donated kindly by a local Neal’s Yard consultant and BPerfect cosmetics. There was also a ‘Colour Me Beautiful’ presentation where volunteers got the opportunity to get advice from an image consultants and personal stylist.
Finally, the afternoon tea included a raffle. The event is expected to raise in excess of £1,500 and all monies raised will support the work of the Integrated Education Fund to support the growth and development of Integrated Education.
