Women In Media Conference raises £2k for MASH

The team behind the Women in Media Conference (WIM) has made a substantial donation to MASH following a hugely successful 2019 event.

The conference was established in 2016 by a small group of student media volunteers from the University of Manchester Students’ Union and has supported MASH (Manchester Action on Street Health) as its official charity partner since its creation, this year donating an incredible £2,176.

From small beginnings, the WIM Conference now takes place annually over two days at the People’s History Museum in Manchester City Centre. The conference aims to inspire women to pursue a career in the media by celebrating and learning from successful women in print journalism, radio, PR, and more.

Speakers at this year’s event included Rachel Burden from BBC Radio 5 Live, Danielle Robinson from The Daily Telegraph, BAFTA-nominated TV producer Caroline Leddy, and former Newsround presenter, Nelufar Hedayat.

MASH is a small Manchester charity which works with female sex workers to empower them and promote health, well-being, and personal safety.

Janelle Hardacre, fundraising and marketing officer at MASH, said: “We are hugely grateful for the loyal support of the Women in Media conference and this donation amount could enable us to keep our mobile drop-in vehicle stocked and on the road for ten weeks so we can reach women who may have nowhere else to turn to. It really makes a huge difference to a small but vital charity like MASH.

“This year’s conference was a brilliant event which inspired and empowered women to pursue their goals, chiming very closely with our aims at MASH to support and empower women.”

Ethan Davies, Editor-in-Chief of The Mancunion and member of the WIM 2019 organising committee, added: “WIM is an incredible movement from students at the University of Manchester, and we’re immensely proud of the work we’ve done this year to not only support MASH but also empower female voices within the industry and help the next generation of journalists into the media world.

“Of course, we are a long way from achieving gender equality in journalism but with movements like WIM, change is coming – and it’s coming from an organic, inclusive, and diverse place.

“MASH also are a brilliant organisation that do so much for so many people – we’ve been delighted to partner with them in 2019, and we’ll be delighted to keep working with them into the next decade”.

The 2020 event will be led by The Mancunion’s incoming Editor-in-Chief Anja Samy.