Saturday 26 February 2011

Meet the Debate Team! Sue Murphy


Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, with responsibility for Community Cohesion and Equality.

Sue was elected to Manchester City Council in 1995, and represents Brooklands in Wythenshawe. She is a Labour and Co-operative party councillor, and has been Deputy Leader of the Council since 2010.

She was lead on Women’s Issues for the Council from 1997 to 2010, and now has the overall lead on equality issues for the City.

Alongside this, Sue has held a number of portfolios including Finance and Human Resources, and Employment and Skills.

As well as her duties as a Councillor, Sue is Chair of Governors at the Manchester College, the largest General Further Education College in the country. She is also Chair of Trustees of Manchester Action on Street Health, a Voluntary Sector organisation working with sex workers.

Previous jobs include working in the advertising department of a newspaper, and working for a member of the European Parliament.

Come listen to and get involved in the debate by clicking here!

Friday 25 February 2011

Meet the Debate Team! Roz Hamilton


Roz Hamilton took up the role of Chief Executive in Greater Manchester Probation Trust on 1 February 2011. She is the Chair of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities Reducing Reoffending group which coordinates and informs the work of local community safety partnerships.

She qualified as a Probation Officer in 1981 and commenced her career as a Probation Officer working in inner City Manchester specialising in youth justice and high risk offenders. She was appointed as a Senior Probation Officer in 1991 and in 1996 took up a District Manager role in Tameside where she worked to develop Probation’s contribution to crime reduction partnerships. As an Assistant Chief Officer she specialised in Court work and as Deputy Chief Executive she had responsibility for the delivery of Offender Management in Greater Manchester Probation Trust. After 30 years she still has a strong sense of vocation and strives to deliver a high quality service for victims, the community and offenders.


Come get involved in the debate after the fantastic staging of The Vagina Monologues by clicking here!

Thursday 24 February 2011

Meet the Debate Team! Yvonne Edge


Born in Salford to a large working class family attended a girls’ grammar where, aged 15, I came across a review of the Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer in the Guardian. I was fascinated and, as I couldn’t afford the book myself persuaded the head of English to buy it for the school library. However she faced stern opposition from our Head Teacher, a stereotypical vicar’s wife, who objected to the naked female torso on the cover! We won and that book helped me to articulate my take on the sex war (as it was known then). I never burned my bra but, if it hadn’t been so cold in Salford I might have burned my vest!

I went on to university in London where I managed to fit in my political development with the more serious business of drinking! After uni I ventured into the real world and learned some hard lessons about life in psychiatric hospitals at that time. It put me off my chosen career as a social worker and so ensued a varied career which went from voluntary sector (working in a refuge) to public sector (youth and community work, education management) to private sector (setting up and running my own taxi firm) back to voluntary sector (the Pankhurst Centre, where I’ve worked for the past 10 and a half years) with the only recurring theme being a commitment to supporting women. I even managed to fit in playing football for my beloved Manchester United (Women’s team, of course!).

Come get involved with the debate by clicking here!

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Meet the Debate Chair! Ranvir Singh

Ranvir Singh co-presents the nightly news programme, BBC North West Tonight. She is also a regular voice on BBC Radio Five Live, as stand in presenter for Breakfast with Nicky Campbell, Weekend Breakfast, Stephen Nolan and Tony Livesey.

Ranvir was born and brought up in Preston and went to Lancaster University, where she undertook her Bachelor degree in Philosophy and Literature and Masters in Literature.

After her degrees she returned to Preston to complete a postgraduate qualification in Broadcast Journalism whilst presenting on BBC Asian Word, a live news and entertainment show for the North West.

After graduating she undertook work experience at BBC Radio Lancashire and was quickly offered a six–month contract to produce and read the station's news bulletins.

She subsequently moved on to BBC GMR (now BBC Radio Manchester) and worked as a newsreader, reporter and drive-time presenter during her time there. During the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, she fronted the station's flagship show at breakfast, leading the news updates, and undertook numerous outside broadcasts from the games.

In 2004, Ranvir moved to work in television, working as a reporter for North West Tonight and BBC News 24.

In 2006, she played a key role in presenting the BBC Three live programme, Manchester Passion, and reported from Blackburn for the Election Night Special with David Dimbleby on BBC One. Later that year she was appointed as the Education Reporter for North West Tonight.

Ranvir joined North West Tonight's Gordon Burns in 2007 as the programme's co-presenter and has become a familiar face on the award-winning show. She has since won the award for ‘Best Regional Onscreen Talent’ at the Regional Television Society’s North West Awards 2010.


Come along and get involved in the debate after the staging of The Vagina Monologues by clicking here!

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Meet the Host! Jill Halfpenny!


Jill most recently starred as Paulette in the hit show 'Legally Blonde' at The Savoy Theatre alonside Sheridan Smith and Peter Davidson.

Other theatre credits include:
Cora in Calendar Girls; Roxie Hart in Chicago; Sonya in Uncle Vany; Therese Raquin in The Bodies; Julia in 1984; Alison in Noir; Jill in Cooking with Elvis; Mandy in Studs; Angela in Like a Virgin; and Liesl in The Sound of Music!

Her many television credits inlcude:
Most recently seen as Cora Davidson in Inspector George Gently, Jackie Holrod in Blue Murder, Izzy Redpath in Waterloo Road, Kate Mitchell in Eastenders, Rebecca in Coronation Street, Kelly in Peak Practice, Roxie Ball in Shameless, The Catherine Tate Show, Dalziel and Pascoe, Dangerfield, Touching Evil, Heartbeat, The Round Tower, The Lakes, Birds of a Feather, The Bill, and of course Jill was first seen on our screens as Nicola in Byker Grove!

Radio credits include: Run for Home, Who Me, There's me. David, Chelsea; Charlene, Scott and Bianca.

Jill also won the nation's hearts when she took the top spot in 2004's Stricly COme Dancing with dance partner Darren Bennett.

Come see Jill in her latest role as host of The Birdhouse Fund Presents VDay by clicking here!

Sunday 20 February 2011

Meet the Cast! Jane Kenyon

JANE KENYON is an entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and coach.

Alongside her role as Vice President of The Birdhouse Fund she is the founder of www.wellheeleddivas.com, www.girlsoutloud.org and a champion for female empowerment.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNT - I cannot swear with conviction! I continue to be inspired by the openness and honesty of women and I discovered The Pankhurst Centre!


Jane has been the powerhouse behind the staging of the Vagina Monologues. Please support Jane, the other cast members and all those involved, and raise money for the Birdhouse Fund, by clicking here to buy tickets!

Saturday 19 February 2011

Meet the Cast! Nicoletta Amatino

NICOLETTA AMATINO Half Italian, half Mancunian, Nicoletta is a Barrister practising in Manchester.

Approaching the big ‘30’ she is keen to try new challenges - bringing her to the theatre (and perhaps even a tattoo!) She likes cocktails with the girls and flexing her credit card on shoes and handbags as well as playing with her kittens Pearl and Lola.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNT - Having spent her formative years in the 1990’s, I am pleased to observe that girl power lives beyond the legacy of the Spice Girls . . . and that you can say the word “cunt” in front of your mother.

Buy tickets here!