On a grey misty and damp day in Swanage Romilly, Gill and Cath, all volunteers at the Oxfam Bookshop opened their doors at10 o’clockand prepared to welcome visitors and customers with tea, coffee and home baked cakes to celebrate International Women’s Day.
This redoubtable team of dedicated ladies had baked all the cakes themselves in preparation for this event. It was with some sadness then that few of the customers who ventured through the door were even aware of what International Women’s Day was.
Undaunted the ladies welcomed their customers with a smile and a polite request if they could interest customers in tea and cakes and mentioned it was to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Ironically one customer, a gentleman (photographed), responded very positively, had a piece of cake and agreed to pose for a photograph with two of the volunteers.
By1 o’clock it was time for me to leave for a prior engagement. I left with a sense of sadness that so much effort and expense by these wonderful ladies had not borne fruit on what could have been a wonderful celebration of all the positive things that women have achieved in the last 40 years.
Thanks to Romilly, Cath and Gill for their fabulous hospitality and comradeship. Thanks to Oxfam for giving me permission to loiter in their bookshop with my camera. It could’ve gone better.
Graham Horne