Celebrate International Women’s Day at the Historic Dockyard Chatham

Picture of Funny Women

Funny Women

We’re celebrating International Women’s Day in style with our free event, HOW TO HAVE FUN AT WORK, on Tuesday 19th March here in Medway. We are highlighting the value of women in our workplaces and our communities, often unseen and unrecognised, by bringing us together to demonstrate our worth all through the power of humour! Everyone is encouraged to attend, regardless of gender.

Funny Women has been based in Rochester for the last nine years and we’re proud to have this fantastic opportunity funded by Medway Council and supported by the Federation of Small Businesses to deliver this event as part of our Comedy in the Community initiative, bringing you strategies to make your workplace a happier, healthier and more diverse environment.

Commissioner's House

Our perfect setting for this event is the Commissioner’s House in the Historic Dockyard Chatham and we have the full run of this amazing venue, best known for weddings and other special events.

Here at Funny Women we’ve been empowering women in the comedy industry for over 20 years and introduced workshops and courses to support creative development within our community over 15 years ago. We soon found that there was just as much demand for these events in the workplace as for the comedy circuit, so we developed our HERlarious programme to encourage professional women to have their voice.

It’s a fact that we learn and bond through the collective power of humour and as women we use this innately to bond with our families, friends and networks. However, we are more risk averse to using humour in the workplace where ‘being funny’ is still a largely male domain while women still struggle to be taken seriously.

Our tried and trusted formula for having some fun at work is your opportunity to meet some brilliant local allies, learn from talented facilitators, listen to inspiring speakers and enjoy some live comedy.

Our carefully curated programme is designed to boost your confidence to take on a leadership role within your community, to apply for a job you’ve always wanted or simply to stand up for what you believe in. You’ll leave us feeling empowered and inspired.

 

TAKE PART IN WORKSHOPS

When you arrive you will take part in a lively round of quickfire workshops facilitated by four amazing local business women.  Choose two out of these four topics:

CAN YOU FEEL IT?! GET YOUR BUSINESS MOJO RUNNING

Being confident in your skills, knowledge and abilities is not a given. People who stand out, for the right reasons, know that how they feel about themselves has a direct impact on their day-to-day performance in whatever they do. In this workshop we look at resilience, strategies for getting up after a knock and how to use your energy levels throughout the day to get the best out of yourself.  We will work with your MOJO!

Dayzee Potter

Dayzee Potter has been running businesses for the last 10 years in Kent and London. Dream Academy PA has been running for eight years and is an inclusive Performing Arts School for children focused on confidence building, Dayzee still heads the schools with a fantastic team on the ground as she also runs WPS, a Health and Safety Consultancy and training provider. Dayzee is no stranger to the highs and lows of business having lost her live music venue Moondance due to the pandemic. Dayzee’s frank and honest approach to her experiences are insightful and inspiring. 

YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT UP: HOW TO IMPROVISE

Thinking on your feet is a vital too for both business and personal success. Without the confidence to do so, you can limit yourself across all elements of your life. Improvisation is an amazing skill to develop. We improvise everywhere: conversations, meetings, interviews, presentations. Explore how you can enhance delivery of your messages and grow your business and career.

Nic Lamont

Nic Lamont is an actor, writer and improvisation specialist. She is part of comedy duo The Twins Macabre who have written and performed on BBC3’s Live at the Electric and BBCR4’s Sketchorama. Nic’s work includes TV, film, UK and International theatre. Her one woman show Mary Shelley: Muthamonster has played in venues in London and Kent and has been made into a full length feature film. Nic regularly teaches Improv with her company Medway Play Lab CIC. 

 

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY – LET’S GET SOCIAL!

People are the foundation of most successful businesses, so it’s important to acknowledge the things that matter and the things that make us different. When people are seen and heard, they feel valued and offer more value to our communities and businesses. In this workshop, you will learn how to curate a calendar that puts your people first by creating fun cultural moments that engage and encourage an appreciation of diversity.

Camealia Xavier-Chilhota

Camealia Xavier-Chihota is a Medway born and raised marketing and social media director, currently working in the advertising technology industry.  Prior to this she earned her stripes working her way up as a fashion buyer before diversifying her creative skillset in various roles within E-commerce, sales, events and marketing. Alongside her day job, Camealia co-founded a local Children’s Charity in 2020 called Medway Culture Club.  The charity focuses on providing an inclusive environment for the community to come together and learn about diverse topics, cultures and people.  With a passion for DE&I and an emphasis on fun, Camealia helps to plan and deliver monthly workshops and events which aim to give a better understanding of ourselves, each other and the wider world.

 

CONTENT AND INFLUENCE: HOW TO USE HUMOUR EFFECTIVELY

Humour is as valuable in business today as it is in our personal lives. Throw away the corporate rule book and have some fun with your content. Find ways to present yourself in a more relaxed, authentic style to suit today’s modern business environment. Explore how by using humour in your business and personal life you can improve your self-confidence and esteem, help you communicate more effectively and give you the tools to engage with your communities more memorably.

Molly Wright

Molly Wright is the head of marketing at coworking space, Dragon Coworking, and is the former director of her own social media agency, Molly Moodle Media. Molly has worked with over 60 plus businesses and is a guest lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University. Molly’s passion for sharing her marketing knowledge is evident in her talks and is known for her vibrant and enthusiastic presenting style. 

THE PANEL

Following on from the workshops Funny Women founder Lynne Parker will host an interactive panel on ‘ The role of Women in Local Leadership’ especially relevant to our celebration of International Women’s Day here in Medway. We have four amazing guests well qualified to explore this important topic.

Leila Jones

Leila Jones

Federation of Small Businesses & Lily Jones Events

Leila Jones is the Operational Support Coordinator for Kent and Essex at the Federation of Small Businesses, who support local small businesses to achieve their ambitions. Leila is also a small business owner herself and a multi award-winning wedding & event planner and stylist who focuses on encouraging her clients to make their weddings as unique to them as possible, throwing out outdated traditions that don’t fit with their vision. She is also the Founder of the UK’s largest alternative wedding company, Quirky Weddings, which has just one mission – to shake up the stale wedding industry to make weddings more inclusive, fun and unique!

Dr David Stokes

Dr David Stokes

The Halpern Charitable Foundation

David has been the chief executive of the Halpern Charitable Foundation since March 2019. The charity focuses on tackling mental health and social isolation through the arts, and also runs the well-known Nucleus Arts centres across Medway, supporting locally-based artists and increasing opportunities for creative business. Before joining The Halpern Charitable Foundation, David was the CEO of the Cleft Lip and Palate Association with an extensive background in academic research and management,

He is currently deputy-chair of the Chatham Town Forum, the Love Chatham initiative, and Creative Medway. He is the lead-member for the Love Chatham festival, and Chinese New Year Festival. David is a representative on a multitude of projects, such as the Social Isolation Forum, the Innovation Board, Medway for Business, Medway Artist Forum, the VCS Leaders group. He has recently been appointed to the board of the Institute for Inclusive Communities and Environments at the University of Greenwich, and as an Ambassador for Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly

21st Century Flooring,

& Women in Business – North Kent & Medway

Grace moved to Medway in 1988 and commuted to and from London as a Legal PA in a law firm. She hated the job, travel and leaving her son at home. An opportunity arose for Grace and her husband to start a carpet company in 1998, but they went their separate ways and she started her own flooring business in 2001. Grace has slowly built the business through networking and referrals, fighting against a male dominated industry. It was a lonely tough period of her life bringing up her son on her own as well as running a business. Both family and friends thought that it wouldn’t work but she is proud to still be running the same business after 23 years.

In 2013 Grace took over running Women In Business and turned it into an inclusive, supportive and non-judgemental women’s network to help each other overcome any obstacles they face with or without the support of their friends and family. It’s now run by a group of core women as well as Grace herself. 

Olivia Horner

Olivia Horner

Director of Commercial & Operations, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust

Olivia has worked at the The Historic Dockyard Chatham since 2010 which is the ultimate ‘girl power’ location best known as the backdrop for the incredibly popular BBC series Call The Midwife. She leads the exceptional commercial and operational teams at the Dockyard and is responsible for the strategic development of the Trust’s commercial offer as well as developing and enhancing the wider visitor experience.

With over 15 years of experience within the culture and heritage sector, Olivia has extensive commercial and operational development knowledge as well as a great passion for the industry and local Kent offer. Her background is firmly connected to Medway and The Historic Dockyard Chatham, having worked her way through the organisation.  A Chartered Business Manager with BSc in Business Management. Olivia and her team’s efforts have contributed to the success of the Trusts entrepreneurial commercial offer and strategy.

LIVE COMEDY

As we’re also celebrating International Women’s Day we’ll be serving some drinks and canapes after we’ve explored how we can boost local leadership with our panel, and no Funny Women event is complete without some brillant live comedy!

We have a treat in store when Rachel Creeger hosts a showcase featuring Nic Lamont, one of our workshop facilItators (featured above), and comedIan and author Zahra Barri.

Rachel Creeger

Rachel Creeger is a multi-award-winning stand-up comedian, writer, director, and the only Orthodox Jew on the UK comedy circuit. She is also a non-executive director of Funny Women CIC. As seen on BBC1, Amazon Prime Video and NextUp Comedy, and heard across the BBC Radio network, Rachel co-hosts both internationally renowned chat show podcast Jew Talkin’ To Me? and Neighbours superfan podcast Leaving Erinsborough. Rachel has taken four critically acclaimed shows to the Edinburgh Fringe and is also a well-respected booker and promoter with years of industry experience.

Zahra Barri

Zahra Barri is an Egyptian writer, stand-up comedian and PhD researcher based in Medway. She has featured on Channel 4’s Only Jokes a Muslim Can Tell, Radio 4, Radio 2 and BBC Asian Network. Her first unpublished novel won Runner Up in the unplubished category of the 2020 Comedy Women In Print prize.  Her debut novel Daughters of the Nile won the Unbound Firsts Writers of Colour competition and will be published in June 2024.She is currently studying for a PhD in Creative Writing. She grew up in Saudi Arabia, Ascot and Stockport. Due to her mixed heritage background, she has attended both Muslim schools in Saudi and Catholic schools in the UK which gives her comedy a unique perspective.

Please book ahead and reserve your place using the link here. It is completely free to attend but we are requesting optional donations to The Wisdom Hospice, an incredible local charity that’s close to our hearts.

See you on Tuesday 19th March!

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Get notified when registration opens

Comedy Shorts Award Entry Requirements

The deadline for registration for the Comedy Shorts Award has passed.

Funny Women NextUp…Comedy Shorts Award

Are you a budding Director? Producer? Screenwriter? Are you collaborating with friends to make a funny video? Then we are looking for YOU!

If you have a short film or sketch that you think is hilarious, then enter your work for our Comedy Shorts Award to be in with a chance of winning some life-changing support and mentoring from comedy professionals.

WHAT KIND OF FILM ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

A 1- 6 minute film that can take the form of anything comical. It’s a great opportunity to show us your creative flair and have fun!

WHO CAN ENTER?

This award is open to all women filmmakers and content developers. The film must be an original narrative created, produced and devised by a woman, or women, although male cast and crew members are allowed.

ARE THERE ANY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR MY FILM?

Yes – we require all films to be 6 minutes or under, to be entirely original dialogue, to not feature brand logos and most importantly, to only use music with the written consent of the performer and/or publisher either personally or via the PRS system https://www.prsformusic.com/ .

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH MY FILM?

We will broadcast selected entries on our Funny Women YouTube channel and social media (so keep an eye out) and the top 10 finalists’ films will also hosted on a dedicated Funny Women Comedy Shorts Awards page on our website. We will also broadcast the final 3 entries as part of the grand final night.

HOW IS IT JUDGED?

Films are judged for production, concept, delivery/performance, creativity, writing and overall funniness. The top 10 films are then viewed by an independent judging panel of top television and film industry professionals who will choose one overall winner and two runners up. The final three will be invited to attend the grand final in London on the 23rd September.

WHAT CAN I WIN?

2021 Funny Women Awards Prizes

The deadline for registration for the Comedy Shorts Award has passed.

If you need further information please contact us here