International Women's Day (IWD) 2025 will be celebrated on 8th March 2025.

This year's theme is "Accelerate Action", emphasising the need for swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. The campaign calls for increased momentum in addressing systemic barriers and biases that women face in both personal and professional spheres.

The theme highlights the importance of supporting organisations and groups that work tirelessly to advance women's rights and empowerment. It encourages everyone to take action in their daily lives by challenging stereotypes, celebrating women's achievements, and promoting gender equality.

Additionally, 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a significant milestone in the global pursuit of gender equality. This year's celebrations will focus on advancing women's and girls' rights, promoting gender equality, and fostering empowerment through inclusive access to education, employment, and leadership opportunities.

International Women’s Day 2025

• IWD: Learn about International Women's Day (IWD)
• International Women's Day videos
• IWD: Enjoy an International Women's Day word search puzzle
• IWD: IWD 2025 campaign theme is 'Accelerate Action'
• IWD: Color your world with inspirational women
• IWD: What's the timeline of International Women's Day?
• Participate in the exciting IWD 2025 Lettering Challenge with the Typism community
• International Women's Day book launches
• International Women's Day book launches

Free resources

• International Women's Day | United Nations
• Women's History Month 2025 - Teaching Resources - BBC Teach
• Free classroom resources for International Women’s Day - Scholastic UK - Children's Books, Book Clubs, Book Fairs and Teacher Resources
• Women in STEM Printables to Inspire During Women's History Month
• Smashing Stereotypes - British Science Week
• Women's History Month | Sky HISTORY TV Channel
• Your Story, Our History: Women's History Month – UK Parliament, March 2021
• BBC 100 Women 2024: Who is on the list this year? - BBC News
• 25 FREE Posters for International Women’s Day
• 25 FREE International Women's Day Classroom Activities & Resources | Teach Starter
• 50+ Fun Women's History Month Icebreakers For Work
• International Women's Day - National Geographic Kids
• International Women’s Day Facts, Worksheets, Date & History For Kids
• Primary assemblies: International Women’s Day - BBC Teach
• Sisters in Innovation: 20 Women Inventors You Should Know | A Mighty Girl

Book recommendations

• pack:International Women's Day (sport) - Best Books for Schools
• Stories About Women Who Changed The World | Penguin Random House
• Women | BookTrust
• Check out our favourite kids books for International Women's Day | Toppsta
• 50 Children's Books About Mighty Girls & Women Around The World | A Mighty Girl
• International Women's Day Book list: 16+ | Words for Life
• 99 Books about Extraordinary Black Mighty Girls and Women | A Mighty Girl

Film recommendations

• Movies with Strong Female Characters | Common Sense Media
• 30 Great Feminist Movies About Strong Women To Watch As A Family
• Movies for Smart, Confident, and Courageous Girls | A Mighty Girl

Tomorrow is Pancake Day, and what better way to celebrate than by sharing our favourite pancake recipes? Whether you're a fan of traditional lemon and sugar or prefer something more adventurous, it is the perfect time to indulge!

• Lemon drizzle mille crêpe cake recipe | Good Food
• Chinese chicken with pancakes recipe | Good Food
• Paneer-stuffed pancakes recipe | Good Food
• Jam doughnut pancakes recipe | Good Food
• Cinnamon roll pancakes recipe | Good Food
• Blueberry & orange traybake pancake recipe | Good Food
• Courgette pancake fritters recipe | Good Food
• Chocolate crepe cake recipe | Good Food
• Korean-style prawn & spring onion pancake recipe | Good Food
• Smash burger pancakes recipe | Good Food

Advice Hub 

Get guidance on housing, immigration, employment, domestic abuse and other issues by coming along to the Advice Hub every Wednesday between 9:30am and 12:30pm. It’s completely free and is on a first come, first served basis. Every Wednesday 9:30am -12:30pm at Moorings Sociable Club, Thamesmead, SE28 8BG. 07815 734080  geogia.mann@peabody.org.uk 

Food provisions in Thamesmead 

Foodbank support 

If you find yourself in an emergency situation and you need access to free food, support can be accessed via a local foodbank. It’s important to get a food bank voucher before attending. These can be accessed by calling Positive Steps on the number below. Our referral agent will also work with you to find a location and day that suits you best. 

FOOD club 

Family Action launched Food on Our Doorstep (FOOD) Clubs to provide good-quality food at a lower cost, while also reducing food waste. It costs £1 a year for a family to sign-up and members can purchase a bag of healthy food items worth around £15 every week for just £4. 

Every Friday 11am - 1pm at Jubilee Community Centre, Lytton Strachey Path, SE28 8DU 07815 343 080 

Events and activities

Winter Sculpture Park Opening Party 

Thamesmead will be home to London’s largest free sculpture park as part of the former golf course transforms into a huge open-air exhibition space! Join the organisers, No.32, at the launch party of the park on Saturday 1 March 2025. 

Saturday 1 March 2025 11am - 5pm SE28 8QS | what3words: ///Hedge.Thus.Reward  

Healthy cookery classes 

Join these tutor-led classes to learn how to prepare delicious and healthy meals! The course will take place every Tuesday across a 5-week period and is open to anyone aged 18 or over. 

Tuesday 4 March 2025 - 1 April 2025 11am -1:30pm Lakeview Court, Central Thamesmead, SE28 8GL 

Bike Days 2025 

Learn basic bike maintenance skills from a specialist, Dr Bike. Help keep your bike secure by having it security marked or borrow one of our bikes and learn to cycle through an instructor led session! 

Khadeja Chowdhury - 07765 742387 Book your space for Bike Days 2025 on eventbrite 

Saturday 29 March and 26 April 10am - 12pm Sporting Club, Thamesmead, SE28 8NJ 

Repair and reuse programme 

We’re working with Lovell, who are helping deliver the second phase of new homes in South Thamesmead, to find out what would help you and your family to save money and to make small changes so that less items go to landfill. We would love to hear ideas on how residents can get more value from their items and cut down on unnecessary spending.” 

You can fill in this short questionnaire to share your ideas with us. All participants will be automatically entered into a raffle with a chance to win a £50 voucher! 

Young Greenwich Parents Online Support Groups March - June 2025

These are free for parents to attend and will be online for their convenience. For parents that live, work in Greenwich or have children aged 10-18 that attend school in the borough.

From March, we are running weekly online sessions for parents to support them with a range of challenges they may be facing. There will be two groups; one for general parenting support and one for parents of teens who are neurodivergent (or on the pathway for assessment).

The sessions are one hour long and will take place at lunchtime to allow parents to attend without interrupting their days or having to find childcare. Each month we will explore a different theme, as listed below:

Support Group for Parents of Neurodivergent Teens: 

• MARCH: Understanding Triggers; learning what they are, why they happen and what you can do about them.
• APRIL: Advocation; how to advocate for your teen and teach them the skills to advocate for themselves.
• MAY: Social Skills Building; teaching your teen how to navigate relationships with more ease.
• JUNE: The importance of Support: how to identify and build your support village.

General Support Group Themes:

• MARCH: Teen Anger; learn why it happens and how to manage it.
• APRIL: Screen Time and Digital Safety; how to talk about it, manage safety and prevent arguments.
• MAY: Getting Your Teen to Listen; learn strategies for effective and harmonious communication with your teen.
• JUNE: Peer Pressure: understanding it’s impact and how to support your teen to be an individual.

Young Greenwich Parents Workshop Flyer

Staying Safe During the Half-Term Holiday

• Remain vigilant and keep music or earphones off to stay aware of your surroundings.
• Choose busy, well-lit streets and avoid taking shortcuts through alleys.
• Keep mobile phones and other valuables hidden from view.
• Always inform your parents or carers of your destination, plans, and expected return time.
• Remember to look before crossing the road—avoid distractions while crossing.

Resources for Support:

• Young Minds (Mental Health Support) - www.youngminds.org.uk
• Kooth (Free, anonymous, and safe space for well-being support) - www.kooth.com
• Child Line (Help and advice on various issues) - www.childline.org.uk or call 0800 1111

Over the past 20 years, since the first UK LGBT+ History Month in 2005, we have highlighted the incredible things LGBT+ people in all our diversity have achieved throughout history in all areas of life.

LGBT+ History Month 2025

LGBT+ History Month Quiz

Schools Poetry Competition - Deadline 28th February 2025

Over the past 50 years Schools OUT have worked to #educateOUTprejudice and usualise LGBT+ lives, creating learning environments where all LGBT+ people feel safe, seen, and supported; which is why we founded UK LGBT+ History Month following the repeal of Section 28 to be a dedicated space to celebrate our rich and diverse history, herstory, theirstory. This year it is even more important that we:

• Claim our past
• Celebrate our present
• Create our future

Activism and Social Change

Throughout history LGBT+ people have been activists and helped shape and create social change, advancing society for everyone using many different approaches to activism:

• Protests and rallies
• Campaigns – letter writing and social media
• Boycotts and direct action
• Collaboration and education
• Art and music
• Literature and poetry
• Theatre, film, comedy and dance
• Crafts from banners to zines
• Living openly

Each year we choose five LGBT+ historical figures in line with the theme to highlight. This year we have chosen five LGBT+ people who have created social change from across the centuries in progressing change for women, the environment, housing, nuclear disarmament, preserving heritage, abolition of the slave trade, and immigration, among many other causes.

The 2025 LGBT+ Historical Figures are: Octavia Hill, Ivor Cummings, Annie Kenney, Charlie Kiss, and Olaudah Equiano.

The official 2025 UK LGBT+ History Month badge was designed by Emily, a 12-year-old pupil from St Anthony’s Girls’ Catholic Academy in Sunderland who was the winner of our Schools badge competition. Buy your badge here.

“I was inspired to draw the megaphone because everyone deserves to be heard and sometimes to be heard you need help to be loud. The colours coming out of the megaphone were the LGBT+ flag, to represent everyone and how we need to be loud about the LGBT+ community and its history. It was important to support the community even if you aren’t a part of it, it is important to be an ally and to be kind. I made the badge a different shape to make it stand out and raise more awareness. I feel my badge means a kit because I can raise awareness and I feel like I have made a difference so I am very happy!”