International Women’s Day
Sunday 8th March 2026 is International Women’s Day which invites us to reflect on the women whose gifts, strengths and compassion shape our organisation and the communities we support. In social care, these contributions are not only significant; they are foundational.
So, we bring you a thoughtful piece by Heather Simmons, Consultant Coach and Thistle Academy Foundation Course Lead. Heather's words remind us why creating opportunities for growth and recognition matters, and why celebrating the achievements of women in our workforce is not just timely, but essential.
My mum was as clever as a clever thing
"My mother was born in 1938. She was’ Proxime Accessit’ - runner up to the Dux at Primary School – and she was clever as a clever thing. mum started at the High School and was in a class with the sons and daughters of doctors, teachers and local worthies. Her bus driver dad and her former bus conductress mother didn’t really count in that company. Her family couldn’t afford the matriculation fee, and the tuppence for sewing and the penny for cooking and the gym kit and everything else that was part of High School life.
"Mum talked about weeks of tears and embarrassment as she explained to teachers that she didn’t have the money she needed, and she sat on the sidelines while others cooked and sewed.
"She left school at 15, worked in a fruit shop and then in the factory for Smith’s Clocks. My clever mum put the hands on clock and watch faces, thousands of them in an hour, and sweated to play her part in making the bonus that the rest of the line depended on. Then she married and had five children. She loved her life with my dad and us but could sometimes grow wistful about what could have been. She loved her life but I think was a wee bit haunted by the shame of those high school experiences.
"My Mum was as clever as a clever thing…
"Working at Thistle I often think of my mum, especially working on the Foundation Academy at celebrations when our colleagues, mostly women, step forward proudly to receive a certificate to say that they have completed this training that enables them to call themselves includers, human rights defenders, namers of gifts and community connectors.
"I’ve witnessed the pride and sense of achievement of those people who, like my mum, thought education was for other people but who now clutch their certificate and stand 10 feet tall in their qualification.
"I guess it’s true for everyone who completes our courses but I’m going to stick my neck out and say that its especially true for the women who’ve taken the traditional ‘woman’s work’ of support and care and crafted it into meaning and purpose with the people they work alongside to support.
"On International Women’s Day, let’s take a moment (or a day) to honour them."
