Photographer and co-founder of Photo Scratch, Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz (Class of 2006) is keen to challenge the inequalities of the photographic industry. Photo Scratch is a bi-monthly networking and social night for documentary photographers to showcase work-in-progress projects and gain feedback. Hanna says
I’m not interested in silencing people, but interested in hearing more, seeing more perspectives – local stories photographed by local photographers, from all over the world. I’m really proud to be part of the Women Photograph database, and all the work that the team does to highlight inequalities in the industry.
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In 2019, Khadijah Mellah (Class of 2019) rode into the history books as the first woman to ride competitively on a British racecourse in a hijab and was subsequently named Young Sportswoman of the Year. In honour of her achievement, the Khadijah Mellah Scholarship – a year-long programme for riders aged 14-18 years old – was launched by the Riding a Dream Academy, funded by the Racing Foundation and the Jockey Club.
This has allowed young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to have the opportunity to follow in Khadijah’s footsteps and learn the skill of horse riding that they otherwise may not have been able to. The first student has now graduated as a result of this scholarship and we want to wish Oshane all the best for her future endeavours!
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Not only is it International Women’s Day this week but also #WorldKidney Day on 10 March which means alumna, and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) champion, Maddie Warren (Class of 2001) is even busier than usual. Maddie became the first woman on dialysis to complete the London Marathon in 2018 and is a member of a women’s skydiving team. She is currently putting her networking expertise to good use in the coordination of efforts to help those on dialysis in Ukraine amidst current events:
The European #kidney community is doing amazing work pulling together offers of #dialysis & #transplant care for people who can leave #ukraine plus looking at how supply chains can be maintained. Please keep sharing these: https://sites.google.com/view/nephroworldcup/westandwithukraine & https://era-online.org/en/era-declaration-of-support-for-ukraine/
Maddie is supporting a Go Fund Me page which has been set up specifically for donations for those in Ukraine needing urgent Kidney Disease support.
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Also breaking the bias is PhD student at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and co-founder of Black in Cancer , Sigourney Bell (Class of 2009), who features in Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum’s world-first Cancer Revolution exhibition: Science, innovation and hope as one of the amazing women revolutionizing cancer research, treatment and care. Sigourney campaigns to give visibility to the black scientific community, increase access and ensure black cancer patients receive equitable treatment. You can read more on their blog here. Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation and hope will run in Manchester until 27 March 2022 and then tour to the Science Museum in London.
