WHAT IS HAPPENING:

Women's Bursary Launch

We will be launching our 2026 Bursary Awards. This year’s launch is particularly special, as we celebrate 30 years of the Newport Women’s Forum Bursary. 

Please come along to meet us, learn more about the work we do, and find out how the bursary can support women, and groups of women, aged 18 and over in Newport to achieve their goals. 

Following the launch, the 2026 bursary application will go live on our website. We would be grateful for your support in spreading the word across your networks to encourage as many women as possible to apply.

Comedy Gala

Don't miss our International Women’s Day Comedy Gala on Saturday 7 March at 7:30pm with ALEXANDRA HADDOW, SIKISA, FELICITY WARD, MEL OWEN & MADELEINE BRETTINGHAM.

The team behind the iconic Machynlleth Comedy Festival (“one of the best festivals in the world” Rhod Gilbert) present a stellar line-up of award-winning comedians from Wales and beyond with credits including The Office Australia, Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week and BBC Radio Wales. 

Prime Minister (12A) Free Screening

We'll be screening a free showing of Prime Minister as part of International Women's Day. Tickets are free but space is limited so please try and book ahead.

The Wallich’s Gwent Women Will Unite

The project is a collaboration between The Wallich’s ‘Gwent Women Will Unite’ and The Royal Foundation's ‘Homewards’ Programme. These groups deal with issues specific to women including homelessness, substance abuse and sexual/domestic violence. The women have been working towards a sharing, engaging in various forms of creative writing, including comedy, horror, drama and poetry. They will present two excerpts.

‘Will homeless women remain out of sight and out of mind? Not if we have anything to do with it.’ 

Workshop: How Sharing Your Strengths Helps Women

This 30minute workshop explores the International Women’s Day 2026 theme, “Give to Gain,” highlighting how sharing our strengths — time, ideas, kindness, or support — creates a powerful cycle of mutual empowerment for women. 

Participants will be introduced to the work of Cyfannol Women’s Aid, learning how the charity provides safety, support, and recovery services for women, children, and young people across the community. The session showcases real examples of how community giving — from fundraising to practical donations — directly transforms lives. 

Through a reflective grounding activity and a practical “How to Champion Cyfannol” segment, attendees will discover meaningful, accessible ways to give their voice, time, connections, or ideas. 

Discussion: Herstory Theatre Group

Herstory Theatre Group will discuss their new theatre piece Pianoforte: The Story of Mary Frost.

Newport playwright Adele Cordner discusses her new play Pianoforte with Sylvia Mason, author of Mary Frost, Wife, Mother, Chartist, the biography that inspired the play. 

Her Story Theatre Company will perform Pianoforte at The Riverfront on 11th June 2026. 

Discussion: What Is It To Be A Woman in Mid-Life?

Come and chat to Noni Lewis about this and other themes in her original new play, Grip of Life. A humourous and touching exploration of memory, the emotional realities of the perimenopause, the impact of grief, guilt, reincarnation and the ‘why’ of life, inspired by the life of Eleanor Daniels.