The West Cornwall Women’s Aid (WCWA) charity has appointed a new chair of trustees.
In recent years Kirsty Arthur has held a number of roles in the police, local government and NHS and in 2021 was elected Mayor of St Ives.
More recently she has been working for Tesco in a national role leading its community engagement strategy, and finally retired from mayoral chains in May which allowed her time to focus on her passion for supporting women.
She said: “I’m delighted to join West Cornwall Women’s Aid as its chair of trustees at a time when sadly violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains prevalent and recent high profile tragic cases continue to bring into focus women’s experiences of male-driven violence.”
Lizzie Matthews, CEO at WCWA, said: “In light of widespread national and local media coverage around men misusing power, misogyny, sexual abuse and rape, we are proud to be announcing Kirsty as our new chair who will work closely with our revitalised board on setting the strategic direction for our charity.
“I will work closely with Kirsty and the board to call upon men in power, men’s organisations, and all men to work with us; to no longer ‘turn a blind eye’ to everyday sexism, to challenge sexist language at every level, to call out sexist jokes and to create an environment where women and girls feel able to speak up.
“We have been working in partnership with Safer Cornwall (Cornwall Council) and Safer Futures on the 16 Days of Activism campaign to raise awareness of gender-based violence, the support that is available across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and what people can do when they see someone engaging in inappropriate and harmful behaviour.”
The 16 Days of Activism campaign against violence against women and girls is an international initiative that takes place each year. It commenced on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and will culminate on December 10, Human Rights Day.
Visit 16 Days of Activism Penzance Facebook page for campaign events and updates.
