On Thursday 08 September, beginning at 4pm, a colossal 5km of silk ribbon cut into 10,000+ lengths will be draped artistically across Birmingham city centre trees and monuments to represent the 10,000+ women that the charity has empowered and delivered hope to over the last three decades.
“We hope the installation will be a beautiful and emotionally powerful artistic addition to the cityscape,” said the charity’s CEO, Marcia Lewinson.
WAITS intend the ribbons to draw attention to the plight of women, the strength of women, the unity of women and the silver lining of hope that women can always find, even in the most wretched of circumstances.
100 proud Brummie women will create the Silver Ribbon Trail, walking from Greenfield Crescent, Edgbaston to the grounds of St Philips Cathedral, St Philip’s Square (Pigeon Park).
The flowing carnival-type event will see participants encouraged every step of the way by a lady bagpiper, a raucous drum band, soul singers, artists, VIP speakers, city heroes, poets, harlequins and even a 25-voice choir.
Refreshments will be provided along the route of the Trail by friends of WAITS at various establishments including Chapter Edgbaston, Dishoom, The Florence, The Rep, Heidi’s and Manahatta.
Speakers at the event will include Maureen Cornish, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Canon Eve Pitts, Professor Dr Jane Monckton Smith, Deborah Cadman OBE, Chief Exec of Birmingham Council with several others in the process of confirming.
The format of the trail will be subject to change each year, with new features and unique elements introduced to maintain the freshness of the events.
Unique to this year, The Florence bar has created a bespoke cocktail, The Silver Ribbon, to a secret recipe, to be served at the after-party following the creation of the Trail and available for one week only after the night of the Trail’s creation – much of the proceeds going to the WAITS charity.
The Rep restaurant will house a week-long art exhibition of oil on canvas and photographic art focused on the eclectic and often challenging subject of the empowerment of women with up to ten artists’ works on show.
The creative management at the PoliNations extravaganza in Victoria Square is generously incorporating the Trail into their gigantic exhibition, not only allowing the Trailers a stint on their main stage for our guest singer, Juliette Farrell, to perform and address the 100 women but also designing a bespoke fence area to lace with ribbons.
Along the Trail posters will be fixed explaining the purpose of the Trail to the public and showcasing individual examples of Birmingham women who are cause for celebration.
Many of these women are public figures, some even iconic historical figures, but others are women who have found success after being empowered by WAITS and going on to achieve genuine happiness, despite the odds stacked so mightily against them.
This genuinely unique event is designed to draw attention to the work carried out by WAITS, a charity dealing with domestic abuse, homelessness, community integration and women’s refuge. The charity’s work over the years has majorly affected hundreds of thousands of lives in Birmingham, so there is much to be proud of and a great deal that is worthy of the spotlight.
For further details and to register to take part visit www.silverribbon.co.uk
Precise locations: Chapter Edgbaston restaurant, Five Ways Underpass garden, Broad Street by Heidi’s Bar, the pools in Brindley Place, The Rep in Centenary Square, Dishoom Birmingham restaurant in Chamberlain Square, the main stage at the PoliNations installation in Victoria Square, the grassy area surrounding the Cathedral in St Philip’s Square and The Florence on Edmund St
