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Veronica Barnes
By Angela Wathoni
Veronica is the founder of
Blue Mountain Women Group,
initially set up to support
women with African-Caribbean and
African backgrounds at the time of their
menopause. Blue Mountain Women are now
working on a new Black History collection
with Nottinghamshire Archives, supported
by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Veronica also
volunteers a lot of her time to educating
and championing projects around race and
social justice, and is a founder member of
the Nottingham-based Slave Trade Legacies
heritage project.
Veronica Barnes won’t mind me telling you that
she’s a senior. Still making beautiful bags and
cards, she’s a mellower version of her dynamic
and forceful self of her younger days. A fine figure
of a woman and certainly doesn’t look her age!
She’s also one of the pioneering women who set
up Blue Mountain Women Enterprise to reach
out to the women of African and Jamaican
heritage in a creative way. the Blue Mountains
of Jamaica are a gorgeous reminder of the joys
and challenges of health, in particular sickle cell
and the menopause. Much of the carefully boxed
history will become part of the Nottingham Black
Archive
The name comes from the Blue Mountains
of Jamaica but it’s a good metaphor for this
life stage, a wonderful triumph when you get
through it, new views, new vistas but on the way
up it can be very, very daunting!
The Blue Mountain Women’s Group was set up
as women’s community based group organising
awareness seminars on the Menopause and
other women’s issues. The idea is to provide
information which will enable women to make
informed decisions about their health and well
being.
Veronica is available to speak and discuss with
all women but particularly women of African and
Caribbean descent. The role of elders like Veronica
to Henpicked‘s work in developing education,
resources and support around the menopause
(see last week’s article in the Telegraph) in the
creation of confidential, supportive and non-
judgemental environments is vital. If you’d like
Veronica to speak at your event, do contact her:
[email protected]