Julie Ward
(she/her)Artivist and Political Animal
Now is not the time to stand on the sidelines. We all have agency and when we find common cause with others we can be a powerful and unstoppable force. It is imperative that women have a seat at the table where decisions are made because when women are included everyone wins.
Julie is a poet, theatremaker and cultural activist who campaigns for social justice. She began her working life on the factory floor but went on to work in the arts using participatory approaches to promote social change. She arrived in North East England in 1984 at the height of the Miners Strike and made her home in the pit village of Sunniside, establishing an award-winning arts collective Jack Drum Arts.
Julie was named NE Woman Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003. Her poems have been carved onto way-markers, flown on kites, appeared on London buses and been presented as evidence in a Public Inquiry as part of a campaign to stop open-cast mining. An advocate for life-long learning, Julie went to university in her early 50s, gaining a Masters in Education and International Development. In 2014 she was elected to represent the Labour Party in the European Parliament. During her five year mandate she served on committees for Culture & Education and Women's Rights & Gender Equality. She now divides her time between caring for her grandchildren, volunteering on various boards and campaigning on issues such as climate and migrants rights. Julie is an Honorary Fellow of Durham University's Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing.