WOMEN across the county joined forces to mark International Women’s Day last weekend in Bridport.

Organised by Bridport’s feminist group BridFem, women of all ages performed a ‘break the chains’ dance in Bucky Doo Square and there were film showings, plays and stalls raising awareness and funds for women’s causes.

Jo Adams, co-organiser at BridFem, said: “The Bridport events to mark International Women’s Day have been running for four years now and it’s really become quite a tradition.

“We had stalls raising money for the women’s charity Women Worldwide, music, the Gundry Wildcats came in costume and there was a flashmob dance at midday about One Billion Rising, a campaign against domestic violence and abuse.

“There was also a community pop-up play at The Avenue restaurant and then a showing of the documentary Miss Representation, so we had a really good celebration of International Women’s Day which really put Bridport on the map.”

Jo explained that although there had been many significant advances for women in recent years, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure women’s equality.

She said: “There are still plenty of issues that need to be addressed. We still have fewer than 20 percent of MPs that are women; there is still a large gender pay gap; women are increasingly affected by austerity measures including zero hours contracts and benefits cuts; and throughout the world there is still violence and abuse against women.”

She added: “International Women’s Day is about drawing attention to these issues, but it’s also about celebrating women’s achievements too, so we discussed inspirational women like Oprah Winfrey, Caitlin Moran and Maya Angelou."

BridFem is also supporting Dorset Women’s Week, Jo said.

Organised by the Women’s Action Network Dorset, which runs this week and culminates in Dorset Women’s Day on Saturday, there will be a range of talks, activities and entertainment at the Dorford Centre in Dorchester.

Jo added that Dorset women are encouraged to attend events for Dorset Women’s Day this Saturday, and events take place from 10am to 4pm on the day.

For more information about Dorset Women’s Week, visit wandwomen.org.uk website.