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 she carries herself with energy and beauty.
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.
Above: Blue Mountains on the horizon, Jamaica: image Doug Pearson Photography
Much of the carefully boxed history will become part of the Nottingham Black Archive
The name of the women’s group came out of the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. (Can you imagine how life giving visualising this beautiful place (where the coffee comes from). The Blue Mountain is a good metaphor for this life stage, a wonderful triumph when you get to it, 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, health and other 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 leading out ideas, like this blog where Veronica and I walked around the outskirts of Nottingham, musing on history in November 2016 just before Remembrance Day. (This article, originally an interview with Veronica to start the blog: signsofanopencity in November 2016 was reproduced in Mojatu magazine March 22nd 2019)
f you’d like Veronica to speak at your event, do contact her: veronicaebarnes@gmail.com
