From Phoenix Farm to Ravenscourt Glasshouses, Hammersmith’s community gardens offer much needed pockets of nature in our urban landscape. Five of these green spaces are managed by Hammersmith Community Gardens Association (HCGA), which also looks after community spaces in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea. The charity is led by Director Cathy Maund, who also finds time […]
To mark International Women’s Day on 8th March 2025, we’re celebrating some of Hammersmith’s top female community leaders. Simi Ryatt, CEO at Citizens Advice Hammersmith & Fulham, tells us about her career and why she’d love to see more female role models. Tell us about the difference you’re making in Hammersmith. I am the CEO […]
More than 330,000 people are on the social housing waiting list in London. Many properties that used to be social housing have been sold off over the years and not replaced. In Hammersmith and Fulham alone, 827 social homes were sold and 434 were demolished between 2012 and 2022, and only 129 new social homes […]
Could you be our next Chair of Trustees?
We are looking for an exceptional individual who shares our values and aspirations for Hammersmith. If you have the vision, leadership skills, and a genuine connection to our mission, we would be delighted to hear from you.
“Women are powerful. When women come together, we can achieve so much.”
In honour of International Women’s Day, we’ve been talking to some of the inspiring women who are making a difference in Hammersmith. Dr. Christina Kondu is Founder and CEO of the Bassuah Legacy Foundation, a charity working to support single parents and their families in London and Ghana.
What comes to mind when you think of International Women’s Day?When I hear ‘International Women’s Day’, I think of resilience, empowerment and progress. It is a day to honour the contributions of women in every sphere, whether in leadership, community work, education or the home. It reminds us that while we celebrate how far we’ve come, there is still work to do in ensuring equal opportunities for all. As a woman leading a charity, I see first hand the strength of women coming together to support, uplift and create lasting change.
I lost my husband at an early age, which meant I had to raise my children alone. Being a single parent for over 30 years was incredibly tough. In 2015, I had an accident and then needed a major operation in 2016, and then I lost my son soon after the operation.
Life became even more challenging. The pain never goes away; it is something I carry with me every day. But I try to heal myself by supporting others, working hard and turning my pain into purpose.
Through the Bassuah Legacy Foundation, we have made a difference to hundreds of single-parent families, giving them hope, a safe space and meaningful support. Our programmes focus on reducing isolation, empowering women and young people, and helping people re-enter the workforce.
Absolutely. While progress has been made, gender inequality is still deeply rooted in many aspects of society. Women continue to face barriers in leadership, the workplace and even in their personal lives. These barriers are often subtle, such as stereotypes, unequal opportunities or the expectation that women should balance it all without proper support.
In the UK, women remain underrepresented in top corporate roles, the gender pay gap persists, and women often face barriers in industries like finance, tech and politics. I am from Ghana, which has also made progress in women’s representation but still has a long way to go. While it is significant that the current vice president is a woman, true gender equality goes beyond a single leadership position. The fact that the Ghanaian cabinet has only two women highlights the ongoing gap in political representation and decision-making power. Equality means equal participation at all levels, not just symbolic representation.
For single mothers world-wide, the challenges can be even greater. They are often stigmatised, judged, underestimated or left out of opportunities simply because they are raising children alone. This is why organisations like the Bassuah Legacy Foundation are committed to breaking down stereotypes and creating a fairer society where every woman is valued for her contributions regardless of her circumstances.
True gender equality will only be achieved when women and men have the same opportunities, the same respect, the same pay, and the same freedom to make choices without bias or limitation. Until then, we must keep raising our voices, supporting one another and challenging the barriers that still exist.
Many women leaders inspire me, each in different ways. Michelle Obama stands out for her grace, intelligence and dedication to education and women’s empowerment. She has used her platform to advocate for girls’ education, health and leadership, showing that true power comes from lifting others up.
I am also inspired by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization. She is a strong, trailblazing African woman who has broken barriers in global finance and trade, proving that women belong at the highest decision-making tables.
Another remarkable leader is Jacinda Ardern. Her compassionate leadership has set an example of what modern leadership should look like.
On a more personal level, I draw inspiration from everyday women who fight against the odds, such as single mothers, community leaders and grassroots activists. Their resilience, strength and ability to turn pain into purpose remind me of why I do the work I do. These community leaders include Farial Missi at Imperial College, who leads the Agents of Change Women’s Community Leadership Programme, and Sue Spiller at Sobus.
Women leaders inspire me in many ways and their stories remind me that no barrier is too high to overcome.
The Bassuah Legacy Foundation offers a range of support for single-parent families in London and Ghana, including:
The Bassuah Legacy Foundation is always keen to hear from single-parent families who want to be part of the charity, along with other individuals who are interested in volunteering opportunities or who want to support the charity’s work.
Find out more at: www.bassuahlegacy.org or by contacting Christina on WhatsApp on +44 7544 757987.
“Women still don’t shout about their strengths enough.”
From Phoenix Farm to Ravenscourt Glasshouses, Hammersmith’s community gardens offer much needed pockets of nature in our urban landscape. Five of these green spaces are managed by Hammersmith Community Gardens Association (HCGA), which also looks after community spaces in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea. The charity is led by Director Cathy Maund, who also finds time to be Treasurer of the London City Farms & Community Gardens Association.
We spoke to Cathy for our Inspiring women series, in the run up to International Women’s Day.
Do you think the UK has achieved gender equity, or are there still some barriers to overcome?There are still challenges but things are changing; I can see that with my daughter’s experience of work. When I had kids, we had to pay for absolutely everything when it came to childcare, whereas now some of it is funded. However, statutory maternity pay is still crap! As a charity, I wish we could give people a year off on full pay, but we just can’t afford to do that.
Many women choose not to work in high-pressured jobs full time so that we can have a family, but that does come at a financial cost. It’s always a juggle.
No, but I’ve always worked in the charity sector and have been with HCGA for more than 30 years, so I think things might have been different if I’d been climbing the corporate ladder.
One of the things I’m very proud about is that HCGA has always been mainly led by women. At the moment, we’re up to 23 people – three are men and the rest are women. I think women are more likely than men to move into the charity sector; they often move over from the corporate sector when they’ve had kids.
The team works very collectively, we have quite a flat organisational structure. It’s a very small, close world, the community gardening and city farming world, and it’s been a privilege to work for one organisation for so long and see it grow.
Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, is pretty good. I also really like Margaret Atwood, partly because I enjoy reading, but also because she’s quite political in what she says.
Women still don’t shout about their strengths and achievements enough, and they should.
HCGA celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. Along with managing community gardens, the charity runs a range of projects, from weekly sessions in schools to community workshops.
HCGA is currently running a series of free walks to help people discover new places in their borough. Find out more at https://hcga.org.uk/events/
“We cannot look at things in isolation.”
To mark International Women’s Day on 8th March 2025, we’re celebrating some of Hammersmith’s top female community leaders. Simi Ryatt, CEO at Citizens Advice Hammersmith & Fulham, tells us about her career and why she’d love to see more female role models.
Tell us about the difference you’re making in Hammersmith.I am the CEO of Citizens Advice Hammersmith & Fulham, where I have been for 14 years. Over those years, I have built strong relationships with the many different people working across different sectors, from commissioners to politicians, council officers, service users and peers working in other voluntary sector organisations. I feel that Citizens Advice makes a massive impact in the community and transforms people’s lives, and I feel very privileged to be able to lead an organisation that makes such a big difference. It makes my job so much more meaningful. It also helps me to have impact in other areas. I am currently a trustee of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, which explores the relationship between money and mental health.
I believe I would have encountered more barriers had I remained in the private sector. I initially pursued a career in law, training to become a solicitor, but the legal profession in this country is well-established and has traditionally been male dominated. At the time, I felt that opportunities in law were largely accessible to individuals from certain economic backgrounds, often those with private or public school education and established professional networks – none of which I had as a woman of colour, an immigrant, and someone without those connections to accelerate my career. Securing a training contract was particularly challenging, which led me to begin volunteering at Citizens Advice.
As a child, I had an idealistic vision of using the law to help people. However, I found that within the legal profession, the emphasis was predominantly on financial targets, which I didn’t find personally fulfilling. My passion lay in social justice – ensuring that individuals who struggled to access legal support received the help they needed. This realisation led me to focus more on my work at Citizens Advice, where I eventually transitioned into a paid role and worked my way up.
Citizens Advice, with its national reach and federated structure, has provided me with extensive opportunities to work across different parts of the organisation, both locally and nationally, broadening my experience and skill set. This foundation also opened doors for me in the private sector. For example, alongside my role at Citizens Advice, I worked as a freelance trainer, delivering management and leadership training for major corporate organisations.
Ultimately, the charity sector has provided me with career opportunities that I may not have been able to access as easily in the private sector, enabling me to develop professionally while staying true to my values and commitment to social justice.
I think so. We cannot look at things in isolation. When I was younger, I certainly didn’t appreciate the intricacies or the importance of that intersectionality – about how important the networks are, how important it is to go to the right school, to get the right job etc, and how not doing so places you at a huge disadvantage. Alongside being a person of colour and being a woman, all of that just makes the mountain a little bit harder to climb.
It’s very important to me to have integrity and to be authentic. I want to make a difference and help people, but to do that in a way that is open and transparent. I have been lucky in my current role to have been given the flexibility to work around my children, which as a single parent enabled me to hold a senior leadership position. Through this, I learned that flexibility and trust actually enhances performance, unleashes creativity and fosters commitment – traits which I think are really important in a senior leadership role. As such, my leadership style is to provide flexibility, operate on the basis of trust and give people the freedom to flourish without micromanaging them.
There are numerous steps that governments and organisations can take to promote gender equity. Firstly, organisations should make top-level, public commitments to gender equality, ensuring that it is embedded within their culture and strategic objectives. Addressing the gender pay gap is also critical. While legislation plays a role, transparency around pay scales – particularly at senior levels – is essential to ensuring fair and equitable compensation.
Access to education and professional development pathways is another key factor. Financial barriers often prevent women from advancing in their careers, so providing sponsorships, scholarships or funded training programmes can help bridge this gap and create more equitable opportunities.
Organisations should also implement clear, objective performance frameworks that provide evidence-based assessments of achievement. Transparent promotion pathways enable women to understand what is required to progress into leadership roles, reducing ambiguity and ensuring that talent and capability are recognised fairly.
Additionally, flexible working policies are crucial in supporting work-life balance, particularly for those with childcare or other caregiving responsibilities. By fostering an inclusive workplace culture that accommodates diverse needs, organisations can help create an environment where women can thrive and advance in their careers.
I believe there is a noticeable lack of visible female role models – women who young professionals and aspiring leaders can look up to for inspiration. Men often tend to be more vocal about their achievements, whereas women, in general, may not always highlight their accomplishments as prominently.
Locally, there seem to be limited platforms for showcasing and promoting community leaders. Creating more opportunities for visibility could lead to initiatives such as mentoring and shadowing, which would be invaluable for aspiring women leaders.
One potential solution could be organising a conference featuring women leaders from Hammersmith and the surrounding areas. This could serve as a platform for them to share their experiences, discuss the challenges they have overcome, and offer guidance to others. By fostering dialogue and mentorship, such an initiative could help support the next generation of female leaders and promote greater gender equity in leadership.
Citizens Advice Hammersmith & Fulham provides free, confidential advice about benefits, debt, housing, employment and consumer rights. You can call 0808 278 7832 for advice, chat to an adviser online, or speak to someone face-to-face at:
Avonmore Library
North End Road W14 8TG
Monday to Friday, 10am-3.30pm
Citizens Advice @ Nourish Hub
Nourish Hub, Unit A, Swanscombe House, 1 St Ann’s Road, W11 4SS
Tuesday & Wednesday, 10am-3.30pm
