International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8 March 2024, under the theme Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress, is a global event celebrating women in every aspect of human activity. On Saturday, 9 March, the Welsh Petanque Association (WPA) held an event supporting International Women’s Day for women petanque players in Wales.

The event’s goal was to inspire and empower more women to play pétanque, build on their skills, and develop a community of women pétanque players for the future. In turn, the goal was to make new friends and have an enjoyable social day of pétanque.

The melee and afternoon tea event was well supported, with 44 Women enjoying the games. It was particularly great to see so many women club players who only usually play at their local club come along to join in the fun.

While it was fun, given the number of times an independent measure was requested, it had a competitive edge. That said, the following prizes were presented to handed out to the following players by the event organiser, Gill Greenwell:

Events like these are a “united” effort, and we wish to thank the following:

A big thank you must go to Gill Greenwell for spending considerable time organising and ensuring everyone felt welcome. Her new-found love of a “whistle” certainly got everyone’s attention, and Joy Griffin for assisting with the food afterwards, which everyone enjoyed. 

The WPA also thanks Monkstone Petanque Club for its ongoing support and use of its facilities.

A final thank you must go to all the Women who participated in the event. Seeing everyone come together to celebrate International Women’s Day was inspiring. The WPA calendar has already been updated with next year’s event.