Dear Queenager
This week has been quite the celebration – the NOON Christmas party in Mayfair fell on the eve of my birthday and a few days before that of my Editorial Director Jennifer. What a night it was!
I felt quite overwhelmed to see so many wonderful women, such Queenly Queenagers all assembled at the AllBright club. Last year we had a Christmas gathering and there were about 20 of us at the Soho Flat. This year it was five times that number and the buzz in the room was incredible!
It was the roar of 120 “women of a certain age” setting the world to rights. (Thanks so much for bringing back that moniker, Gregg Wallace. You’ve really put us Queenagers front and centre in the news.) And it wasn’t just in London.
There were NOON Christmas gatherings in Surrey and Cheltenham and Bristol too; walks in Cardiff, Birmingham and Brighton. And the second NOON Circle in Santa Barbara California is happening soon … wow.
A stellar week for Queenagers
It’s been a coming-of-age week for NOON.
As I set off for a birthday spa break with my husband, Gregg-gate hit the media. I wrote this for The Independent on the way to the Cotswolds – about how the “rock star” male performers in all industries – not just TV – get away with behaviour the rest of us wouldn’t, and that it has to stop.
While I got my hair done for the party, I wrote this for Grazia. The gist: Queenagers are the ones who have the power to call out unreconstructed berks like Gregg because we’re not scared, have less to lose and are determined that our daughters not have to put up with the “hand on the arse” work culture that we did.
Should I … thank … Gregg?
Angels come in strange guises: In some ways Gregg Wallace has made manifest what I’ve been saying for 3 years now – that midlife women have power, that when we support each other and raise our voices together and call out things, we really can change the cultural dynamic.
Gregg’s also been brilliant for NOON. Why? Well, I was asked to go on LBC Nick Ferrari at Breakfast to talk with my old chum Nick about Gregg-Gate – but given I was away on my one night of birthday break, I thought my husband might not appreciate that. So I said no.
Quick as a flash they whizzed back: Is there anyone else from NOON who can come on? I said, Yes, of course: Our brilliant Editorial Director Jennifer Howze. (For those of you who haven’t met Jen yet, she’s an award-winning journalist, we worked together at The Times and she helped me launch NOON.)
She went on and did a great job you can listen above or hear her here. She talked about how, yes, we do have a sense of humour and yes, it’s important that the Government made a statement, given that Gregg is an MBE, a supposed “national treasure” and a huge presence at the BBC (which knew about complaints long before now).
We’re proud to be the voice of Queenagers
What was brilliant about that appearance is that it is a coming-of-age for us: NOON really is the media voice of Queenagers – those “women of a certain age” – and recognised as such. That’s a huge thing to celebrate as we come to the end of this momentous year.
All this makes us wonder: What are you doing with your Queenager voice?
Do you feel more certain or better placed to speak out against things you see going wrong at the workplace, in social situations, in personal relationships or just when you’re out and about?
When’s the last time you spoke out? What issues are you passionate about? Is there an issue that makes you want to take a stand?
We can all use our experiences, our insights, even new questions brought up during midlife to make things better.
We’d love for you to pop over to our Instagram post about this newsletter and let us know what you’d like to do with your Queenager voice!
Update about our NOON Crowdfunder
This past week we’ve also seen the friendship and generosity of many of you. When it comes to building community, I am so grateful to all of you who have supported our NOON Crowdfunder already. The team and I feel are touched by each and every contribution, at every level. Thanks too to our wonderful experts and advisory board for all their input.
My plea to those of you who have been reading and enjoying this newsletter for a while but who don’t subscribe and support NOON that way is to please, please pop us a little donation to reflect your appreciation for the work we are doing. If you value this voice, please support us.
Just think: There are 17,000 of you reading this. If all of you gave £10 or even £5, that would make a HUGE difference to what we can do for all of you lovely Queenagers.
What we’re planning with the funds
In the pipeline already is an expansion of our Walks and Circles and Queenager Guides to Dating, Divorce, Job Hunting and Redundancy. We’re about to debut our Queenager Guide to Menopause, providing answers that you can’t find elsewhere.
The more we raise, the more we can do.
How you can donate
We’d love it if you would pop over to our Crowdfunder now and give what you can to support NOON and your fellow Queenagers
A quick look at my TLS review
Alongside everything else this past week, a lovely review of my book Much More to Come appeared in The Times Literary Supplement (subscription needed). As an English Literature Graduate, I can’t tell you how chuffed I am about that; it is a badge of literary honour – in some ways even more of a thing than being on the Times Bestseller list.
Xx
Eleanor
P.S. Looking forward to seeing lots of you for Book Club on Monday. There’s still time to register.
P.P.S. Do read this wonderful article on NOON.org.uk by Katja Meier, an award-winning screenwriter, on her battle to make this Queenager TV series in “a media industry where men have a full life while women have a half life”, where they told her to make her protagonist in her 30s not 50s, although her life experience was the whole point! We’re happy to support Katja on her mission
P.P.P.S. For our flagship NOON Circle in London hosted by me, we’ve moved to our new venue to allow for more attendees and this means we need to cover our costs: From January, tickets cost £20. Tickets are available through the Events area on NOON.org.uk– NOT EVENTBRITE – click here to book your slot.
NOTE: Our other Circles remain free to attend for members.
