Ladies in Lockdown, together in kindness
Let's Talk|July 2020
From small beginnings, an international group of thousands of women has been brought together by a Suffolk woman. Angi Kennedy talks to its remarkable founder Jo Harmer.
Angi Kennedy
Ladies in Lockdown, together in kindness

Sometimes ideas take on a life of their own ... getting bigger and better than it could ever have been imagined.

Ladies in Lockdown is a perfect example. The ‘stone’ was thrown into the water by Jo Harmer but the ripples she set off now spread out across the world, bringing with them kindness and friendship to many thousands of women during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jo, 48, is a businesswoman from Lowestoft with a passion for supporting people. As well as running her own luxury wedding props suppliers Bespoke Sweets and Treats which covers much of East Anglia, Jo is the co-founder of a business networking group, Women In Networking, which brings together women in Norfolk and Suffolk with regular meetings. and daily contact on social media.

So, when the government introduced restrictions and lockdown to fight the spread of the coronavirus, Jo quickly realised that there was a need for supporting women through the difficult days that could be ahead.

On March 24 she launched a Facebook group – Ladies in Lockdown – and invited her friends and business contacts to join.

“I love supporting people in every way I can, so I thought why not create a little ladies’ group for anyone who might be feeling lonely at the moment,” she explains.

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