CHAINMAIL
What is National Women Support Women Day?
National Women Support Women Day takes place on the 1st of December every year. According to Days of the Year, it began in 2018 and was created by Amy O’Donnell to honour influential women in fields such as the arts and business. The day asks for kindness, encouragement and honest recognition of what women have achieved. People mark it by writing letters of appreciation to mentors and friends, giving sincere compliments and sharing #WomenSupportingWomen.
I am a London-based filmmaker, and much of what I know about this work came from the women around me. This year I wanted to mark the day properly.
What I noticed, what I decided and why?
When I compliment my female and female identifying friends, I notice the same thing almost every time. They deflect it or doubt they deserve it. The women I most admire work damn hard, and everyone who knows them knows this. I have never understood why the truth is so hard for them to believe.
I have been fortunate to have strong women around me throughout my life. Some helped me back up when I was down, and others simply sat beside me. Plenty more were happy to talk past midnight and share their ideas with me. I would not be who I am, or have come this far, without them.
So for National Women Support Women Day I decided to thank them properly, in a form that is harder to deflect. I have nominated a few wonderful women in my life. There will be a card about each of them on this page. Each card carries her picture and name, a handwritten note from me and a link to her work. I have found that a spoken compliment can be brushed aside in the moment, but her note will stay here for her to read again.
WHAT IS CHAINMAIL?
I have asked my nominees to nominate someone in turn, so the page grows into a chain of women thanking one another. Hence, the campaign is called ChainMail.
Support comes from many directions, so I also opened nominations. Anyone can nominate a woman they admire, write her a handwritten note and share the form link with her.
You can nominate someone today! Your name will appear on your nominee’s card as the nominator, and she can then continue the chain. My goal is to reach 100 women by the 1st of December 2027. Nominate the woman in your life who has never quite believed it, and write her a note she can keep.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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You can nominate any woman in your life who has made an impact on you
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Yes! And I would encourage you to do so, if they can fill in their forms before the 20th of November 2026, that would be perfect. More the merrier!
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You can send them a link to this page, there is a button to access the form.
You then need to write your handwritten note to them and submit a photograph of it to srishti@gunpowderhouse.co.uk by 20th of November 2026
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Ideally yes! We want to see a photograph of you here, it will be of your choice so pick one which you love.
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The note can just be a short personal note from you saying why you chose this person, what effect they have had on your life and why you want to shout about them now. It doesn't have to be formal, it can be worded like you might say the words to them directly