Women and girls from Kibble were marching in Edinburgh this Sunday (10 June) to mark 100 years since women were first given the vote. They will be joining thousands of others from across the country with events in Belfast, Cardiff and London walking together to mark the historic occasion.
The events are being organised by PROCESSIONS, an organisation set up by the UK Government to commemorate important cultural events during the centenary of the First World War. Women participating in the march have been asked to create their own banners that will be used for the march itself. Staff and young people at Kibble have been working hard over the past few weeks to produce a banner that will be on display.
Jennifer Sloan from Kibble’s Art Department said:
“I want to thank everyone who has been participating in helping to make the banner. This project is an important reminder of the fight that women had just to get the right to vote and I know that some of the young people have been learning about the Suffragettes for the very first time.
“We are taking a group of the young people through to experience the march itself and I know that they are really excited about it. It is important to never forget how these women fought so hard to build a fairer and more equal society.”
In 1918, the Representation of the People Act gave the first British women the right to vote and stand for public office. The Act followed a sustained campaign by Suffragettes and Suffragists who fought for equality for women. Women attending marches across the UK will be asked to wear either green, white or violet, the traditional colours of the suffragette movement.