The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Today (Friday, December 14) marks exactly 100 years since the first women voted in a General Election.
And to celebrate, some prominent local women held a Suffragettes Tea Party at Ayscoughfee Hall last week where they paid tribute to those women who helped take huge steps in the fight towards equality.
Coun Elizabeth Sneath with the wreath she made alongside Ayscoughfee Hall museum manager Julia Knight.
They included Jennifer Alcock who recently found out her grandmother Florence Mary Summers stood alongside Emily Pankhurst.
Ayscoughfee Hall was decked out in green, white and purple, the colours of the Suffragettes symbolising hope, purity and dignity with the teas served on vintage china.
Museum manager Julia Knight talked to guests about the history of women in local politics and about the Johnson women who lived in the Hall, the last of whom sold the house to the people
of Spalding.
The event was organised by Councillor Elizabeth Sneath whose grandmother also
attend Suffrage marches.
She said: “It’s been about getting people together to celebrate the momentous events of 100 years ago.”
The Heritage Champion at both South Holland District Council and Lincolnshire County Council, continued: “It was a quiet way of showing solidarity with their sister Suffragettes in a feminine and tasteful way because they were often accused of being unfeminine and dangerously manly.
“The preparations and celebrations of this year (and yet another film) has brought them back into focus and reminded the nation of their incredible sacrifices and determination and ensures that they will never be ignored and forgotten again.
“I am incredibly proud that here in South Holland we will always have a reminder of the Suffrage movement in the naming of our Welland Homes project as ‘Pankhurst Close’ with this year engraved on feature bricks so Park Road will always be very famous for that.
“The Suffrage exhibition in the Hall was very well received and again raised the profile of their campaign so well done Julia and team for that.”
