History Walks: Women’s Pilgrimage Centenary

While our masses stay strangely placid amid huge cuts to jobs, benefits and expenditure while others revolt around the world, it’s nice to be reminded of the fact that, when it properly matters, the people of Britain can unite to fight for greater good. The Women’s Pilgrimage was 100 years ago this month – where members of the suffrage movement joined together to march from Carlisle to London to try and pressure Parliament into giving equal rights for voting. It wasn’t until after World War I until it actually happened, but the Pilgrimage proved to be a pivotal moment, and over the course of two days, Red Flag Walks are holding two tours to commemorate it.

“Manchester First in the Fight”: Votes for Women, 1866 – 1928
Telling the story of the Votes for Women movement, this tour will explore the work of those  influential in bringing equality top democracy, including Lydia Becker, Esther Roper, Teresa Billington, Eva Gore-Booth, Nellie Keenan, Annie Kenney, Mabel Capper, Annot Robinson, Hannah Mitchell and the Pankhurst family. Given Manchester’s crucial role in the suffrage movement, there should be a lot to see and discuss.
Sat 13 July, Starts at Friends Meeting Point, 6 Mount Street, Manchester, M2 5NS, Starts 1.45pm, £6/£5 concs, email redflagwalks@gmail.com to book

“Up Then Brave Women”: Manchester’s radical women.
A look at the more extreme fringes of the move towards equality, including the Co-operative Women’s Guild, Socialist women, Mary and Lizzy Burns, women writers on the Manchester Guardian, Mrs Gaskell, the Manchester Society of Women Artists and women at Peterloo (fitting, given their place in the headlines at the moment thanks to The Masque of Anarchy). This walk is in tandem with Blank Media’s excellent Equals project – who hold a feminist Speed Debating event on 11 Jul
Sun 14 Jul, Starts at Co-Operative Bank, Corporation Street, Manchester, M60 4EP, Starts 11.30am, £6/£5 concs, email redflagwalks@gmail.com to book