North East Connected

Women to mark 100 since they got the vote with North Shields march and event

Celebrations to mark 100 years since women got the vote will see dozens of people march through North Shields.

Men and women will hold placards to commemorate a century of universal suffrage on the march, which begins on Northumberland Square at 1pm on Saturday, before heading to The Exchange, on nearby Howard Street.

Debates, music, speeches and drama performances will all be on the bill at the ‘Celebrating Votes for Women’ event, which comes just two days after International Women’s Day (Thursday).

Organiser Penny Remfry, from North Tyneside Women’s Voices, said: “For the last five years we have organised International Women’s Day celebration with North Tyneside Youth Council.

“However with it being the centenary of votes for women this year the young people decided to march, both to highlight the occasion but also to encourage young people to register to vote, and to use their vote.

“It should be a really enjoyable afternoon, and we are very happy to have elected Mayor Norma Redfearn, the chair of North Tyneside Council and a representative from Girl Guides involved, too.”

Following the afternoon celebrations, which take place from 2pm-5pm, a number of short plays will be performed in The Exchange’s 300-seater auditorium at ‘Hear Her Roar’.

All of the plays, put on by not-for-profit-theatre company Workie Ticket Theatre, will either be written by or starring women, and deal with modern-day issues faced by women.

Workie Ticket, partly funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery Trust and Catherine Cookson Trust, will raise money on the night for Newcastle Women’s Aid.

They will also make a collection for The Red Box Project, which provides girls with free access to sanitary products.

Workie Ticket founder JoJo Kirtley said: “All the plays are directed, produced and written by women, and star women from across the North East.

“They raise lots of important issues, focusing on themes including abortions, domestic abuse, #metoo, disability and parenting.

“Hopefully we are able to help as many women as possible too, with our collections not just of money but also sanitary products which will go to girls who can’t afford them.”

On bringing the event to North Shields, she added: “The Exchange is perfect for everything we stand for, and it is even more pertinent that a woman, Karen Knox, heads up their team.

“I think this could be the start of a great relationship between Workie Ticket and The Exchange.”

Karen is Artistic Director of The Exchange, which reopened in January 2016 as a cultural arts venue with charitable status.

She added: “We are really pleased to be supporting these fantastic organisations who are organising wonderful events to mark this very special occasion and highlighting some extremely important issues.

“This is yet another example of The Exchange, a charity in itself, supporting other charities and not-for-profit groups in the North East, which is what we are all about.”

For more information on the march, email premfry015@aol.com. For information on Hear Her Roar and Workie Ticket TC, head to https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/theexchange or call 0191 258 4111.

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