Chance to celebrate those who changed the course of women’s voting history

Tomorrow’s International Women’s Day (March 8) marks the launch of anationalprojectto find andhonour 100pioneers who helpedchange the course of history nearly a century ago to make surewomen received the vote.

The influential Women’s Local Government Society, chaired by Buckinghamshire County and Wycombe District councillor Lesley Clarke OBE, is calling on local people from across the country to identify, research and nominate those women and men who were active in the campaign to extend the vote towomen.

The ambitious project runs from now until 2018,to mark the centenary of theRepresentation of the People Act 1918, the legislation that first allowedproperty-owning womenover 30 to vote.

Mrs Clarke said that the project not only provides the chance to honour those people who made a difference, but also gives local people, schools and other groups the chance to do somereal detective work to find and fully researchtheir nominated person.

“People take voting for granted these days, but the reality is that its been hard fought, particularly for women,so it’s absolutely right that we should be celebrating this landmark for democracy.

” We’re looking for’suffrage pioneers’ – those ordinary people who did extraordinary things to bring about changes in the law. It’s so important we tell their stories, both in the run up to 1918 and beyond.

“We really want people to travel back in time and unearth these potentially untold stories.Perhaps your grandparents or other family members might have been activists?Perhaps there’s a local statue of someone or folklore about a person who helpedbring about the change? Whatever it is, we want to know about it!

“The bestpart is that we really don’t know what local people will unearth, but I’m sure we’re in for some real life stories and surprises.

Mrs Clarke added, “Whether it’s voting nationally, or locally like in this year’s County Council elections on May 4th, it’s important to recognisethe work ofprevious generations which has shaped the way we vote today.”

Local people andorganisationshave untilOctober 31 to submit their nominations. Full details, including the nomination forms are available on thewww.suffrage-pioneers.netwebsite. You can also follow @suffragepioneer on Twitter for the latest news.