With women’s suffrage high on the city’s agenda following the unveiling of the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square, marking one hundred years since the first women in the UK voted in a General Election, the International Women’s Day Board are now calling on the city to show their support once again and join in with hundreds of women as they walk through the city on Saturday 2 March for their flagship Walk for Women 2019.
The festivities start from 2pm in St Peter’s Square. Sashes and rosettes will be available from the Rates Hall in the Town Hall Extension for anyone wishing to wear one. The walk is open to everyone. People will set off from Central Library at 3.00pm making their way to Castlefield Bowl where there will be a range of activities, music and dancing throughout the afternoon.
Councillor Sarah Judge,lead member for women at Manchester City Council and chair of the International Women’s Day Board said: “We ended last year on an inspirational note as thousands of people from all walks of life gathered in the city to celebrate Manchester’s proud legacy on equality and what women have achieved in the last 100 years. We want to build on this goodwill and support to continue our celebration of women, putting women at the heart of the event as we walk through the city to mark International Women’s Day 2019.”
Councillor Sue Murphy, deputy leader for Manchester City Council said today: “We have come a long way in the last 100 years and it was fitting that we were able to mark our city’s proud suffrage history with the unveiling of the second female statue in Manchester – Emmeline Pankhurst. However as we all know there is still inequality and women have not reached parity just yet but we will continue to celebrate the lives of the strong women who make up Manchester and contribute enormously to all aspects of life in our city as well as remembering those who have made lasting impact on the lives of women in our city.”
