THE struggles and successes of the Suffragettes will be remembered with a day of events in Darlington next month.

As part of the town’s annual Arts Festival, the National Council of Women are staging a celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918.

The act, which granted some – but not all - women the right to vote, came following a hard-won battle for democratic equality spearheaded at the time by supporters of the Suffrage movement.

Their efforts will be celebrated by the NCW on Monday, May 21 with a free event that includes a talk by The Northern Echo’s Chris Lloyd on Darlington’s role in the campaign to achieve voting rights for women, entitled Screechers and Suffragettes.

Poetry collective Vane Women will deliver a session of themed poetry before dressmaker and costume historian Meridith Towne explores the fashion of the early 20th century.

Craft and poetry sessions will be held and year six children from Corporation Road and Reid Street primary schools have been invited to take part in sessions for youngsters and display the work they produce later in the day.

The NCW’s national president Andrena Telford will open the event, which also features a Q&A session hosted by the Echo’s Joanna Morris with guests including Darlington councillor Sharifah Rahman, ex-Youth MP Mille Tezcan and current Youth MP Francis Humble.

It will conclude with a screening of the 2015 film Suffragette, being shown by Darlington Film Club from 7.30pm at The Forum.

Organiser Heather Carter said the event was being staged both as a celebration and as an awareness raising exercise aimed at highlighting the importance of voting.

She said she was particularly pleased to have young politicians on board, helping to ensure the spirit of the Suffragettes passes through the generations.

The event will be held at Theatre Hullabaloo from 9.30am. Spaces must be booked in advance. For tickets, call 01325 405680.