WOMEN have united in a County Durham town to play their part in the commemoration of the centenary of the first British women to get the vote.

A Durham County Councillor, volunteers and members of the WI in Bishop Auckland have joined forces on a mission to put the town at the centre of marking the historic occasion.

As part of the anniversary, Cllr Joy Allen would like to see 100 men, women and children come together next month for a march to celebrate the women of the suffragette movement, the men who voted in favour of the change to make it happen, to shine a light on other significant women and highlighting today’s social inequalities such as the gender pay gap

Cllr Allen said: “People will probably know about Suffragettes and Emmeline Pankhurst but I’m learning a lot more about this history and feel we should all know a bit more, to commemorate the past and because it is still relevant today.”

The parade could include reenactments and will conclude in a tea.

The group’s projects also include the creation of Suffragette hats and banners while silk artist Susana Santos has produced specially commissioned scarves.

Cllr Allen’s mother, Julia Nolan, is one of the group which is made up of Kynren volunteers and Kings WI members.

A volunteer herself, the 75-year-old is a keen collector of Suffrage movement-themed paraphernalia which is being but to good use.

“We’re celebrating and showing our appreciation of their (the Suffragettes’) effort, struggle and punishment they took,” she said.

The provisional date of the march is Saturday, February 3.

Anyone interested in being involved should call Cllr Allen on 03000-268672.