3 days ago
Granddaughter of leading Suffragette speaks about issues facing women in Bolton
The granddaughter of a leading Suffragette spoke about the issues that women in Bolton face.
The Suffragettes fought hard for women's rights in the early 20th century, paving the way for women's right to vote.
Over 100 years on from that movement, women are still fighting for parity on a number of issues.
GM4Women2028 is at the forefront of that battle, led by none other than Professor Helen Pankhurst, granddaughter of famous Suffragette, Sylvia.
The event came to Bolton on Saturday, July 12, being held at Imagination Street at Nortex Mill on Chorley Old Road.
Attendees at the event (Image: Newsquest) Running from 10.30am to 4pm, the free event featured discussions, breakout sessions, performances, and networking focused on turning data insights into real-world action.
Professor Pankhurst said: "It was set up in 2018, concentrating on the 10 years up to 2028, looking at the reality of women and girls' lives in Greater Manchester.
"We network, look at data and push for policy change. We are going around all of the boroughs, and today is Bolton's turn.
"We have discussed the reality of women's lives, we had a session about democracy with an MP and two councillors, and we spoke about perspective.
"Other issues we have spoken about include domestic violence, safety, women's experiences in prisons, as well as sessions on women's health and on the workplace."
Read more: Descendent of Suffragettes to be in Bolton for day of action on women's equality
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She added: "I think all the issues are relevant to Bolton. One example is Fortalice, which has been working with police when making visits to women who have suffered domestic violence.
"It is so impressive, and the reality is, someone who has suffered domestic violence who has the police knocking on their door is less likely to feel supported than somebody who has had someone from Fortalice alongside the police.
Posing for a picture (Image: Newsquest) "It is leading the country as a case study of how to do this."
To learn more about GM4Women, visit their website:
MP Kirith Entwistle for Bolton North East attended the event.
She said: "It has been hugely inspiring. It is always nice for me to come to these events and find out more about the great community work that is happening on the ground.
"It is hugely important, at a time where women's rights are being eroded across the world, with the likes of Trump in power, standing up and representing women is hugely important.
The event (Image: Newsquest) "We have still got a long, long way to go to make progress but we still have to keep going."
Local homeless charity Backup North West were the sponsors of the event.
CEO of Backup, Maura Jackson, said: "It helps the conversation. Instead of saying 'no, we have tried that before', people really want to do something and make a difference.
"It is a such a massive range of people here from different businesses and backgrounds. I feel really hopeful."
