Dear Sir,
Last Sunday was International Women’s Day and the County Durham Women’s Banner Group celebrated by holding a special event to reveal their new Silk Banner to add to the many historical silk banners displayed at the annual Miners Gala.
The creative design features one of Aycliffe’s very own Aycliffe Angels.
As women from all around the county stood up and shared their memories and experiences in the form of stories, poems, and songs about their struggle for gender equality and against injustice, it became apparent that the fighting spirit of Durham’s women is still alive and as relevant today as it was during the days of suffrage, the Aycliffe Angels and the 80’s miners’ strike.
Today’s generation of Durham women are continuing to ‘carry the banner’ to celebrate the contribution women have made in our society and for their ongoing fight for gender equality, rights which were acknowledged to have been moving backwards over the last decade. As one speaker pointed out ‘’When women win, we all win.’’
Aycliffe can be proud that, although our town is not built around a history of mining, like the villages and towns in our area, we will now be represented on a banner at the ‘Big Meeting’ thanks to the work of these strong, vocal and inspirational women.
Kathy Beetham.
Photo by Wendy Hillary
