Valerie meets with the shortlisted sculptors for Emmeline Pankhurst statue

The WoManchester Statue Project launched the designs of the six shortlisted sculptors in Parliament for the Emmeline Pankhurst statue. I met with the sculptors who were each asked to create a 40cm bronze maquette of their design for the statue. In the picture above I am standing with one of the designs by Sean Hedges-Quinn.

The WoManchester Statue Project is about celebrating the significant role that women have played in the city of Manchester. At present 16 out of the 17 statues in the City Centre are of men. The exception is Queen Victoria. The unveiling of this new statue will help address this inequality. From the long list of twenty women, Emmeline Pankhurst was chosen and now one of six sculptors shortlisted will be selected to create the figure.

Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the British suffragette movement born in Manchester, led the movement to win the right for women to vote. In 1889 Emmeline founded the Women’s Franchise League which fought to allow married women to vote in local elections. Like many suffragettes, Emmeline was arrested on numerous occasions over the next few years and went on hunger strike. In 1918 the Representation of the People Act gave voting rights to women over 30. Sadly Emmeline died on 14 June 1928, shortly after women were granted equal voting rights with men at 21.

The design above was sculptured by Nick Roberson. The other shortlisted sculptors for the Emmeline Pankhurst project were Hazel Reeves, Amelia Rowcroft, Roxy and Steve Winterburn and Martin Jennings. The WoManchester Statue Project indicated that the statue will be unveiled on International Women’s Day in March 2019.

Here is a link to find out more about the WoManchester Statue Project, and to vote on your favourite design: http://www.womanchesterstatue.org/