7th April 2009
Greater Morpeth Development Trust
PRESS RELEASE
Schools' Gathering re-enactment of suffragette debate
Students from four local schools have been stepping back in time to rehearse their roles for a Northumbrian Gathering re-enactment in Morpeth of the days when the suffragette movement was sparking such fierce debate and protests in Britain nearly a century ago.
As part of an educational project surrounding the life and times of Morpeth suffragette Emily Wilding Davison who was knocked down and killed by the King George V's horse after stepping on to the track at the 1913 Epsom Derby, the youngsters have visited both Woodhorn and Beamish museums in preparation for a Gathering march, parade and debate on Saturday April 18th.
The project that is unique to the King Edward VI (KEVI), and the Chantry, Newminster and Rothbury's Dr Thomlinson middle schools is being co-ordinated by Greater Morpeth Development Trust (GMDT) with the help of £49,000 of Heritage Lottery funding.
Students from the four schools dressed up in authentic costumes of the day at Beamish to rehearse their Gathering roles which will culminate in what promises to be a lively hour-long debate at Morpeth's Methodist Church starting at 1pm. Earlier starting at 11am the students dressed in costume, will march in procession through Morpeth.
At Beamish they created fictional characters based on the history they had researched about the suffragette movement at Woodhorn, and donned period costume to march through the museum's town High Street waving placards and banners with visitors joining in to shout their support for the marchers.
They then moved on to debate what was the contentious issue of the day – whether women should be given the right to vote.
Beamish Education Officer Angela Bromage who marched with the students, said she was impressed by the research they had done and by the passion of the arguments from both sides of the debate.
"It was a chance for them to experience what it would have been like to have been involved in the politics of the day and the campaign for electoral change," she said. "They used their research well and really brought the issue to life for visitors to Beamish."
Victoria Najafi, KEVI's Student Voice Leadership and Enrichment Co-ordinator, said Year 9 pupils from the school had enjoyed a 'fantastic' day at Beamish. "They loved dressing up and were reluctant to remove their costumes when the time came to leave," she said.
"Many of the students had no idea who Emily Davison was at the start of the project, but they have learned so much about her and the suffragette movement through visiting Woodhorn and Beamish, the post office at Longhorsley where her mother lived and worked, and then Emily's restored grave at St Mary's Church in Morpeth.
"Thanks to the Trust and the two museums this has been a tremendous project for students from the four schools to be involved in, and we are now eagerly anticipating what should be a great Gathering culmination to weeks of hard work."
GMDT's Heritage Officer Tamsin Lilley said it has been fascinating to see the project evolve over months of planning, and how it had fired the imagination and interest of the students from the four schools.
"Emily Wilding Davison is such a key figure in Morpeth's history and their involvement with the project has brought her story to life for them," she said. "Now we are looking forward to seeing them take the project to its final stage at the Gathering which I am sure will also capture the attention of the people of Morpeth.
"The successful Heritage Lottery bid was primarily for the restoration of Emily's grave, but it was also structured in a way that we were able to add value to the funding we received by including an educational element into the project.
"As a result working with the schools has given an opportunity for their students to have a much greater understanding of the life and times of Emily Davison, and it something we now hope to build on in the future."
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:- Ian Leech
GDMT Press Contact on 079 681 02547 |
