Manchester's pioneering women celebrated in display

The exhibition features women who had influence in art, science, sport, education and social causes

An exhibition celebrating women "who made Manchester" has gone on display to mark International Women's Day.

First In The Fight tells the stories of 10 women whose influence in art, science and social causes played a key role in the city's history.

"They shaped what the city is today but a lot of people won't even know their names," exhibition curator and author Helen Antrobus said.

"I wanted to bring the stories of these inspirational women to life."

Inspired by the unveiling of leading suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst statue in Manchester's St Peter's Square in 2018, Ms Antrobus said she wanted to tell the story of the other women shortlisted by the public for the statue.

Curator Helen Antrobus said it was important the women were celebrated

"Yes, the suffrage movement and fighting for the vote was so important, but the women shortlisted for the Manchester statue also boasted incredible achievements in art, science, sport, environmentalism and education, as well as social causes like achieving racial equality," she said.

Among the women profiled are:

• Kathleen Ollerenshaw (1912 - 2014), a mathematician and politician, who dedicated her life to improving access to education.

• Louise Da-Cocodia (1934 - 2008), who came to the UK in 1955 to train as a nurse and, after experiencing openly racist attitudes towards black nurses, dedicated her time to improving race relations.

• Sunny Lowry (1911 - 2008), a woman synonymous with the city's landmark Victoria Baths, where she honed her skills before swimming the English Channel in 1933.

• Sylvia Pankhurst (1882 - 1960), daughter of Emmeline and Richard Pankhurst who, along with her mother and sisters, was a founding member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), the militant organisation campaigning for women to have the vote.

The open-air exhibition is at the Kampus garden near Canal Street throughout March

Ms Antrobus said: "I hope anybody who visits will come away feeling inspired and encouraged, knowing that whoever you are, there's a place for you to make positive change here in Manchester, as these women did.

"All of these women fought against social and political injustice in their own ways. I hope people see that their fight isn't over.

"We owe it to these women to carry on what they started".

The free open-air exhibition is a collaboration with Women In Print and runs at the Kampus garden near Canal Street in the city centre until 8 April.

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