A film exploring the experiences and successes of Accrington’s working women in the 1950s 60s and 70s, Women’s Work, will be shown for the first time this weekend in Accrington Market Hall.
The culmination of 12 months’ work during lockdown recording interviews, stories of women living and working in the borough have been brought alive through local amateur actors from the Oswaldtwistle Arts Centre and Burnley College.
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, History in Action CIC’s – Women’s Work, will be shown to a limited capacity audience at both 12.30pm and 2pm on Saturday 25th September.
Seats to view the film screening are free but with places limited for the event, you can get your hands on the final few tickets here via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/womens-work-tickets-168096026741
Project Co-Ordinator Trizia Wells, said: “It’s wonderful that despite COVID restrictions we have managed to record the voices and memories and bring to life so many local stories, we have met some fabulous women and this film event is a must see for all Accringtonians old and young, it catalogues a moment in history often overlooked.”
The film explores the real experiences of a generation of women growing up and working in and around Accrington against a background of emerging women’s rights. These are the grandmothers and elders of today’s generation, and their voice often goes unheard.
Find out what daily life was like for them at school, at work, and play. Their experiences might seem funny and shocking to today’s generation, but these women were simply getting on with life. Women’s Work puts their stories centre stage and reminds us that the rights we enjoy today – equal pay, maternity rights, career opportunities – were hard fought for.
One particular story to keep an eye out for is that of Accrington women’s football team, Accrington Wanderers, player/manager Betty Taylor, who alongside many other women fought hard for what they believed in during that period that we take for granted today.
Belinda Scarlett, curator at the National Football Museum in Manchester, commented: “I was fascinated to hear about History in Action’s work and the story of Betty Taylor uncovered through their Women’s Work project in Accrington. The history of women’s football is often hidden away in the homes and memories of the women who shaped the game and oral history is a fantastic way to uncover and preserve these histories. It has been great to work with History in Action CIC and the National Football Museum will be delighted to display material from Betty and Accrington Wanderers Women’s FC in our displays next year.”
The screenplay was written by Heritage in Action’s Playwright Mick Martin. Bradford-based Mick is an award-winning playwright, producing the smash hit Once Upon a Time In Wigan – a tribute to the Northern Soul “all-nighter” dances to soul classics of the 60s and 70s, as well as “It’s In the Blood,” – which focused on the important role that Rugby League plays at the heart of its communities.
If you want to learn more about Women’s Work, there will also be an information market stall open on the day or visit www.stanhillvillage.co.uk.
Those attending the event can also bring along an expired lottery ticket in exchange for free tea or coffee. Simply present your ticket to one of the History In Action team for stamping before presenting it at any of the market stall outlets.
If you can’t make it to the live screening, email trizia@historyinaction.net or visit the website www.historyinaction.net to find out more.
LOCAL AMATEUR ACTORS FROM THE OSWALDTWISTLE ARTS CENTRE AND BURNLEY COLLEGE BROUGHT STORIES FROM ACCRINGTON’S WORKING WOMEN FROM THE 1950S AND 1960S TO LIFE
THE STORY OF BETTY TAYLOR AND THE ACCRINGTON WANDERERS TEAM WILL BE TOLD IN THE LIVE SCREENING OF WOMEN’S WORK
SHAHIDA KARIMULLAH TELLS WOMEN’S WORK ABOUT HER WORKING LIFE IN ACCRINGTON AND HOW SHE BECAME A QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKER
