More than 120 people gathered at Accrington Market Hall on Saturday 25th September to view a film screening which brought to life stories of Accrington’s working women from the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
Women’s Work showcased the experiences from a generation of women whose voices are long unheard and whose stories often go untold, with the lives they lived helping build the more equal society which we have today.
The culmination of 12 months’ work during lockdown recording interviews, community actors and students from the Oswaldtwistle Arts Centre and Burnley College were used to represent the encounters experienced by these women.
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the History in Action (CIC) project included two screenings at Accrington Market Hall, both of which were very well attended.
Project Co-Ordinator Trizia Wells commented: “It’s been absolutely great and the feedback has been really good, including how fantastic it has been for people to remember those times.”
“We’ve had a lot of people staying afterwards to share their memories with us and we will be contacting them in the near future to conduct some more interviews which can be used on our website and to keep as part of our records.”
Playwright Mick Martin said: “You always know when something has struck a chord with people because they don’t want to go home. We’ve had lots of people wanting to stay and talk to us afterwards which is really warming and uplifting for us.”
For those that missed the film screening, there will be plenty of opportunities to listen back to the funny but also sometimes shocking experiences from Accrington’s working women.
Trizia said: “The film is now available to view on the Stanhill Village Website and all the women’s stories will be available to view on there within the next few weeks.”
“From November there will also be a talking chair at Accrington Library. By sitting in the chair, you will activate this audio loop of extracts from the interviews which we have conducted with these ladies.”
If you want to share your experiences from living and working in Accrington from the 1940s to 1970s, email trizia@historyinaction.net and visit the Stanhill Village website http://www.stanhillvillage.co.uk/ to tune into the inspiring film.
