As part of the event, participants will take on the role of an inspirational Scottish woman from history, process as them, and speak as them in front of an audience. The women come from all backgrounds but they all fall under the categories set out in A Pageant of Great Women. With the March of Women fast approaching, the participants are sending in their lines for the women taking part in the march and a few of them were kind enough to share with me their reasons for choosing who they did. The parts on offer were diverse and ranged from the original suffragettes to more recent politicians and many of the participants also chose their own inspirational women.
One of the participants has chosen Beatrice Clugston – a local Glasgow lady born in Calton in 1871. Best known for founding the Dorcas Society, which still exists to this day, Beatrice was a determined young woman looking to provide some good in the world. Best known for her role as a founding member of the Dorcas Society – who provide clothing for the poor- she devoted her life to helping others
Another of the chosen women is a lady named Jenny Coutts, close friend of one of the participants. A pacifist, Jenny stood for Kirkintilloch Town Council and later became the first female provost of Kirkintilloch. Despite her busy schedule, she found time to chair twelve council committees and in 1973 was awarded an MBE for her service to social work.
A third example is Chrystal Macmillan, chosen as she was the first woman to graduate in Science from The University of Edinburgh. She was active in the fight for women’s rights and was the first woman to put forward the case for women’s rights before the House of Lords in 1908.
Rehearsals for the march start this week but there is still plenty of time to get involved. You can come along to the creative workshops, join in on the day, or tweet about it using #marchofwomen!
