Rainow Women's Institute (WI) celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Representation of People Act 1928, which gave all women over the age of 21 the right to vote, with an EqualiTeas Party recently, joined by local MP, David Rutley.
At the well-attended event, many members got into the spirit of the occasion and dressed in suffragette colours and costumes. Tea and cakes were served, and members also enjoyed a short talk from Dr Ruth Colton from the University of Manchester on the suffragette movement and, in particular, the women of Cheshire whose work and achievements had not been recognised because of their gender.
As well as taking time to view displays that were created and put up especially for the event, David took the opportunity to meet with members of Rainow WI, to discuss its work within the local community. Currently, the group has fifty-four members, and meets regularly at the Village Institute in Rainow. Any local residents interested in joining the WI can do so by contacting the Cheshire Federation of Women’s Institutes on 01244 347462.
The Rainow WI event was one of hundreds taking place across the country as part of the EqualiTeas programme, promoted by the UK Parliament to commemorate equal suffrage. The Representation of the People Act 1928 expanded on the Act of the same name passed in 1918, which had given women over the age of 30 who owned property the right to vote, the first enfranchisement of women in the United Kingdom.
Speaking after the event, David said, "It was a pleasure to join Rainow WI for this timely and important commemoration of equal voting rights in our country. It was great to see members getting into the spirit of the occasion by wearing period costumes and exhibiting informative displays, which helped to make this a memorable and moving occasion. I look forward to keeping in touch with the activities of local WI branches, like Rainow’s, in the months ahead.”