Inspiring the next generation of women in politics

About Annie

Annie Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working class suffragette who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union.

She was born in Springhead near Saddleworth and began working in mills aged just 12 years old. By 14 she worked full time and showed her early radical leanings as she went about the mill teaching young girls to read socialists newspapers.

Annie was inspiring not simply because of the role she played in securing the right of women to vote but because unlike many of her contemporaries was working class and knew the wider struggle for equality which existed then, and in many ways still does today.

The project

Oldham Council agreed to support fundraising efforts to secure a permanent memorial for the victims of Peterloo Massacre and suffragette Annie Kenney to recognise our town’s role in democracy and political progress.

The first project will see an Annie Kenney memorial gracing the Old Town Hall which is currently undergoing a major transformation to convert it into a state of the art cinema and restaurant complex.

The cost of installation will be covered by Oldham Council as part of the wider redevelopment and therefore every penny raised will be spent on the creation of the statue itself.

Working with Leander Architectural and artist Denise Dutton we will commission a 1 and ¼ size statue recreating the historic imagine of Annie demanding the right for women to vote.

Leander were responsible for the Ben Brierley Statue at Failsworth Pole and the development of statue involved local interest groups from the development of the initial drawings, crafting of the clay model and eventually the final casting and installation.

The target

We aim to raise £40,000 for the statue. Once we reach £18,000 we can pay the deposit which allows work to begin on the clay mould.