Lancaster Civic Group launch crowdfunding appeal to raise money for women's Green Heritage Plaques in the city

Last year during Women’s History month Lancaster Civic Vision and Lancaster City Museum launched a joint campaign to identify women of Lancaster that could, and should, be remembered by having a Green Heritage Plaque erected to their memory within the City of Lancaster.

Civic Vision already had a Green Heritage Plaque Tour of the city with some thirty three plaques already in place but Rachael Bowers from Lancaster City Museum pointed out these were all to either men of the area or particular buildings – none are to women from the area!

The campaign last year identified some forty plus women who could be honoured in this way but that list has had to whittled down because of the following reasons:

 Some of the women were still alive

 There is not a suitable place where a plaque can be placed

 Cost – each plaque costs around £450 with a further £150 for erection

The first Green Heritage Plaque to a woman in Lancaster was officially unveiled to Sr. Aine Cox, Founder of the Hospice Movement, at St John’s Hospice in December 2021.

Other plaques which have met this criteria and are going through the process to be erected

in the near future are:

 Emily Williamson – founder of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

 Lady Noreen Murray, CBE – molecular geneticist

 Janet Raby and Beatrice Parkinson – last women lighthouse keepers at Cockersands and Plover Lighthouses.

Lancaster Civic Vision have a further three women who need to be remembered with a Green Heritage Plaque, and whilst there are sites for them to be placed, the society needs to raise approximately £2,000 to cover the costs.

The three women are botanist and illustrator Mary Fielding (nee Simpson), women’s football player Jennie Harris and active suffragette Selina Martin.

If you can help towards the cost of erecting a plaque to one, or all, of these women please go to the crowdfunding page here

Lancaster Civic Vision is the operating name for Lancaster Civic Society – Registered Charity No 258434 – and its sub-group Lancaster Vision.