Pioneering women who founded Wakefield's first school for the blind in a new project by Dream Time Creative CIC and Wakefield District Sight Aid.
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00:00More women of history now have blue plaques thanks to a Yorkshire based
00:05community project which has just received even more funding to continue
00:11their work and make it more accessible.
00:15It's Sarah here from Dreamtime Creative and the Forgotten Women of Wakefield
00:21National Blue Plaque Parity Campaign Group and the news is that we have just
00:28been awarded six and a half thousand pounds from Historic England's National
00:35Blue Plaque Scheme. This is essentially to work with the local community groups
00:42most specifically the Wakefield District Blind Society and other researchers to
00:49look into the lives of two incredible women from Wakefield. Edith Wright and
00:54Emily Esther Fennell and if you recognise the name Fennell you're right
00:59Emily Esther was indeed the sister of Louisa Fennell our famous Wakefield
01:06watercolourist. So these two women or Emily particularly in the early days
01:12from as early as 1869 established Wakefield's very first Blind Society.
01:20Edith joined her from about 1901 and between them they were real advocates
01:27for disability and they flew in the face of what was considered the normal
01:33practice of working with or dealing with people with impaired sight. Up until they
01:39got involved it was seen normal as to impose what was right or what was
01:47acceptable for people with impaired sight to do how they engaged with
01:52community and society but once Emily and Esther got involved it became very much
01:58a case of the blind leading the blind and them taking decisions which directly
02:05affected their own well-being and their own welfare especially with regards
02:09being able to contribute to a society in which they lived with regards work
02:14creativity and spirituality and basket making most particularly. Anyway our
02:25project is designed to research these women so that in May next year we can
02:30submit a file that hopefully Historic England will accept which will enable
02:38these women to have a blue plaque as part of Historic England's National Blue
02:44Plaque Scheme. This is incredible validation for the work that we've done
02:48there are 36 names now of women on blue plaques across not just Wakefield but
02:54some of the surrounding districts as well all inspired by the simple question
02:59where are the women on blue plaques? So thanks to Historic England and thanks to
03:06everybody that's joining us for research and creative responses. Over the next six
03:12or seven months we're absolutely delighted to be part of this national
03:16campaign to get more women on blue plaques. See you soon!