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The Unlocking Collections Volunteers were at Holyoake House on Friday, the day before International Women’s Day which is on 8 March. One of the most used collections in the Co-op Archives are the Co-operative Women’s Guild archives and magazines.
We talked about the fact that when the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society was established, one of the rules was ‘one member, one vote’ so women’s voices were able to be heard long before there was voting for all on an equal level which was in 1928.
We talked about the many campaigns the Women’s Guild were involved with including maternity rights, working pay and conditions and peace (the white poppy). We had a look at some of the material in the collections and that although there are some big names associated with the Guild, there are many women involved in campaigns, making life better for all and dealing with many different situations both then and now.
Som of the volunteers are working to make collections relating to the Co-operative Women’s Guild more visible and from this, there may be more stories to be told. There are some blog posts on the CHT website and guides to help use the collections. Look out for more to come as volunteers continue their work.