Angels of the North

2018 marks the centenary of the year when (some) women in Britain were allowed to vote for the first time. It is also the year of the `Great Exhibition of the North' when we are reflecting on the North's past successes, drawing on these for future inspiration and aiming to encourage the aspirations of our young people, girls and boys. Angels of the North highlights forty women who are either from the North-East - or have strong connections to it. Some of these women are household names whereas others have significant achievements to their credit but are in danger of being forgotten. All of them are women to be proud of. The forty women cover many fields - the arts, politics, science, women's rights, business and sheer heroism. The book focuses on the successes, achievements and ambitions of these women, noting collaborations, friendships and common goals. It also underlines that north east women were the pioneers in many of these fields. The first `feminist literature' was written by a north-east woman, one of our women caused the first national `media frenzy', we had the first female cabinet minister and the first national beauty queen. Many of the women featured fought for women's rights and were suffragettes - it's important to record the role northern women played in that struggle, perhaps providing more energy, passion and sheer determination than other regions. Northerners may not be given to self-promotion and are not given to boasting, also in a Britain dominated by London-based media the North's achievements and accomplishments often seem to get overlooked. This book is a timely reminder and a celebration of some of our country's most remarkable and truly inspiring women.

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