See utube video interview on marchhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmzzdWYZxnQ

Suffragettes Centenary March

Google Douglas Water Womens’ Guild and you are on a voyage beyond the limits of cyberspace. But here is their banner, which Claudia Beamish took on a Edinburgh march last Saturday, organized by “GuidCause”, to celebrate the Suffragette Movement and the march down Princess Street which took place 100 years ago to the day. Claudia was asked to have the banner in her safekeeping by Janette Robertson of Rigside, as she is the Labour and Co-operative Party Westminster candidate for this constituency. Claudia said at the event that she was proud to carry their banner as so many women in the ex mining village had made a difference long ago to the lives of mining families. The words “Co-operation is the People’s galleon” are on the banner. The Scottish Co-op Women’s Guild was set up in 1883 “to educate women in the principles and practices of Co-operation and to work for the improvement of the status of women.  It is an Education Auxiliary of the Co-operative Movement.” and still exists today in some Scottish communities.

Claudia joined women and men from all over Scotland to march into the future to continue to fight for better representation of women. In celebration of the centenary, she led a move to commission a new Scottish Labour banner which was made specially for the occasion which said “Equality and a Fair Future for All”.

She made a commitment when she became Chair of Scottish Labour earlier this year to fight to improve Labour women’s representation at Council level. She chaired a Scotland wide Labour Women’s summit in September and another is planned for January where regional groups will be inaurgurated including one for South West Scotland. This will include Dumfriesshire Clydesdale and Tweeddale.