Skip to main content

What's On

Herbert Illuminations: Centenary of Coventry's First Women Councillors

This autumn Coventry City Council celebrates the centenary anniversary of the election of its first women councillors, a hugely important milestone in the city’s history.

The first women to serve on the City Council were Alice Arnold and Ellen Hughes elected in 1919 in the first municipal elections to be held after the First World War. By 1939, eleven women had served as councillors. The work of these intrepid women pioneers had a significant impact on the life of Coventry citizens. They drew on their political expertise and life experiences to push for a better life for all and sought practical changes, such as decent housing, provision for the unemployed, spaces for children to play, nursery schools and expanded maternity and child welfare facilities. Cathy Hunt’s talk not only honours their memory but paints a vivid picture of Coventry life a hundred years ago.

Drop in | £3