You may now have heard the news that The Pankhurst Centre have had a series of break-ins to the parlour where the suffragette movement began. Unfortunately, there was fairly extensive damage and they have launched an appeal to help pay for the repairs and secure the Pankhurst Centre for the future.
Sadly, the damage seems to have been caused by somebody seeking shelter for the night. Gail Heath, the CEO of the Pankhurst Trust, has said: “we are heartbroken that the Pankhurst Centre, which symbolises so much in the campaign for women’s equality should suffer this set back. It’s also a tragedy, and extremely sad, that it was someone seeking shelter for the night that led to this incident. We are already a museum fighting for our future, our current survival depends upon the support of volunteers and donations, with no public funding in place.
This major set back comes as we near the eve of the anniversary of the founding of the suffragette movement, which we plan to mark with events, family fun, tea parties in the parlour, talks and much more beginning from 8 October. We will continue with the planned programme, galvanized by the persistence of spirit of the suffragettes, as this is the only way we know how."
It is estimated that repairs and improvement work will cost £15,000. This will pay for:
- Repairs and replacement of the iconic sash windows
- Cleaning and conservation of suffragette sashes and soft furnishings
- Replacement of dressing up costumes for visitors
- Vital instalment of security lighting and updates to our alarm systems to ensure this doesn't happen again
To donate to the appeal, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pankhurst-repair