Published Thursday 30 September 2021 at 17:01
Community groups in Blackburn are being invited to get involved in a celebration event to coincide with the unveiling of a statue of the late Barbara Castle.
Barbara served as MP for Blackburn for over 30 years and championed equal pay for women, better pay for nurses, road safety initiatives such as the introduction of seatbelts, breathalysers and the national speed limit, and pensions – to name just a few.
To mark the milestone, Blackburn with Darwen Council would like community groups and organisations to celebrate the life and work of the feisty redhead by creating homemade banners and placards highlighting her work and joining in a rally around Blackburn Town Centre.
The placards will be used as part of a celebratory march from the statue through the town centre on Saturday 9 October from 1pm.
Organisers are also after people who knew Barbara to come forward with their memories and any memorabilia they might have.
Councillor Maureen Bateson, who knew Barbara, said:
“Barbara fought to get elected in a man’s world and used to take her politics literally to the streets of Blackburn. To mark the unveiling of her statue, we wanted to do the same.
“We are inviting community groups to make placards highlighting the tremendous impact she had on not just Blackburn, but the country as a whole and parade them through the street on the day.”
Individuals and groups are being encouraged to make placards with words such as Equal Pay for Women’ or ways to describe the politicians such as ‘Baroness Barbara of Blackburn’.
To take part in the event please email lisa@vivapr.co.uk