100 years of votes for women
● Colours, green, white and violet, come together to create stunning mass artwork
Women in Edinburgh and across the UK are marching in the colours of the suffragette movement to create a living artwork marking the centenary of women winning the right to vote.
Thousands of women marched through Edinburgh yesterday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People’s Act, which gave some women the right to vote.
The march was part of a Ukwide event that saw participants wearing either green, white or violet – the colours of the suffrage movement.
The colours came together to create a stunning mass artwork showing a striped suffragette banner, as the procession rounded off in Queens Drive, Holyrood Park.
Organiser Processions said they hoped to inspire thousands of women and girls from across the UK to walk together to form a “living portrait” of women in the 21st Century.
The march saw participants follow in the footsteps of Scottish suffragettes, who marched along Princes Street in 1909 during a demonstration arranged by the Women’s Social and Political Union.
Jean Cameron, Scotland coordinator of the event, said: “Processions was a once in a lifetime experience, highlighting the wonderful diversity of women from across Scotland and all over the world who marched in their thousands in Edinburgh today. The streets of Scotland’s capital provided the perfect backdrop to this celebration of women’s achievements in the past, present and future.”
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop, said: “Processions is a great opportunity to celebrate the centenary of some women getting the vote.
“As we mark this anniversary and while we have come a long way since 1918, this event also offers an occasion for us all to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that still lie ahead. Equality for women is at the heart of the Scottish Government’s vision for an equal Scotland.” Women and girls from across Scotland walk together in Edinburgh; The march saw participants follow in the footsteps of Scottish suffragettes, who marched along Princes Street in 1909