Thanks to National Lottery players, Lancaster University researchers are to create a permanent archive, which focuses on women fighting for political change to inspire future generations with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

In 1918, after decades of protest, all men and some women got the vote.

To mark the centenary of this milestone in women’s rights, the project entitled ‘Remembering Resistance’ will bring to life the last 100 years of women’s involvement in protests in the North of England.

Dr Sarah Marsden, a lecturer in Protest in a Digital Age and Dr Chris Boyko, a lecturer in Design, have received £65,000 from the HLF.

Through a programme of public engagement events and activities to record this aspect of heritage, the project will develop a rich picture of when, where, and why women have fought for change and identify the most significant sites of women’s resistance in the North.

Working with citizen researchers, ‘Remembering Resistance’ will map the last century of protest by charting the routes that protests took, and the strategies protesters used, as well as collating artefacts associated with protest movements.

The project will gather oral histories and archival accounts of protest actors, past and present.

The outcome of the project will be integrated into the archives of local museums, and will contribute to their programmes on the struggle for women’s suffrage.

The project will create a permanent archive of material and resources, cataloguing and celebrating women’s involvement in political change to inspire future generations.

“Remembering Resistance will create a digital, material and educational legacy that makes visible the critical role women have played in protest over the last 100 years,” explained Dr Boyko.

“In doing so, the project will deepen people’s understanding of the effort needed to bring about political change and the importance of political engagement, now and in the future.”

To learn more about the project, including how to become a volunteer citizen researcher, visit the website: www.rememberingresistance.com, follow the project on Twitter @rememberresist or email the team: rememberingresistance@gmail.com