Totnes WI to support Equality with a cup of tea and talk by Dr Sarah Wollaston.

To mark the centenary of The Representation of the People Act 1918 which paved the way to men and women over 21 gaining the right to vote ten years later, Totnes WI are holding an ‘EqualiTeas’ event on Friday 29th June 2018 in their town.

‘EqualiTeas’ is part of programme of events from UK Parliament to mark 2018’s important milestones for democracy which will take place between 18 June and 2 July.

Totnes WI members have invited their local MP, Dr Sarah Wollaston (Chair of the Liaison Committee and the Health Select Committee in the House of Commons), to speak on the day, then over a shared lunch the women will discuss, debate and celebrate the historic milestone.

2018 marks 100 years since The Representation of the People Act 1918 extended the right to vote to all men over 21 and the first women, making this one of the most important centenaries in British democratic history. Ten years later The Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928, gave all men and women over 21 the right to vote. These acts followed years of campaigning, with the first petition to Parliament asking for votes for women presented to the House of Commons on 3 August 1832.

Historically, tea parties were hotbeds of activism. It was one of the few ways women could meet to discuss and plan their vision for the future. The leading suffrage organisations used tea parties and tea shops as central elements in their campaigning, to increase awareness, discuss tactics and raise money.

Lili John, President for Totnes WI said “members of Totnes WI are getting together with other locals WIs and influential women from the local area to discuss how far we have come, what has been achieved and what else we can go on the achieve in the future. It’s great to take to celebrate the women who went before us and made such an important contribution to today’s society. At Totnes we are forward thinking women, so we are very much looking forward to discussing new ideas and debating what equality means now, in today’s society and in turn what more we can do to make a difference to future generations”.

“The Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928 was a vital step towards the rights women and men have today, and these anniversaries are an incredibly important opportunity for us to reflect on how far we have come.

Lili went on to say “We all know that there is still more to do when it comes to equality in Britain, and EqualiTeas is an excellent opportunity to reach out to others in our organisation and share our ideas for an even more equal society”