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BGU celebrate women’s voting rights through Vote 100 events
The history of the campaign for votes for women is inspiring and compelling, and still has great political significance in the present. Through 2018 and since, staff and students at BGU and other Lincolnshire communities have been exploring this history and its contemporary resonance. This engagement has found special expression through the creation of a touring exhibition, exhibition ‘Vote100: A Lincolnshire View of Women’s Suffrage’, and we have captured some of the reflections on its production and importance. The exhibition, which is continuing to tour locally, was created collaboratively with other organisations and individuals, including Lincoln Central Library and the local Fawcett Society as lead partners. It has formed the showpiece for part of a series of events celebrating important dates in the history of women’s voting rights and the extension of the franchise by #Vote100BGU project at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) and elsewhere in Lincolnshire through 2017-18 and into 2019. February 6 2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which enabled all men and some women over the age of 30 to vote for the first time. July 2 2018 marked the 90th anniversary of the Equal Franchise Act, which gave women the same voting rights as men from the age of 21. December 14 2018 was the centenary of the first general election in which women could exercise their newly gained right to vote. BGU hosted a series of events in the lead up to the centenary on February 6 2018, and since. Lectures, debates, performances and more, including student-directed events, celebrated the important milestones. History and English Literature staff Dr Andrew Jackson and Dr Claudia Capancioni, and students, Elaine Johnson, Sian Hope-Johnson, Jasmine Mills along with team members from BGSU were particularly active in supporting the various events. BGU was founded in 1862 as the Lincoln Diocesan Training School for Mistresses, and through much of its history was a college specialising in preparing young women for the teaching profession. ‘Equal opportunities for women in professional life was at the heart of BGU’s original purpose. The history of the University over more than a century and a half make it a fitting setting to celebrate 100 years of progress in electoral and political opportunities for women.’ Dr Andrew Jackson, Head of Research, Bishop Grosseteste University. Upcoming dates: Our itinerant exhibition will contribute to the Wolds Women of Influence this summer. It will be at Spilsby Franklin Hall from 5th June to 26th July 2019. The exhibition will continue to tour throughout the year, please check back here for more information. Previous events: 2018, December 14. The Vote100 exhibition formed the backdrop to an event to mark the centenary of the 1918 General Election. The event also featured an extract from the play, 'The World At Her Feet', introduced by Dr Claudia Capancioni (BGU) and Stephen Gillard and Sam Miles (Lincoln Mystery Plays); an extract from the play, 'The Forgotten Suffragette', introduced by Phoebe Wall-Palmer (Lincoln Performing Arts Centre) and Rachel Baynton (Proto-type Theater); a talk by Prof. Krista Cowman (Lincoln University); and contemporary writings introduced by Dr Andrew Jackson, and read by Elaine Johnson, Sian Hope-Johnson and Jasmine Mills 2018, December 10 – 13. The Vote100 exhibition was placed on display in the historic Old Stonebow Guildhall on the invitation of the City of Lincoln Council, as part of the lead up to the centenary of the 1918 General Election 2018, November 17. The Lincoln Labour Club hosted the Vote100 exhibition for their event to recognise and celebrate women’s rights: ‘100 years of Women’s Suffrage: Learning from their Legacy’. The exhibition was opened by Karen Lee MP and Professor Krista Cowman from the University of Lincoln, who introduced the collection within its historical context and explored its ongoing significance. The event also featured readings from letters in the BGU archive of 1909, on the arguments for and against women’s suffrage. The readings were introduced by Dr Andrew Jackson, and presented by Elaine Johnson, Sian Hope-Johnson and Jasmine Mills. 2018, November 16. The Vote100 exhibition provided the stimulus and inspiration for a workshop with local schools for the Being Human Festival, led by Dr Claudia Capancioni and Sian Hope-Johnson. The Being Human Festival theme for 2018 was ‘Origins and Endings’. 2018, October 4 - November 13. The Vote 100 exhibition was on display as part of North Kesteven District Council’s Local Democracy Week, and tying in with European Local Democracy Week / UK Parliament Week. The portable exhibition was to be found in the Council Chamber, Sleaford Town Hall, and at Kesteven & Sleaford Girls High School in Sleaford, Sir Robert Pattinson Academy in North Hykeham, and in the Terry O’Toole Theatre, Nth Hykeham, over this period. 2018, September 27. BGU sponsored a Vote100-inspired evening event for the Lincoln Book Festival. The Festival’s theme for 2018 was ‘Revolution’, and under the banner of ‘Sisters of the Revolution, there were talks by authors Jane Robinson, Maggie Andrews and Janis Lomas, introduced by Prof. Krista Cowman of the University of Lincoln. 2018, June 4 – July 2. The exhibition ‘Vote100: A Lincolnshire View of Women’s Suffrage’, at Lincoln Central Library on Freeschool Lane, Lincoln. The exhibition was designed by History and English staff and students at BGU, Dr Andrew Jackson, Dr Claudia Capancioni, Elaine Johnson, Sian Hope-Johnson and Jasmine Mills; together with staff of Lincoln Central Library. The exhibition features Lincolnshire’s contribution, set in the context on the progress towards achieving the vote in 1918, and the equalising of the franchise in 1928. 2018, February 9. Women into politics event at BGU Students’ Union (BGSU). The evening included a debate on ‘who should sit on the iron throne’. Guest speakers included Lincoln MP Karen Lee, former BGSU President Becca Smith and BGSU Manager Abigail Rogers. 2018, February 6. Andrew Jackson and Sian Hope-Johnson, BGU SU Officer and Eng Lit student, featured on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, discussing the historical and contemporary significance of Vote100. Andrew and Sian appear a number of times through the first hour of a three-hour programme marking the event, available on BBC Catch-Up here. 2018, February 5. Parliamentary Reform in 1918: Continuity, Reform or Revolution? In this talk noted historian, Professor Martin Pugh, explored a number of important and relevant questions surrounding the Representation of the People Act 1918. 2017, November 27. BGU hosted the Lincolnshire heat of the Historical Association Great Debate 2017 on the topic of: ‘Was the 1918 extension of the franchise the most significant moment in British democratic history?’ The heat, organised by the City of Lincoln Historical Association was open to Lincolnshire schools and sixth form colleges. Further information is available from Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall at BGU. 2017, November 18 and 23. Part of BGU’s engagement with the national Being Human Festival on this year’s theme of ‘Lost and Found’. An event for two Lincoln-based schools on November 23 was organised in collaboration with the charities Slam Jam and First Story. The event on Saturday November 23 was open to the public and celebrated ‘Becoming teachers: women’s college life from 1862 to 1918’. This occasion considered the life and opportunities for young women in this period in history. Further information is available from Dr Claudia Capancioni at BGU. 2017, November 6. The first event relating to Vote 100, a lecture for the City of Lincoln Historical Association. Dr Andrew Jackson, Head of School of Humanities at BGU, presented ‘Life on the First World War Home Front: Distressing or a Blessing?’ Andrew was accompanied by Maureen Sutton, folklore historian and dialect poet. Maureen read some extracts of the work of the Lincolnshire home-front poet, Bernard Samuel Gilbert, whose writings considered the lives, experiences and opportunities for working women 100 years ago. Further information is available from Andrew or Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall at BGU. Articles: Dr Andrew Jackson: Celebrating votes for women one hundred years on, The Lincolnite. For further information: Dr Andrew Jackson, Head of Research, BGU andrew.jackson@bishopg.ac.uk Dr Claudia Capancioni, Programme Leader for English, claudia.capancioni@bishopg.ac.uk Staff from the Research Department at BGU are involved in the organisation of our Vote 100 events. Find out more about their work here. -
BGU Opens its Doors for its First Campus Showcase
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) opened its doors to the Lincoln community on Monday 25 June for its first Campus Showcase. The Showcase was packed with talks, displays and campus tours to show visitors the range of facilities available to the local community at BGU. Services on display included business spaces, conference rooms as well as the onsite Venue cinema and Longdales House Bed & Breakfast. Opening the Showcase from the grand surroundings of BGU’s award nominated Constance Stewart Hall, the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of BGU, delved into the history and development of BGU alongside its ongoing work, both inside the University and around the world including international projects in Thailand and China: “Across the last 150 years Bishop Grosseteste University has continued to grow and evolve and although, as an institution, we may be small, our impact is now felt across the world. One of our greatest joys, however, will always be finding opportunities to support the community around us” His speech was followed by campus tours and demonstrations of available services; while guests were also treated to a talk on the University’s ongoing #Vote100 activities by Dr Andrew Jackson, historian and Head of Research, and two MA students. With attendees including representatives from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and a host of local businesses the event also offered an opportunity for valuable community networking. BGU is full of facilities and services that are designed to support and encourage organisations and businesses across Lincolnshire. If you would like more information or are interested in experiencing them for yourself you can find full details on our website. -
BGU Celebrate Voting Equality with #EqualiTeas Event
Last week staff and students at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) held a special event to celebrate voting equality for women. Organised and hosted by a hardworking group of staff from across the University (including the CELT and Research teams), the #EqualiTeas afternoon was part of a national programme of events in the run up to the 90th anniversary of the Equal Franchise Act which granted equal voting rights to women and men across the UK. After an opening speech by Dr Andrew Jackson, Head of Research at BGU, the event delved into the history of Women’s Suffrage in Lincolnshire with readings from BGU’s archive covering records of debates held on women’s voting rights at the then Diocese College. These were followed by letters written to the college magazine at the close of the First World War read by current BGU MA students Elaine Johnson and Sian Hope-Johnson. Both letters were written by students of the college and offered rich historical detail discussing the appropriate nature of protest along with whether women should be allowed to sit in the Houses of Parliament. On top of this guests were provided with afternoon tea as well as an opportunity to discuss the continuing issues concerning equality both inside and beyond politics. Speaking after the event, Dr Jackson explained why celebrating the anniversary of the act continues to be of great importance: “Through this celebration we are remembering the long and hard fought campaign for Women’s Suffrage and questioning whether we have yet reached a good place in terms of opportunities, representation and conduct in politics and wider society” 2018 is a landmark year in anniversaries for equal voting rights and BGU are running events to celebrate throughout the next months. You can find more information on all the exciting plans, including our ongoing exhibition at Lincoln Central Library, on our dedicated #Vote100 page. -
BGU offers a ‘flavour of teaching’ to aspiring educators
Over 70 aspiring educators from across the country came to Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) earlier this month for a taste of life as a teacher. Run by the Primary Team (part of the School of Teacher Development at the BGU); the Pre-Teaching course focused on providing attendees with opportunities to gain hands on experience as well as advice from existing professionals. Each morning session was filled with practical activities allowing participants to test out their skills. Having prepared an exercise (including sourcing necessary and appropriate materials) they had to teach a small group of fellow attendees with exercises on offer including play dough making, Second World War history and ocean exploration. The afternoon sessions were focused on guiding the attendees through the application and training process. Aimee Quickfall, TD Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years at BGU, praised the positive impact the course could offer: “The Pre-Teaching course is an opportunity for aspiring teachers to get a flavour of teaching with sessions designed to cover all aspects of life in education, not just what it feels like to run a lesson but also what a collaborative profession teaching is. Through this we can ensure that even when they hit difficulties they will know they’re not on their own”. The course was certainly a hit with the participants; Emily McCloud, a second year Early Childhood Studies student at BGU, felt that it provided a great opportunity for preparation ahead of beginning her journey into teaching: “I was quite nervous going into the course, becoming a teacher is a big task, but I feel so much more prepared now. It’s been amazing to get a taste of what is to come”. You can find out more about our PGCE programmes, including further Pre-Teaching courses on our website or by contacting our Enquiries Team. -
BGU Academic Wins Prestigious Holland Fellowship
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is delighted to announce that Dr Jack Cunningham, Reader in Ecclesiastical History at BGU, has won a prestigious Holland Fellowship. The Fellowship, awarded by the Durham Residential Research Library, aims to enable and foster research across the three historic collections of Durham – those held by Durham Cathedral, Ushaw College and Durham University, including Palace Green Library and the Oriental Museum. As part of his application Dr Cunningham was required to demonstrate a serious research interest focused on the primary source material within the collections held at Durham. The Holland Fellowship will allow Dr Cunningham to spend one month as a residential research scholar at Durham University utilising repositories for Church History that date back to the time of the Lindisfarne Gospels and St Bede. However, as Dr Cunningham highlights, the Fellowship provides more than a opportunity for personal research: “This Fellowship represents an outstanding opportunity for me to work in some of the finest libraries in the country. I am extremely grateful to be afforded such a tremendous opportunity and I look forward to building my research back into my work at BGU.” Dr Cunningham will begin his research in June 2019. You can find out more information about our Research activities as well as our Theology courses by visiting our website or by contacting our Enquiries Team. -
BGU and Italian scholar make successful bid for prestigious Research Fellowship
Dr Gioacchino Curiello, a scholar from Pisa in Italy, has been awarded a highly sought after British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship worth £250,000 which will allow him to come to Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) as a paid researcher for three years. Dr Curiello fought off over four hundred other applicants for the annual award in a year when the British Academy described the competition “as particularly tough”. The Fellowship award recognises outstanding early career researchers offering them opportunities to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in a university environment. Dr Jack Cunningham, Bishop Grosseteste University’s Reader in Ecclesiastical History, mentored Dr Curiello throughout the process and he described the impact the award would have: “Dr Curiello’s award is not only enormously important for BGU’s research environment, but hugely important for the world of Grosseteste studies in general.” This award enables Dr Curiello and Dr Cunningham to work together on Robert Grosseteste’s 13th Century work On the Divine Names. During his three years at BGU Dr Curiello will travel to libraries in Paris, Florence, Oxford and the Vatican in order to consult the oldest medieval manuscript copies of Grosseteste’s great work. Eventually, the end product will be a published critical edition of this highly important book which will make a significant contribution to our understanding of one of the Middle-Age’s finest philosopher-theologians, and possibly Lincoln’s greatest ever bishop. BGU is dedicated to bringing cutting edge and innovative research to the Higher Education sector. If you are interested in becoming a part of that drive, contact our Enquiries Team or visit our website today to discover fascinating new opportunities. -
BGU Exhibition on #Vote100 Launched at Lincoln Central Library
Last night the ‘Vote100: A Lincolnshire View of Women’s Suffrage’ exhibition opened at Lincoln Central Library. Designed to bring people together to learn about Lincolnshire’s contribution to the cause of Women’s Suffrage; the exhibition is packed with a collection of original newspaper articles, Women’s Liberation postcards and posters supported by rich and deep research from across the county. Curated by History and English staff and students at BGU – Dr Andrew Jackson, Dr Claudia Capancioni, Elaine Johnson, Sian Hope-Johnson and Jasmine Mills – it examines the input of people from Lincolnshire, set in the context on the progress towards achieving the vote in 1918, and the equalising of the franchise in 1928. For Sian Hope-Johnson, MA in English student at BGU, being involved in creating the exhibit was a fantastic experience: “We’ve been able to put together a historical showpiece with a really unique viewpoint that highlights how even small local activities could have a national impact. The history of Women’s Suffrage is very close to my heart, without these women I wouldn’t have the rights I do today, so to be able to work directly on the curation of this exhibition has been incredible.” Louise Woolley, Lincoln Central Library Manager, was delighted to be able to host such an important educational display: “We were incredibly keen to put together an exhibition celebrating Lincoln’s contribution to Women’s Suffrage and the results of BGU’s work are fantastic. We only expected a small exhibition but the team at BGU have helped us to put on our biggest exhibition ever!” The ‘Vote100: A Lincolnshire View of Women’s Suffrage’ exhibition is open and free to the public until July 5. Everyone is welcome to visit so make sure you get down to Lincoln Central Library for an eye-opening and enriching experience. The exhibition forms part of a series of events celebrating important dates in the history of women’s voting rights and the extension of the franchise by #Vote100BGU at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) and in Lincoln through 2017-18. You can find more information about BGU’s other #Vote100 events, community activities and exciting range of courses on our website. -
BGU Monster Conference Draws International Delegates for a Weekend of Fear and Excitement
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) welcomed speakers and delegates from around the world last weekend for the 2018 Monster Conference. -
BGU Partner with Lincoln Civic Trust to Offer New Scholarship Award
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is excited to announce the launch of a new scholarship in partnership with the Lincoln Civic Trust. -
BGU Courses celebrate graduation of their first cohorts
Graduation is always a special time at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), offering an opportunity to celebrate the hard-earned achievements of students and staff.
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