Five intrepid members set off in the early hours of Wednesday morning heading for Denman. To avoid rush hour traffic, we decided to cut across country and found ourselves on single-track roads in the Hampshire countryside. Many bends and beautiful views later we got back to the main road and were soon approaching Denman college. Coffee, pastries, a warm reception room and loos greeted us, all of which were very welcome after the two and half hour journey.

Diane Atkinson, a leading authority and author of several books on the Suffragettes, gave a passionate and inspiring talk. She explained how women of all classes and from all parts of the UK were involved in the movement. She showed some fascinating slides that helped to illustrate her empathetic stories about many of the women. We were each given a copy of her latest book ‘The Remarkable Lives of Suffragettes’ and I can’t wait to settle down for a good read.

Frozen fountain at Denman

We were then served a tasty 2-course lunch with wine and were fortunate that Diane sat at our table, giving us the chance to have a more informal chat. We’re so lucky as she has agreed to lead a ‘Suffragette Walk and talk’ around Westminster for us when we go to London on August 1^st.

Dinah Barrand