Women of Steel - Sheffield Star Walk

THE Star Walk is making a comeback and we want you to step out and take part in a bid to help raise £150,000 for a Women Of Steel statue.

The sculpture will stand in Sheffield city centre as a permanent memorial to the city’s inspiring women who worked the steel mills during two world wars.

The statue, featuring two of the women stading shoulder to shoulder, will be given pride of place outside Sheffield City Hall.

The unique sculpture has been designed by world renowned artist Martin Jennings, most famous for his John Betjeman statue at St Pancras Station in London.

And today we are bringing back The Star Walk to kick off a major fundraising campaign to raise the £150,000 needed to complete the statue.

We want to encourage as many Sheffielders as possible to take part in the event, which is being staged in Hillsborough Park on Sunday, April 28.

Kit Sollitt, aged 93, has been one of the leading forces behind our Women of Steel campaign – taking the appeal for official recognition to Downing Street and to the Ministry of Defence.

She said: “I’m so happy our efforts in the steel factories are finally being recognised.

“Seventy years later it is about time we were recognised, and this is for all the Women of Steel including the many thousands who are no longer with us.

“I’m so happy the statue is on its way and I’m looking forward to seeing the end product.”

Sheffield Council leader Julie Dore added: “We all owe it to these amazing women to make the statue a reality.

“I’m calling on everyone out there to do what they can to help us raise money, do The Star Walk, have a bake sale, sit in a bath of beans, or just donate.

“It doesn’t matter what you do, we just want to you to get behind these wonderful women.”

Other fundraising plans are also in the pipeline for later in the year including a major concert at Sheffield City Hall.

THE STAR WALK DETAILS AND ENTRY FORM

The Star Walk quickly became a city institution when racers first took their marks in 1922.

It attracted huge crowds and was one of the highlights of the Sheffield calendar.

It hasn’t taken place since 2000 - but now we are bringing a version of it back, to raise money for The Women of Steel statue.

And we want as many readers as possible to take part.

The Star Walk 2013 is just one mile long so that as many of the Women of Steel themselves, who are now in their late 80s and 90s, can join in.

It is open to all ages and will be a great day out for all the family.

The walk takes place in Hillsborough Park, starting and finishing at Hillsborough Arena, known locally as The Old Running Track.

The four women who have been leading the campaign - Kathleen Roberts, Kit Sollitt, Ruby Gascoigne and Dorothy Slingsby - are vowing to do all they can to take part.

And they are laying down the challenge that, if they can do the walk in their 90s, then anyone can do it.

Kathleen said: “This statue means such a lot to so many families in Sheffield and further afield that we are determined to do all we can to raise the money.”

Entry is £10 for adults and £5 for children, with all money raised going to the Women of Steel Statue Appeal.

DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORM: We will be revealing more details about the event soon, but you can enter now by filling in the form, where you’ll also find full terms and conditions - CLICK HERE.

MAKE A DONATION: You can also donate to the Women of Steel Appeal at www.justgiving.com/womenofsteel.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/women-of-steel-star-walk-150k-statue-bid-entry-details-1-5398983

 

Event - Memorial to the Women of Steel Consultation Event (Sheffield)

Wednesday 30 May 2.00pm to 4.00pm in the Reception Rooms, Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2 HH

Artist Martin Jennings has been commissioned to create a figurative memorial in recognition of the women of Sheffield who served their city and country by working in the steel industry and factories during World War I and World War II. The Council is keen that the forthcoming statue is seen not just as a memorial to a remarkable group of women but an inspiration for the future.

The event is designed to help Martin to get a feel of what the people of Sheffield want to see. They would like as many people as possible to get involved, give their views, share their memories, bring along items from the time and help shape the statue. Martin is particularly interested in the detail of what the Women of Steel wore, their overalls, shoes and hairstyles and the actual work they were doing.

The event is open to everybody. Please come and talk to Martin, give us your views and tell us your own stories or those of a friend or relative. Please bring any photographs, documents and objects that you have that relate to working in the steel works and factories of Sheffield during WW1 and WW2. Experts from Sheffield Archives and Museums Sheffield will be on hand to talk about and record these.

Everyone is welcome. They'd like as many people as possible to get involved so feel free to bring your friends and relatives.

Refreshments will be provided

If you are unable to come on the day but have views and comments please contact them at womenofsteel@sheffield.gov.uk

Book - This Woman of Steel is forever a diamond girl (Sheffield)

SHE was just an ordinary working class girl.

But like so many of her generation, she lived through quite extraordinary times.

Now Ruby Gascoigne is living proof that, even if you are knocking on the door of 90, it’s never too late to fight for what is right.

Ruby, who lives just off Duke Street, is no ordinary woman - she is one of Sheffield’s Women of Steel.

She was one of the thousands of South Yorkshire women who kept Sheffield’s armaments industry in production as Nazi bombs fell across the city.

And now a new book entitled A Woman of Steel: Ruby, A Diamond Forever by Stephen Johnson, tells her story.

“I’m very happy with the book, I hope it sells well,” she said at the official launch.

“It’s brought back a lot of memories for me - there are photos of many of my friends, some who are here and some who have gone.

“I’m very proud to see our story told - the last two years have been just wonderful.”

Ruby was married to husband Frank for 42 years and worked as a cook. A mother of five sons, grandmother of 14, great-grandmother of 20, and great-great-grandmother of one, she joined a generation of women toiling in the steelworks while their menfolk fought overseas during the war.

Their incredible contribution would have been largely forgotten if it hadn’t been for the Women of Steel campaign launched by Ruby along with Dorothy Slingsby, Kit Sollitt and Kathleen Roberts.

Together they carried their fight for recognition to very top in a journey which took them to see the Prime Minister himself.

The book is available in The Star Shop in York Street, priced £9.95.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/this-woman-of-steel-is-forever-a-diamond-girl-1-4346708

News - Martin Jennings to create Sheffield Women of Steel memorial (Sheffield)

An artist has been chosen to create a sculpture to commemorate the women employed in Sheffield's steel works during both world wars.

Sculptor Martin Jennings created the bronze sculpture of former Poet Laureate John Betjeman at St Pancras station in central London.

Jennings said it was important to pay tribute to the women's work.

He said: "It's been 67 years since the end of the war so it's high time that their contribution was remembered."

"It's not only a part of local history but I see this as a national monument. 

"It was a war of national salvation and we depended on what these women did and it's extremely important to express our national thanks for the pivotal people in a crucial time in our history."

It is hoped the sculpture will be located near a bronze plaque which Sheffield City Council unveiled last year at Barker's Pool in the city centre.

"Until the site has been specified, I cannot work out the scale of it," Jennings said.

"Once I've worked out the scale I will narrow in on what we will do."

The city council has awarded the project £28,000, although a further £120,000 needs to be raised.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-16960768

News - Final salute as Sheffield Woman of Steel Vera Shaw dies, aged 102

ONE of Sheffield’s oldest Women of Steel – who kept the city’s steelworks alive during wartime – has died, aged 102.

Vera Shaw worked in Stanley Works, Woodside Lane, Neepsend, during World War Two, inspecting bullet casings.

She died in Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital on Monday, after falling ill at Christmas.

Until then, she had lived in her own home on Granby Road, Norton, leading a fairly independent life for her age.

Son Derek, 77, said she still enjoyed seeing friends.

Mr Shaw said: “Everybody has said that they will miss her because she was the life and soul of the party.

“She was 102, so it’s just one of those things.

“She was in her own home until Boxing Day and more or less looked after herself. She was with it right until the end.

“I think she may have been the oldest woman left who helped keep the home fires burning during the war.”

Vera, who featured in The Star’s Woman of Steel campaign for official recognition for their work, originally made shirts.

Her family – Vera, her husband Fred and a young Derek – had only recently moved to Sheffield when war broke out and Fred was sent away with the Royal Navy.

And Vera’s wartime job meant that she had to send Derek, then aged just four, to live with her mother in Macclesfield, Cheshire, for his safety.

During an interview as part of the Women of Steel campaign, Vera said everyone had been kind and welcoming when she arrived at Stanley Works and she had gone on to build strong friendships with her colleagues.

She said: “We used to have to look in the bullets and make sure the rings were perfect.

“It was all women. I had a big family and all my sisters worked hard like that.”

The campaign succeeded with a permanent plaque at Balm Green, off Barker’s Pool, Sheffield city centre, unveiled last year.

A fundraising drive to pay for a statue honouring the women is also planned.

Derek, of St Aidan’s Road, Arbourthorne, said: “Mum thought the Women of Steel campaign was the right thing to do to recognise the women who stepped up.

“I think everybody does and I certainly do, because I know how hard they worked.

“I remember women still doing a lot of the jobs when I was a steelworker before becoming a HGV driver.

“When I was going through all her things I found the articles about her neatly put away.”

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/lifestyle/the-star-says/final_salute_as_sheffield_woman_of_steel_vera_shaw_dies_aged_102_1_4218688

News - Plaque is unveiled for ‘Women of Steel’ (Sheffield)

WOMEN who worked in Sheffield’s steelworks and factories during the First and Second World Wars were honoured at the weekend as a plaque was unveiled in their memory.

Four women who worked in the city’s factories during wartime were invited to take part in the ceremony, alongside a female apprentice who works in industry today.

Sheffield Council’s leader Julie Dore was also involved in the unveiling, which took place in Barkers Pool, Sheffield, on Saturday afternoon.

Coun Dore said the authority was also working on a longer term project for a Women of Steel statue.

She said following consultation with a group of women who worked in the city’s factories, designs were being drawn up for a figurative statue, probably made of bronze, in the city centre.

Coun Dore said: “The plaque unveiling is just part of our plans to pay our city’s Women of Steel the respect and honour that they deserve.

“Their valiant efforts were a crucial part of the contribution Sheffield’s industry made to the war effort in both world wars.

“We are keen that both the plaque and the statue are seen not just as a memorial to a remarkable group of women but an inspiration for the future and hope people will join us in the celebrations.”

It is hoped that the statue project will be complete by November 2012. Sheffield Council said it had committed £28,000 so far with a fundraising target for a further £120K.

The first stage of the fundraising campaign will be focused on raising money from local businesses, and charitable trusts and foundations.

A public fundraising campaign will be launched next year once the artist’s design is finalised.

A council spokesman said: “The council will appoint an artist before Christmas who will produce a model by the end of April 2012.”

From: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/plaque_is_unveiled_for_women_of_steel_1_3945907

Event - Memorial for Sheffield's Women of Steel

A memorial to Sheffield's Women of Steel is to be unveiled later.

The women worked in the steelworks to keep production going during World War II when the men went off to war.

A commemorative plaque will be revealed by four of the women and a female apprentice from Sheffield's steel industry at Barker's Pool at 14:45 GMT.

The city's lord mayor and council leader will also be present. The unveiling will be followed by a free tea dance in the Winter Garden.

Ruby Gascoigne, Kathleen Roberts, Dorothy Slingsby and Kit Sollit, who worked in the steel works in Sheffield during the war, will unveil the plaque.

'Crucial contribution'

There are also plans for a Women of Steel statue in the city centre, which is likely to be made of bronze.

The council has raised £28,000 for the project and is hoping to raise a further £120,000 so the statue can be put in place by November 2012.

Councillor Julie Dore, leader of Sheffield City Council, said: "The plaque unveiling is just part of our plans to pay our city's Women of Steel the respect and honour that they deserve.

"Their valiant efforts were a crucial part of the contribution Sheffield's industry made to the war effort in both world wars.

"We are keen that both the plaque and the statue are seen not just as a memorial to a remarkable group of women but an inspiration for the future, and hope people will join us in the celebrations."

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-15596841

Article - First Women of Steel (Sheffield)

well done for supporting the campaign for a statue to the Women of Steel, who made an often forgotten contribution to the war effort between 1939 and 1945. However, campaigners should not forget the hundreds of women steelworkers who worked during World War One in conditions that were certainly far worse.

My grandmother, Phyllis White from Rawmarsh, was one of them.

As a teenager between 1916 and 1918, she travelled to Templeborough day after day to make shell casings. The work was hard and the air often filled with sulphurous fumes that affected the women’s lungs and coloured their skin yellow. They were sometimes known as ‘the canary girls’.

She rarely talked about those days but I suspect the emphysema that finally killed her was a legacy of that time.

If Sheffield erects a statue which exclusively recognises the women steelworkers of World War Two, it will, in my view, be an everlasting insult to the memory of the female workers of World War One.

Just because that generation is long gone doesn’t mean this city should overlook their vital contribution to the Allies’ victory in 1918.

In 2010, I corresponded with Andrew Skelton, the city’s Public Art Officer, on this matter. In reply, he said: “You are right to point out that women made a significant contribution to manufacture in Sheffield in both World Wars and you are justifiably proud of your grandmother’s contribution. As we envisage it the statue will commemorate both generations and the wider contribution of women to the war effort during both wars.”

And yet as the erection of the Women of Steel statue draws closer, it seems we remain in danger of cruelly ignoring the women steelworkers of World War One.

Neil Theasby, S11

News - Help us build our Women of Steel statue (Sheffield)

Our Women of Steel could be honoured with a city centre statue within a year - and Sheffielders are being asked to show their full support.

The Star’s campaign for the women who kept the steelworks running during World War Two received massive backing last year.

The move won recognition from Downing Street, the Ministry of Defence and Buckingham Palace.

Hundreds of families from across the area came forward to add the names of their mums and grandmothers to our roll of honour, thrilled to see action decades after the women were unceremoniously fired when the men returned from the front line.

Sheffield Council pledged to install a permanent monument in the city centre - and today revealed they will launch a fundraising appeal by unveiling a brass plaque, inlaid in the pavement in Barker’s Pool.

A total of £28,000 was earmarked for the statue in a cabinet report last year - but around £150,000 will be needed to pay for the statue.

There are more than 100 surviving Women of Steel, aged between 85 and 101, and campaigners are stressing time is of the essence.

Great-great-grandmother Ruby Gascoigne said: “It is about having a statue there after we have gone and for those who have already gone. We are not getting any younger and we would love to see the statue finished.

“We didn’t work for thanks but now we know what we did was vital to the war.

“We released a lot of men to go into the forces to fight and my whole family, as well as hundreds of other families, feels very strongly that nobody really appreciated what Sheffield women did before The Star’s campaign.

“My life was ruined working 13-hour nights, coming home see to my baby and then spending the rest of the time in the air raid shelter while my husband was away, for four years.”

Council leader Julie Dore said the plaque should be unveiled no later than November, with the statue hopefully arriving in a year’s time.

But she added: “I don’t know how long it will take to raise the money. You’ve got to recommend about three sculptors with a reputation for this kind of work, and ask the women what they want.

“Then you have to go through the process of designing the statue, and also raise awareness among members of the public. That will take at least 10 months just to do that.

“We’ll unveil the plaque and at the same time say we’ve identified a sculptor and launch the appeal. It’s going to be really nice.”

The Star has agreed to support the council’s fundraising campaign and will be urging readers to help make the dream a reality.

The commemorative plaque will be near an oak tree in Barker’s Pool, by the City Hall steps.

Coun Dore revealed the first £5,000 has already been raised for the appeal, adding: “Hopefully it’s not just going to be an appeal for money from the public - we’ve got ideas about how we might get other organisations involved.

“We’re going to have a statue but we can’t produce a statue in three months. We’re in a period of recession and worry about funding, but I feel positively hopeful. All I can commit to is our aim of having a statue.”

Kathleen Roberts, aged 89, sparked The Star’s campaign which won national recognition last year.

She said: “We know the financial situation that everybody is facing but it would be wonderful to see a statue in a year’s time.

“We really want to see this to the end, not just for ourselves but for the thousands of mums, grandmas, sisters and aunts who died before being thanked. When you get to our age you are on borrowed time.”

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/barnsley/help_us_build_our_women_of_steel_statue_1_3667430

News - Palace date for wartime steel women (Sheffield)

Our Women of Steel are off to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

More than 60 years after they were unceremoniously fired from the foundries as the men returned from war, the women who kept the steelworks going in the battle against Hitler will finally get the royal seal of approval.

The Star’s campaign to get official recognition for the Women of Steel has seen them have tea with the Prime Minister at No 10 and be welcomed inside the Ministry of Defence .

Now they are heading to a garden party at the Palace.

Sheffield City Council has pledged to build a permanent memorial in the city centre to remember their vital work.

Great-great-grandmother Ruby Gascoigne will travel to London this month with 89-year-old Kathleen Roberts, who launched the campaign, and the pair will represent thousands of women across South Yorkshire.

Ruby’s son Kevin first contacted the Palace last year about the campaign and after no success, tried again last week, hoping to get recognition for the women.

This time he contacted Princess Anne and within days hit the jackpot.

Kevin said: “Last year I met Princess Anne at a corporate reception. She was such a lovely lady and took so much time talking to us all that I began to wonder whether she may have any interest in the campaign for recognition.

“I wrote a letter to her last Friday more in hope than expectation after our previous let downs.

“To my utter amazement, I received a call on Monday evening from a lady who introduced herself as the garden party organiser for the Palace.

“She went on to say that Princess Anne had asked for her to invite Ruby and myself, together with another one of the Women of Steel along to the Palace.

“I am thrilled to bits by this and Ruby is beside herself with excitement.

“I would love it if we could get Princess Anne to agree to unveil the Sheffield monument on its completion, because it will happen, I am determined to make sure that it does.”

More than 100 women who filled roles in the steelworks during the war have had their names added to The Star’s roll honour.

Hundreds of other families got in touch to say their mums, grandmas or sisters had died before being given any recognition.

They took on jobs left empty as men were sent to the frontline and balanced bringing up children with making bullets, bombs, planes and boats.

The survivors were officially thanked for their role in the war effort with a letter from the Ministry of Defence. Receptions were organised by Sheffield and Rotherham Councils to honour them.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/palace_date_for_wartime_steel_women_1_3547328