Fundraising campaign set up to help make new museum a reality
The site in Barking where the museum is set to be built. - Credit: Ken Mears
The organisers behind a new museum dedicated to women throughout history have launched a crowdfunding bid to raise the £20,000 required to build a permanent home.
The East End Women's Museum plans to open next year, with a site near Barking Abbey having previously been identified.
But in order to make the dream a reality, more money needs to be raised.
Rachel Crossley, the museum's director, explained: “Women make history every day. The East End Women’s Museum is dedicated to women’s history and making sure that all women’s voices are heard – past, present and future.
"Stories about amazing women are more important than ever: their achievements, what they’ve overcome, the impact they make on their communities.
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"Every pound raised will help us keep collecting, and telling, these stories."
The idea for the East End Women's Museum dates back to 2015, in response to the news that a proposed women's history museum in Cable Street was revealed to only tell the story of a serial killer.
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Since then, the team have organised various activities and events to raise awareness of women's history, and plan to expand on this with the establishment of a permanent location where people can visit and find out more.
Among the women it is set to highlight is Mala Sen, a writer and race equality activist who was dedicated to tackling the racism inherent in the council housing system in the 1970s.
Other women whose stories are set to be told include Jane Savoy, who in 1914 spoke to prime minister Herbert Asquith in the battle for women to get the vote, and Annie Newton, a female boxer who was banned from fighting in the 1920s.
Sara Huws, co-founder of the museum, said: “We were founded by people power, and together we’ve created something trailblazing, but we continue to need support to make sure we can keep sharing and celebrating stories of women making history.
"You only have to scratch the surface and the stories are there. Stories of women’s courage, compassion, genius, resilience, humour, resourcefulness and resistance. It’s time to balance the history books."
To support the crowdfunding appeal, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/women-make-history
