Women Chainmakers' Festival 2014

Women Chainmakers’ festival to return to Bearmore Park in Cradley Heath

The Festival celebrating an historic strike by Women Chainmakers will return to Cradley Heath in June 2014.

The tenth anniversary Women Chainmakers festival will be held in Bearmore Park in Cradley Heath on 7^th June, preceded by our music event – “Friday night at the Chainmakers” on Friday 6th June. 

The venue for both events, Bearmore Mound, is in the heart of the Cradley Heath community where the Chainmakers worked and lived - and fought their successful ten week dispute to secure a minimum wage for their sector.

The festival has been jointly organised by the Midlands Region of the TUC and Sandwell council and will feature the TUC Assistant General Secretary, Kay Carberry, speaking at the festival.

Midlands TUC festival organiser Alan Weaver said, “We are delighted to bring the Chainmakers back to Cradley Heath for our annual trade union celebration of the Women Chainmakers.”

“This places our joint celebration of Mary Macarthur, who led the strike in 1910, back in the heart of the community where the women fought for their rights to a minimum wage.”

“It was a great achievement and we are once again indebted to Sandwell Council for their support in helping us continue to celebrate this important event. We are looking to make this festival an integral part of Cradley Heath for the foreseeable future and look forward to a long and successful partnership with the council to make this happen.”

The festival will also include a commemoration at Mary Macarthur Gardens where the monument dedicated to the Chainmakers is situated. This will start at 11.00 a.m. to be followed by a banner parade along Cradley Heath high Street to Bearmore Park, along part of the very route used by Macarthur and the women Chainmakers.

Further information

The festival celebrates the achievements of 800 or so women Chainmakers who fought to establish a minimum wage for their labour. The local employers sought to deny them their rights but were met with forceful opposition, led by Mary Macarthur, who founded the National Federation of Women Workers and later stood for Parliament as a Labour candidate.

Friday night at the Chainmakers takes place on Bearmore Mound from 7.00 p.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Friday 6^th June.

The tenth Women Chainmakers festival takes place at Bearmore Mound on Saturday 7^th June from 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and will feature TUC General Secretary Kay Carberry and local black country performers.

Photo record of the ninth Women Chainmakers' festival

The ninth Women Chainmakers festival took place on Bearmore park, Cradley Heath on Saturday 8th June. The festival is growing year on year, with the help of glorious sunshine both on the day of the festival and during the setup on the Thursday and Friday.
This year we were honoured by the presence of the TUC President, Lesley Mercer who headlined the speakers, together with Gloria Mills, Head of Equalities at UNISON.

Local artist performed in the Leftfield marquee, and we had new attractions with Birmingham University Archery Club, the Jockey Mens Morris Club and Cradley (or is it Dudley?) Heathens Speedway Team.

Our "Mile for Mary" paper chain challenge produced - well, maybe not quite  mile - but a seriously long chain which decorated the Family Tent in a way not seen before.

An expanded Community tent saw many more local organisations and traders on the site which was great to see.

We also organised our first commemoration at the Chainmakers Monument in Mary MAcarthur Memorial Gardens and our second banner procession along Cradley Heath High Street to the festival.

Friday night at the Chainmakers

Our first "Friday night at the Chainmakers"  on the festival site at Bearmore Park in Cradley Heath was an opportunity to showcase some of the best musical talent in the Black Country - including the Sandwell Rock school based at Holly Lodge. The Rock school are made up of local school children, -who in my humble view are superb musicians and singers - plus those that have left school but come back to support current members of the group.

We were delighted that the TUC President, Lesley Mercer from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, was able to present a cheque for £250 to the Rock School to show our appreciation of the work done in giving young people such a fantastic opportunity.

Joining us for this special evening was Stacey Blythe who composed and performed the Chainmakers' song .

Parking at The Chainmakers

We strongly urge that you do not attempt to park in the streets around Bearmore Park as festival parking has been arranged a ten minute walk from the site. This is at Hickman's Avenue, Cradley Heath, B64 5ND and we are running a shuttle service between Hickmans Avenue nd Plant Strreet from 11.00 a.m. until 5.00 p.m.

There are 20 spaces for disabled people with blue badges for their cars at the festival site, access from Clyde Street, B64 6DQ.

For those of you who wish to attend the commemoration at the Chainmakers monument we suggest you use the car park near Cradley Heath railway station, bottom left of map below, £2 per day for parking.


 

The final line up for the Women Chainmakers' festival and Friday night at the Chainmakers' has just been released..................

Women Chainmakers’ festival to return to Bearmore Park in Cradley Heath

The Festival celebrating an historic strike by Women Chainmakers will return to Cradley Heath this weekend.

The ninth Women Chainmakers festival will be held in Bearmore Park in Cradley Heath on 8^th June, preceded by a new addition to the festival –“Friday night at the Chainmakers”.

The venue for both events, Bearmore Mound, is in the heart of the Cradley Heath community where the Chainmakers worked and lived - and fought their successful ten week dispute to secure a minimum wage for their sector.

The festival has been jointly organised by the Midlands Region of the TUC and Sandwell council and will feature the TUC President, Lesley Mercer, speaking at the events.

Midlands TUC festival organiser Alan Weaver said, “We are delighted to bring the Chainmakers back to Cradley Heath for the third year running.”

“This places our joint celebration of Mary Macarthur, who led the strike in 1910, back in the heart of the community where the women fought for their rights to a minimum wage.”

“It was a great achievement and we are indebted to Sandwell Council for their support in helping us continue to celebrate this important event. We are looking to make this festival an integral part of Cradley Heath for the foreseeable future and look forward to a long and successful partnership with the council to make this happen.”

The festival will also include a commemoration at Mary Macarthur Gardens here the monument dedicated to the Chainmakers is situated. This will start at 11.00 a.m. to be followed by a banner parade along Cradley Heath high Street to Bearmore Park, along part of the very route used by Macarthur and the women Chainmakers.

Notes to Editors:

The festival celebrates the achievements of 800 or so women Chainmakers who fought to establish a minimum wage for their labour. The local employers sought to deny them their rights but were met with forceful opposition, led by Mary Macarthur, who founded the National Federation of Women Workers and later stood for Parliament as a Labour candidate.

Friday night at the Chainmakers takes place on Bearmore Mound from 7.00 p.m. to 11.00 p.m. on Friday 7^th June.

Performers on Friday Night include Sandwell Rock School and Stacey Blythe singing the Chainmakers Song.

The ninth Women Chainmakers festival takes place at Bearmore Mound on Saturday 9^th June from 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and will feature TUC President, Lesley Mercer, Gloria Mills, UNISON Head of Equalities, and local black country performers including The Laners, Phil Parton, Easy Street, Tom Martin Band, Steve Morris, Bill O’Brien, East West Fusion, Brett Huckerfield and Marie Timmins, Folk Law, Carol Widenbar, Tony Scott and Billy and Lozz.

Announcing Friday Night at The Chainmakers

Friday night at The Chainmakers is to be held at the festival site, Bearmore Park, Cradley Heath, from 7.00 p.m. until 11.00 p.m. This is a free event and forms part of the Women Chainmakers festival which takes place on Saturday 8th June. 

The new promotional video can be viewed below or on YouTube here

Women Chainmakers festival returns to Cradley Heath

The 2013 Women Chainmakers' festival will be held at Bearmore Park, Cradley Heath on Saturday 8th June. Check out our promotional video on YouTube or watch it here.

 

The You Tube link is available here 

2012 Festival grows - and the sun shines!

The 2012 Women Chainmakers' Festival is over for another year. Bigger crowds, more tents and things to do - and the weather on the day was kind. 

This year's festival coincided with the unveiling of the Chainmakers' monument at the Mary Macarthur Memorial Gardens in Cradley Heath, and gave us the opportunity to march on the very streets that the women chainmakers' made their own in 1910.

Our friends at Union News covered the festival and their video can be seen here:

Thanks to all those unions that put so much energy - -and financial support - into making this years festival a success. And thanks too, to Sandwell Council who were so supportive of the event. Without you all, it just does not happen.

Alan Weaver

Festival Organiser

Women Chainmakers’ Festival returns to Cradley Heath in Sandwell

The festival celebrating an historic strike by women chainmakers’ will return to Sandwell in the summer.

The eighth Women Chainmakers festival will be held in Bearmore Park in Cradley Heath on 9 June.

The venue, Bearmore Mound, is in the heart of the community where the chainmakers’ lived and worked - and fought their successful ten week dispute for a minimum wage for their sector in 1910.

The festival will be jointly organised by the Midlands Region of the TUC and Sandwell Council.

Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Rob Johnston said: “We are delighted to bring the Chainmakers back to Cradley Heath.

“This places our joint celebration of Mary Macarthur, who led the strike, back in the heart of the community where the women fought for their rights to a minimum wage.

“It was a great achievement and we are indebted to Sandwell Council for their support in helping us continue to celebrate this important event.

“We are looking to make this festival an integral part of Cradley Heath for the foreseeable future and look forward to a long and successful partnership with the council to make this happen.”

Sandwell Council Leader Councillor Darren Cooper said: “We are very pleased the TUC is again prepared to organise the festival in conjunction with the council.

“This is an event which celebrates our local history and marks one of the most important events to take place anywhere in the country – and it is here on our patch in Cradley Heath.”

The festival has been moved forward to June to coincide with the unveiling of a statue of a woman chainmaker at Mary Macarthur Park in Cradley Heath, organised by the council and the Friends of Mary Macarthur Gardens Group.

Further information:

The festival celebrates the achievements of 800 or so women Chainmakers who fought to establish a minimum wage for their labour. The local employers sought to deny them their rights but were met with forceful opposition, led by Mary Macarthur, who founded the National Federation of Women Workers and later stood for Parliament as a Labour candidate.

Festival 2012

Watch this space for news of the 2012 festival date and line ups.................

more happening this year......................

Women Chainmakers festival in new home - back to Cradley Heath!

This year will see the Women Chainmakers festival at a new home - Bearmore Park in the centre of Cradley Heath, right at the centre of where the historic dispute was played out to a successful conclusion.

There is a small entrance fee to the festival this year - £5 for adults, with children 16 and under entering for free. Tickets are available from:

Midlands TUC

24 Livery Street

Birmingham

B3 2PA

Tel: 0121 262 6383

email: midlands@tuc.org.uk

Cheques payable to the TUC

Centenary festival does credit to The Chainmakers

The 2010 centenary celebration of the historic victory of the women chainmakers of Cradley Heath saw over 4,000 people in attendance. Visitors came from far and wide with delegations from the south west, Ireland, Soctland and Kent all enjoing some late summer sunshine in the Black Country

They heard speeches before the banner parade from Billy Hayes of the CWU, Mary Turner, President of the GMB, and Sylvia Heal, former local MP and past Deputy Speaker of teh House of Commons. After the Banner procession - the biggest by far so far seen at the festival - speeches were received from Eleanor Smith, Vice President of UNISON and legendary figure of the Left, Tony Benn.

Music this year was provided by excellent Black Country musicians, both in the Leftfield, aroung the Museum village and on the main UNISON stage.

Stacey Blythe gave a perfect rendition of her Chainmakers song, backed this year by the Nottingham Clarion Choir.

Our headline act was The Unthanks who played despite the crowd being decimated by late rain showers.

Friday night at the Chainmakers



Sylvia Heal

 Tonight saw the eve of festival launch of the new Black Country Living Museum display depicting the harsh working conditions suffered by the women chainmakers of Cradley Heath. The display, introduced by Museum Director Andrew Lovett and financed by the TUC and affiliated trade unions, is located in the exhibition halls in the main building of the Museum.

The launch was followed by music in the Workers Institute and short speeches by Sylvia Heal, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, and TUC Regional Secretary Cheryl Pidgeon. The evening was rounded off by Stacey Blythe singing the Chainmakers song, which she will reprise at the festival on Saturday 18th September.


Stacey Blythe singing the Chainmakers' song



Music headliner announced for the 2010 Women Chainmakers Festival

The Women Chainmakers festival is delighted to announce that The Unthanks will be headlining the music at the Centenary Women Chainmakers festival to be held at The Black Country Living Museum on Saturday 18th September.

Not many bands can count Radiohead, Portishead, Elvis Costello, Robert Wyatt, Ben Folds, Ewan McGregor and Nick Hornby amongst their admirers, but The Unthanks occupy a unique place in music. Northumbria sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank are unsentimental young storytellers outside of time, forging links between folk worlds old, new and other. Staunch traditionalism and sonic adventure ought to be polar opposites, yet they are easy bedfellows in the gentle hands of The Unthanks; the British counterpart to the leftfield folk leanings of Sufjan Stevens, Bonnie Prince Billy, Tom Waits and Fleet Foxes, nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and present in The Best Albums of the Decade (worldwide, all genres) in The Guardian and Uncut. Described by Britain's leading music journalist Paul Morley as "absolutely exquisite", new album Here's The Tender Coming employs a kaleidoscope of unlikely instruments and arrangements.

"Haunting, original and magnificent" The Guardian
"an exquisite mixture of light and dark, instinct and artistry" Uncut
"once in a blue moon type of every now and again, you hear music that is so complete, so wonderful, unique and yet familiar that it stops you in your tracks. They have that blue moon magic about them, and they have it in spades" BBC Music
"Music as tough as it is gentle, as ancient as it is modern, and as coldly desolate as it is achingly intimate.. a sensationally graceful sound that can be epic and subdued, dreamy and specific, as well as supernaturally ancient and defiantly modern."
Paul Morley, Observer Music Magazine (Britain's leading music journalist)

http://www.the-unthanks.com/
www.myspace.com/rachelunthank
www.twitter.com/TheUnthanks
RabbleRouser Music and The Unthanks
www.the-unthanks.com
www.myspace.com/rachelunthank

Tony Benn to headline at Women Chainmakers festival

The pioneering work of a formidable group of Black Country women will be honoured at the Women Chainmakers' Festival held at the Black Country Living Museum on Saturday September 18, 2010. The event celebrates the 1910 Women Chainmakers strike –100 years after the women, led by Mary Macarthur, marched for better pay and shaped industrial relations in Britain. The main speaker at the TUC organised event will be former cabinet minister Tony Benn.
Benn, who is the longest-serving Labour MP in the history of the party, retired from the House of Commons in 2001 after 50 years in Parliament to ‘devote more time to politics’.
He said:"The Chainmakers' dispute, 100 years ago this year, was a classic trade union battle led by women who inspired the whole trade union movement. This year we will be remembering that battle and honouring those who fought it."
Cheryl Pigeon, TUC Regional Secretary said: “The Chainmakers struggle for a minimum wage marked a turning point in the campaign for better pay for women workers. The lessons from the Chainmakers are still with us today in campaigns to improve pay and working conditions for all workers.”
In 1910 the Women Chainmakers of Cradley Heath won a fight to establish the right to a fair wage following a bitter 10 week dispute. This landmark victory changed the lives of thousands of workers who were earning starvation wages. The employers and unions agreed to a minimum wage of two-and-a-half pence an hour - an amount which equaled a 150 percent pay increase for the poorest of workers
Andrew Lovett, Director and Chief Executive of the Black Country Living Museum commented: “It has been said that the Cradley Heath Workers’ Institute – now part of the Black Country Living Museum – is the last physical reminder of the Women Chainmakers Strike of 1910. That maybe so – but the more important legacy is the fairer treatment of working people and the development of a more respectful and tolerant society – one that isn’t built on a kind of semi-slavery of others.”
The story of Mary Macarthur and the Women Chainmakers will be brought to life through stirring speeches, historic re-enactments, theatre and music. The highlight of the day will be a re-creation of the strike march when the women walk to victory once more!

2009 Women Chainmakers’ festival a great success

The crowds came, the sun shone, the speakers and acts turned up – all in all a great day for the 5th annual Women Chainmakers’ festival!


“This was a brilliant celebration of our history and heritage”, said Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Cheryl Pidgeon, “and vitally important as the Chainmakers’ is the only festival in the country to mark the achievement of women in an industrial dispute”.


The festival continues to attract senior figures from the trade union and labour movement, with both Christine Blower, General Secretary of the NUT, and Diana Holland, Assistant General Secretary of Unite, speaking on the stage. Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Sylvia Heal MP, was also present in her role as Patron of the festival.


With some 3,800 people attending this year’s festival, well up on the 3,000 who attended in both 2007 and 2008, Cheryl Pidgeon, Midlands TUC Regional Secretary and master of ceremonies on the stage said, “This festival is building nicely towards next year’s centenary festival. I am incredibly pleased that the trade union movement has taken the Women Chainmakers’ festival to its’ heart in this way and is supporting the celebration in ever increasing numbers”.

Christine Blower Headlines at Chainmakers Festival

General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Christine Blower is to be the main speaker at the 2009 Women Chainmakers' Festival which returns for its fifth year at the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley on Saturday 12th September, 2009.


Blower, who was elected as Deputy General Secretary of the NUT in 1997 joined the union as a student and has been a career-long NUT member. She has held the post of President and Secretary of the NUT in Hammersmith and Fulham and had a 33 year career in teaching.


Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers said: “It is a great privilege to be speaking at this festival. The courage and determination shown by the women chainmakers to demand a decent living wage is a message that is as relevant today as it was nearly 100 years ago. The campaign to make the minimum wage a living must still go on.”


Blower led a one day strike over teacher’s pay in 2005, the first national strike by the union for over 20 years. She has also criticised government plans to fast track unemployed executives into teaching in six months.


The Women Chainmakers' Festival celebrates the pioneering work of the women Chainmakers of Cradley Heath through music, drama, dance, poetry and performance and 'flies the banner' for the historically important role of women within Britain's working and industrial heritage.


The 1910 Women Chainmakers' dispute was a significant moment in labour history with hundreds of low paid women, earning pitiful wages for their work, successfully prosecuting a dispute which laid the foundations for today's National Minimum Wage.


Emma Middleton, Marketing Manager for the Black Country Living Museum said: “We are enormously pleased Christine Blower has agreed to speak at the 2009 festival. It is, we believe, a recognition of the importance of the women chainmakers' strike and the festival and raises the awareness of the role played by women worldwide in the workforce.”

Festival Signs Up Headline Act

Robb Johnson, one of the finest singer/songwriters working in the UK today, along with his band the Irregulars will be this year’s headline act at the Women Chainmakers’ Festival which takes place on Saturday 12th September, 2009 at the Black Country Living Museum.

 Robb and the Irregulars were voted the Daily Telegraph’s Folk Album of 1998 and Johnson is recognised by many as "Britain's finest songwriter of the last decade" for songs that are "incisive, clever and witty and you can sing them on your way to work". Together with the Irregulars Johnson plays solid no-nonsense rock ballads with a folk edge and counts former cabinet minister, Tony Benn, amongst his fans.



The Women Chainmakers’ Festival is the only event in the country specifically celebrating the achievement of women in the workplace. Mary Macarthur’s vision and the 1910 'Lock Out' by the women chainmakers was an historically significant moment, focusing the world’s attention upon the country’s lowest paid workers. The women’s landmark victory laid the legislative foundation upon which today’s national minimum wage is built. It also led to the building of the Cradley Heath Worker’s Institute which was saved from demolition and has been rebuilt at the Black Country Living Museum.

Emma Middleton, Marketing Manager said: “The Black Country Living Museum is delighted to welcome Robb and the Irregulars to the Women Chainmakers’ Festival and we very much hope it will be the first of many visits. The Festival aims to continue the Macarthur vision and promote, support and inspire the positive role of women in the workforce. Robb and the Irregulars will bring a new dimension to celebrating the 1910 women chainmakers’ dispute.”

Women Chainmakers' Festival

Welcome to the official blog for the Women Chainmakers' Festival. This festival takes place at the Black Country Living Museum, Tipton Road, Dudley, on Saturday 12th September 2009. The festival commemorates the 1910 dispute in which 800 women chainmaker's were "locked out" of work for demanding the employers paid them the agreed minimum wage for their labours. The women won the dispute - and established their right to a minimum wage which set the scene for 89 years of campaigning before the establishment of a national minimum wage in 1999.

Announcements will be posted to keep you up to date with the events taking place at the festival including speakers and entertainment.