Forgotten Women of Wakefield projects bags Historic England funding for research to pave way for Edith Wright and Emily Esther Fennell blue plaque
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Dream Time Creative CIC, the organisation behind the Forgotten Women of Wakefield blue plaque parity campaign, has recieved a grant of £6,500 from Historic England .
The funding will be used to engage the community in research and creative responses to Edith Wright and Emily Esther Fennell, who founded and further established Wakefield's first school for blind people.
Historic England's national blue plaque scheme tells the stories of inspirational people – from all walks of life – who have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness, throughout history.
Sarah Cobham, CEO of Dream Time Creative said, "This funding is real validation for the work we have already done at local, regional and national level and is an opportunity for us to submit our findings to Historic England.
"This may, in turn, lead to the women's names and information about their legacy to be read, both in regular script, and braille, by everyone."
Community groups were encouraged to apply for funding to help research local heroes.
The research findings may be used to support an application by Dream Time Creative for a national blue plaque when Historic England opens public nominations again next year.
The project, entitled Beyond Braille, will be co-produced with Wakefield District Sight Aid.
Its chief executive, Hayley Grocock, said: "Wakefield District Sight Aid's roots can be traced as far back as 1869, so we already know there is a long history of philanthropic support for blind and partially sighted people in Wakefield.
"We are really excited to be working with Dream Time Creative to add colour and detail to what we already know about our heritage, to be able to bring the stories of those women who came before us to life."
Research skills will take place over eight sessions by Forgotten Women of Wakefield's resident historian Helga Fox.
She has previously worked with Dream Time Creative to publish a book titled Clara Clarkson's Merrie Wakefield.
It was during that project, and previous projects that the Society for the Blind first came to both her, and Sarah's attention.
Audio recordings of those with sight loss and their lived experiences and creative engagement with the project will be available across various digital platforms alongside Braille sheets summarising the research outcomes.
A group of dedicated volunteers known as the Round Our Way team have pledged to donate their time and creative flair to develop a new Wakefield history walk.
As of November 2024, there are 36 women named on blue plaques in Wakefield and the surrounding five towns of Castleford, Featherstone, Knottingley, Normanton and Pontefract, making the district a leader in representing women on blue plaques across the country.
Juian Haran, Historic England's national blue plaque manager, said: "We are delighted to award this grant to Dream Time Creative C.I.C as part of our funding for community projects exploring local figures.
"The national blue plaque scheme helps people feel more connected to their local history and heritage.
"It complements the work of civic societies, councils and charities which run plaque schemes across the country."
