Thursday 4 June

6pm in Unison, 18 Albion Street.

Following on the meeting with the Gude Cause women from Edinburgh last week, we propose to set up a Glasgow group, and to have a first meeting in Glasgow on Thursday 4 June, at 6pm in Unison, 18 Albion Street.

Many thanks to Alison for booking the room. Fiona or someone else from the Edinburgh group will be there to briefly introduce the campaign.
 
The main purpose of this meeting would be to expand our network in Glasgow/West of Scotland, and start brainstorming about how we could contribute to the Gude Cause event in the autumn, and possibly organise other events as well. 
 
Please invite along anyone else who is not yet on our mailing list and who may be interested. And bring along names and email addresses to the meeting, so that we can update our contact list. We could at some point set up a google or yahoo mailing list.
 
If  you’d like to come along and also be included on our mailing list please email Valerie,  valeriewright10@googlemail.com

Thursday 4th June

6pm Unison, 18 Albion Street

Following on the meeting with the Gude Cause women from Edinburgh last week, we propose to set up a Glasgow group, and to have a first meeting in Glasgow on Thursday 4 June, at 6pm in Unison, 18 Albion Street.

Many thanks to Alison for booking the room. Fiona or someone else from the Edinburgh group will be there to briefly introduce the campaign.

The main purpose of this meeting would be to expand our network in Glasgow/West of Scotland, and start brainstorming about how we could contribute to the Gude Cause event in the autumn, and possibly organise other events as well.

Please invite along anyone else who is not yet on our mailing list and who may be interested. And bring along names and email addresses to the meeting, so that we can update our contact list. We could at some point set up a google or yahoo mailing list.

If  you’d like to come along and also be included on our mailing list please email Valerie, V.Wright@dundee.ac.uk

Whats been happening…

Visits and Talks

Glasgow

Special trains, finding the Glasgow banner, making a new Glasgow banner, looking at granny’s suffagette teacups …. just some of the issues discussed at a scintillating meeting in Glasgow last Wednesday.  The Women’s Library provided a welcoming atmosphere for some very enthusiastic women who have decided to set up a Glasgow group – the date and place to be announced in the next week.

Dundee

As I write this, women are planning to meet on Monday evening, 11 May in Dundee ….more news about their planned activities in the next ebulletin.

Edinburgh

Lesley Orr will be giving a talk

Welcome to our new administrator

Fiona Skillen joined us in April and is already proving a valuable asset to Gude Cause.  Fiona’s main task will be working on registration for the procession and getting to grips with our mushrooming database to ensure everyone is updated on developments.    

Procession route confirmed

Finally, after much negotiation, we have finalised the route the procession will take.  Gathering at Bruntsfield links we will head down Middle Meadow Walk, Forrest Road, George IV Bridge, High Street, North Bridge, Waterloo Place and finishing with a rally at Calton Hill. 

Bannermaking Workshops

Starting 20th May

New Committee member Marylou is co-ordinating our Bannermaking sub group and will be setting up a Bannermaking group to meet regularly.  The first meeting of the group is on 20^th May times and venue to be confirmed please email marylou anderson  for further information.  Everyone welcome, please bring your own scissors. 

Bannermaking Workshop with Iyaah Warren

30th May, 1.00-5.00pm, McDonald Road Library, Edinburgh

Gude Cause will be running a special ‘no sewing’ Bannermaking workshop to design a Gude Cause Banner for the procession.  Please bring your own scissors (dressmaking preferably) and any bits of cotton materials you may have. To book a place please contact gudecause@peaceandjustice.org.uk  0131 229 0993

Rosette-making Workshop

The Africa Centre

16th&23rd May 2009,

1-5pm McDonald Road Libary

Book your place in advance – Contact 0131 557 6145

Aimed at women from all ethnic backgrounds.  Get ready for the procession by making rosettes using the colours of the suffragette movement – Purple, White and Green with an image of a woman who inspires you in the centre.  The Rosettes can be attached to sashes or pinned to your clothing for the procession

Quilting

Quilting squares continue to arrive almost daily.  Visit our website to view a couple of examples and if you feel inspired full instructions on how to get started on creating your own.

Music

To see words and hear parts for songs to be sung on the procession see forthcoming link on Gude Cause website or go directly to www.protestinharmony.org.uk  The songs will be on the website very soon!

Coming Soon….

Gude Cause Film

In the Pipeline

Mary Keegan’s ‘Ways of Seeing’ Group will be filmed as they look into suffragism and women’s history.  The film will be screened at the Royal Museum of Scotland in the run up to the event.

A triple bill of films of Scottish heroines is planned for October.

Choose a particular female historical character, or period, dress up & star in the film which will be made of The Gude Cause Procession – details on all will follow

Get in touch…. 

Tell us about your events and activities and we will highlight them in our ebulletin and on our website.  For further information on any of the above, or to make a donation or discuss your ideas email gudecause@peaceandjustice.org.uk or call 0131 229 0993 or visit our website www.gudecause.co.uk

GUDE CAUSE
e-bulletin & Update

March 2009

GUDE CAUSE QUILTING PROJECT – Our first Squares have arrived

Do you notice that she has taken the theme of “Unity” and created a “U” within each square? How clever!

Need some inspiration or support to get started or want to meet up with other quilters – join the quilting bee from 6-9pm at Engender, on one of the following dates. All welcome!
Mon 6 April
Mon 4 May
Mon 1 June
There are “instructional sheets” to get you started available on our website.

What’s been happening ………..

Gude Cause Fundraising Concert

Gude Cause celebrated International Women’s Day with a fundraising concert on Sunday 8 March. A wonderful night packed full of inspiring women singers and musicians. Many thanks to all who took part and gave their time and talents freely. Special thanks to the organizers who pulled together what was an inspirational evening. Not only was the event successful in bringing women together, it also raised £400.

Visits and talks

March was a busy month with Gude Cause being invited to take part in events and hold stalls at International Women’s Day events.
Helen Kay attended North Edinburgh Arts IWD event where women took an interest in the display of suffrage posters and photographs of the Edinburgh Suffrage Procession of 1909. There were several inspiring and worthwhile workshops but Helen was particularly pleased to see so many women taking an interest in the quilt-making project.
Susan Moffat attended the East Lothian’s IWD event remembering the Women Suffragettes of East Lothian with a full programme of speakers, banner making, and conversations with East Lothian Women activists, a sing a long and Victorian style café.
Lesley Orr attended the Kirkcaldy for IWD celebration organised by Kirkcaldy & District TUC.

Support

Gude Cause have received a grant to produce a ‘Toolkit’ of information and ideas to inspire women and groups to get started and set up their own local Gude Cause activities. We welcome any suggestions and examples of good work to include in the toolkit.

We were also successful in being awarded £3,005 from Women’s Fund for Scotland which allows us to appoint a much needed freelance part-time administrator.

Our first booking

A group of around thirty from the Communication Worker’s Union HQ in Wimbledon have booked their place on the process. They will be in attending a union meeting in Edinburgh on the Friday and are staying on for the procession on Saturday. They will be coming with banners!

……………….. apart from that discussions continue with CEC on the proposed route for the procession ……………….. But we do know that it will happen on Saturday 10 October 2009, starting from Bruntsfield Links about 12 noon and end with songs and speeches on Calton Hill in late afternoon.

SONGS FOR THE PROCESSION

Protest in Harmony are working on a collection of songs and music to be sung on the procession. You will be able to download words and music from Gude Cause and Protest in Harmony websites in May and they will be circulated to community/political choirs throughout the UK. A songbook is also being printed and song workshops in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow are in the planning, details to follow.

The songs are:
1. The Right to Vote and a’ That – from time of 1909
2. Rosa’s Lovely Daughters – Rob Johnson
3. We are Remembering – Penny Stone
4. Bella Ciao – Greenham version
5. Gude Cause – Jane Lewis
6. Nana was a Suffragette – Jules Gibb
7. The Wimmin o’ Dundee – Sheena Wellington
8. Aint Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round – ?

Workshops and events coming up

WEA Edinburgh have organised three arts based courses:
‘Get Involved in Gude Cause through the Arts ‘.
Jewellery Making with Leah Bastiani- Mondays 7- 9pm – Drummond Community High School from 27th April for 6 weeks (£10 contribution for materials)
Banner Making with Iyaah Warren -Tuesdays 7-9pm Riddles Court 6 weeks from 28th April – aim is to make a wall hanging as a centre piece for the Museum of Edinburgh Suffrage Exhibition . (free).
Theatre Costume Workshop with Rebecca Roosman – Thursdays 10am to 12noon from 30th April for 10 weeks at Riddle’s Court. To research & design costume for the play WEA are preparing. (free)
To book a place contact: k.turner@weascotland.org.uk