Ellen Strange: Final resting place of murdered woman honoured

 

Ellen Strange: Final resting place of murdered woman honoured

Bury Times

http://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/25026364.ellen-strange-final-resting-place-murdered-woman-honoured/

The resting place of a woman who was killed in Bury around 300 years ago has been found and honoured with a moving ceremony.

Ellen Strange is believed to have been murdered by her husband, John Broadley, in January 1761 on Holcombe Moor.

She has since become a symbol for victims of domestic abuse in the Bury area and beyond.

Each July, a group of people honour her and other victims with an annual memorial walk up Holcombe Hill where an ancient cairn stands for people to leave flowers and trinkets.

Her final resting place had remained a mystery until recently, when it was located in the graveyard of Emmanuel Church on Chapel Lane in Holcombe.

Around fifteen people gathered in the cemetery on Thursday, March 20 to mark the discovery. 

Members from Breightmet Butterflies, a women’s support group based in Bolton, planted a rosemary tree to signify love and remembrance.

Church reader Michael Burton led the outdoor ceremony and spoke candidly about people “never really knowing what happens behind closed doors” and how awareness of domestic abuse has changed over recent decades.

Francesca Platt, the co-founder of Breightmet Butterflies shared an emotive speech.

She said: “Each year we do the memorial walk and read out a list of domestic abuse victims. Each time, it seems to go on forever and never gets any shorter.”

Mr Michael Burton also read several prayers to honour all victims of domestic abuse and the importance of advocacy.

Flowers were laid on Ellen’s grave by Karen Hope from Bolton’s Endeavour Project which supports all victims of domestic abuse and their pets.

The small stone is only recognisable by the engraving ‘1024 A’.

Journalist Mark Metcalf was also at the event and has previously made a short film about Ellen's life and death.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPMaOEroepU&ntb=1&msockid=64c67bee08ba11f0878486890c8a7b6b

He said: “I grew up with domestic abuse in the home and when I worked as a factory shop steward [union representative], I saw the wider impact. Women would end up taking time off and losing their jobs due to abuse.

“It’s an issue of great importance and we must keep raising awareness.”

Coventry City 3 Sunderland 0

 Any flickering hopes of automatic promotion for Sunderland were blown away by a rampant Coventry City side whose late run looks like taking them into the play off spots where if the two sides do meet again then the Wearsiders will have to play considerably better if they hope to reverse this heavy defeat.

Having said that Coventry have lost on their last two trips to Wembley, whereas the Black Cats have won on their last two visits. 

Meanwhile, off the pitch the animosity between the supporters, which began when Jimmy Hill intervened to prevent a possible third goal from Bristol City at Highfield Road in 1977 that would have sent the Sky Blues, rather than Sunderland, down, continues to grow. Police intervention was needed afterwards to prevent fighting. 

All of which means that should Coventry face Sunderland at the Stadium of the Light then allowing Sky Blues fans to be seated above home fans in the North Stand will raise the possibility of missiles again being thrown down with possible serious injuries. 

CALDERDALE TRADES UNION COUNCIL PUBLIC EVENTS IN APRIL, MAY AND JUNE

 

CALDERDALE TRADES UNION COUNCIL PUBLIC EVENTS IN APRIL, MAY AND JUNE

MONDAY 28th APRIL

WORKERS’ MEMORIAL DAY

12.15pm at WMD plinth next to Halifax Central Library

Various speakers and wreath laying

See CTUC film on WMD – REMEMBER THE DEAD AND FIGHT FOR THE LIVING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLyeMYnpVjo

SUNDAY 4TH MAY

May Day celebrations 2pm at Hebden Bridge Trades Club

WOMEN AND ORGANISING – Judy Cox, Jill Liddington, Jenny Shepherd and Christine of Forus Tree

Watch Judy Cox on women at the EP Thompson event in 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqrVpyWVzp8&t=34s

FRIDAY 30TH MAY

6.30pm start – JAW, JAW or WAR, WAR?

Professor Paul Rogers

Alex Gordon, RMT and Stop the War Coalition https://www.facebook.com/reel/603624528583689

At Calderdale Industrial Museum

Watch an earlier CTUC talk by Andrew Feinstein https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNpv82dKVqs&t=47s

THURSDAY 12th JUNE

INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR

4.30PM at Luddenden Dean Wesleyan Methodist Chapelyard

Heys Lane, HX2 7TR England

Wreath laying for 7 worked to death orphans buried in the cemetery

Speakers to include 17-year-old Charlie Metcalf, Dan Whittall (NEU) and, hopefully, UNICEF

Watch this CTUC video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdcrdIlxs60&t=95s

FRIDAY 20 JUNE

6.30pm start – 100th anniversary celebrations: Halifax and the successful strike in 1925 by textile workers in West Yorkshire  Read more at:- https://markwrite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/halifaxbooklet.pdf

Speakers – Keith Laybourn and Alan Fowler

At the CALDERDALE INDUSTRIAL MUSEUM

Contact CTUC on Nigel 07709 684473 or Mark on 07392 852561 info@calderdaletuc.org.uk

GREEN FOR GROW - £2,500 needed of £6,000 to make a unique farming film

 

£2,500 NEEDED TO MAKE A UNIQUE FILM ON FOOD & FARMING

TWO WALKS WITH SOIL SCIENTIST CHARLIE CLUTTERBUCK IN LANCASHIRE ON JUNE 7^th & JULY 10^th                                           

https://youtu.be/t3YgaP9Xev0

Just Grow to Eat 

Aims

We aim to produce a 30min film explaining what is going in Britain’s countryside today - ‘far from the madding crowd’.

There are major land issues that will determine where we get our food from in the future, and how and why we should produce more here.

To further that debate, this film could be used by communities or online, so that food & farming becomes part of our discourse about the future of the UK.

Plan

We need to raise £6000 to pay for production costs that include a director, presenter, voiceover and old footage. We have already received a donation of £3,500, leaving a total of £2,500 to be raised.

Join one of two walks

We are planning two tours in the Lancashire countryside on Saturday 7^th June in Slaidburn and Thursday 10^th July in Barley for filming more about what is going on. Anybody making a small contribution can join these tours. They will start at 11.00am and last till 3 pm. Moderate but hilly walking conditions. If you’d like to come along on the walks please make contact asap. Ltd places.

The full film will include questions suitable for debate and further links to follow up.

Watch a short promotional film at:- https://youtu.be/t3YgaP9Xev0

Any questions or for more details please contact Charlie on charlie@sutainablefood.com or Mark Metcalf metcalfmc@outlook.com 07392 852561

Funds can be donated at M C Metcalf sort code 60-09-27 Account number 77358244

The producers of the film are Mark Metcalf and Dave Hackney of The Digital Cortex https://www.thedigitalcortex.com who have worked on a number of short film projects including works on Workers’ Memorial Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLyeMYnpVjo               

Child Labour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdcrdIlxs60

Junior Doctors Strike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA23wwcQTjY

The pair are currently editing a film on Bradford’s Mohammad Taj, TUC President in 2013-14.

For many more works go to:- https://www.youtube.com/@markmetcalf07/videos

Plaque will honour world's first black international footballer - Halifax Courier

 

DEDICATED TREE PLANTING AT THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF ELLEN STRANGE

 

DEDICATED TREE PLANTING

HONOUR ELLEN STRANGE AND ALL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

10:30am ON THURSDAY 20^th MARCH

EMMANUEL CHURCH, CHAPEL LANE, HOLCOMBE BL8 4NB

Since 2014 there has been an annual remembrance walk up onto Holcombe Moor  outside Ramsbottom to the oldest site in the world to commemorate a domestic violence victim, Ellen Strange, murdered there in 1761 by her husband. Since when local people have laid stones and over time a cairn has been formed in memory of Ellen and all the victims and survivors of domestic abuse and violence, virtually all of whom are women and girls.

You can watch the event at :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0_uhqtluol&t=5s

You can read more at:- http://markwrite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ellen-strangebooklet.pdf

Now following extensive research, Ellen's final, currently unmarked resting place has been located. Fittingly this happens to be the spot where the annual walk starts.

On 20^th March at 10:30 the Breightmet Butterflies Women's group will lead a planting of a rosemary bush at Ellen's resting place, followed by short speeches, dedications and a minute of reflection. Flowers are welcome to be laid at the resting place

For more details contact Mark Metcalf on 07392852561 

metcalfmc@outlook .com

Plaque unveiling to Betty Tebbs on 25th April in Radcliffe

 Betty Tebbs 1918-2017

This notice has been sent to UNISON members 

A staunch trades unionist and tireless champion of women's rights will be honoured at a special celebration in Bury at 2pm on Friday 25th April.


A plaque will be unveiled on the former gates of  East Lancashire Paper Mill (ELPM) 

 in Festival Gardens, Radcliffe  to celebrate Bury-born Betty Tebbs, named by the TUC as one of the 150 most influential figures in the trade union movement in the UK.

Born in 1918, Betty lived all her long life in Bury until she passed away in 2017 at the grand old age of 99. As a worker at East Lancashire Paper Mill, she was in the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers, which amalgamated into Unite.  As well
as campaigning for women's rights, she also campaigned for nuclear disarmament and peace.

Worthy of celebration by all trades unionists, our NWRWC secretary Dawn Warriner will be flying the flag for UNISON by taking the NW Region Women's Banner with her to the event. If any of you are local to Bury,  you are more than welcome to join Dawn and you can take your own branch banner along.

The celebration has been spearheaded by a music teacher who is taking a local children's choir from St John's Primary School to sing a song  especially written for the

occasion.

Read Betty's story at:- 

https://markwrite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/6328-betty-tebbs-web.pdf

This event will be recorded as part of a 30-minute documentary that myself and 

the VideoBox of Bolton are producing on Betty's life and legacy.

This will be released later this year.