Bruton School for Girls recently welcomed Dr Helen Pankhurst, women’s rights activist and great-grandaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, as the guest speaker for its annual end of year Speech Day.
Helen’s address to the girls centred on the importance of their education giving them freedom of choice for their futures. She challenged them to think about how they would like to be remembered, using the positive personal qualities they have developed at the school.
Headmistress Nicky Botterill, said: “We were thrilled when Helen agreed to come to Speech Day to talk to the girls and wider audience. It is particularly special to us in this centenary year of the birth of women’s suffrage. We are also very proud that one of our pupils, Ella in Senior 1, is Helen’s niece and a direct descendent of the pioneering Pankhurst name.”
Dr Pankhurst has worked for a range of international development organisations in the UK and Africa, and is currently senior advisor to CARE International. She is passionate about keeping the legacy of her famous relatives alive and published ‘Deeds Not Words, the Story of Women’s Rights, Then and Now’ in February 2018.