NEWSLETTER! Winter 2025 / Spring 2026

Hello everyone!

2025 was a very busy and successful year for our group. In addition to attracting many new supporters, holding popular monthly drop-in sessions and raising our profile via social media we engaged in a wide range of activities including …

• Publication of our new book .. second anthology of stories of Brighton women (copies available by contacting us by email bhwhistoryg@gmail.com )

• Considerable involvement at the Brighton Filia conference .. great experience and successful promotion for BHWHG. We made many new contacts and friends and hoot to be supporting women who are involved in the next conference in Blackpool in 2027.

• Development of our Brighton Notable women’s walk follow link for more information https://brightonwomenshistory.org.uk/brighton-notable-womens-walk-north-laine-and-montpelier-clifton/

• Considerable work undertaken to establish a blue plaque for Ellen Nye Chart on the Theatre Royal  – will be in place this year.

• Talks given and display in Jubilee library around the time of International Women’s Day and at the Regency Town House as part of Heritage week. 

• Friendship and collaboration with Chichester women’s history group. https://www.chichesterwomenshistorygroup.org

• More women’s names assigned to Brighton buses.

Dates for your diary 2026 

Drop-in sessions every month … no cost and open to all  

These meetings are always held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month in the community area on the ground floor at the Jubilee Library from 5.30- 6.45; followed by drinks at “The Dorset” in North Road for those who want to carry on chatting. – all welcome.

February 10^th

Jane Traies, author, film maker and oral historian willwill give an informal talk about undertaking oral history. 

March 10^th

Two members from the group Hackney HOWLers –hackneyhistory.wordpress.com. will come to talk to the group.  HOWL’s main aim is to collect and publish the memories and stories of feminists.  One of their members is Gail Chester, who is a well-known feminist historian.

We hope Baroness Joyce Gould will speak at our April or May meeting. Joyce has extensive experience in anti-racist, women’s, and civil liberties groups, and served as Labour Party Director of Organisation (1985–1993). Check our website for updates. Drop-ins will be on 14^th April and 12^th May.

March 7^th

We will have a stall on the Unitarian Church in New Road as part of International Women’s Week   – copies of our books will be available to buy. 

March 10^th   ‘Brighton Notable Women’s Walk’ 
An illustrated talk by Sue Delafons at the Friends Meeting House 2.30 – 3.30

£2.50 charge – no need to book 

March 14^th

We will be holding a talk at the Regency Town House ( Discovering Women’s Working Lives in Brighton and Hove since the 1800s) as part of Women’s History Month .. details will be published on our web sitehttps://brightonwomenshistory.org.uk
                          

Chichester has an active women’s history group with whom we work closely. They offer very interesting monthly talks on aspects of women’s history—see their website for details. https://www.chichesterwomenshistorygroup.org

We were all saddened by the death of our friend and BHWHG member Valerie Mainstone. Valerie joined BHWHG in 2018 and later served as Joint Chair. She volunteered at the Family History Group’s room at The Keep and was actively involved in campaigns well into her 80s, inspiring us all with her commitment. Valerie was dedicated to BHWHG, regularly attending meetings and representing us at events, often in her suffragette outfit. We will celebrate her life and achievements soon—Valerie will be greatly missed.

Future plans

We are organising events for 2026 and aim to strengthen our work through collaboration with groups across Brighton, including local WI branches, the Regency Town House team, and The Keep. We have already started working on our new book focussing on the history of women in the creative arts in Brighton. We hope to organise sessions to help other women research history and find more of the fascinating stories from women in our city.

Contact us by email on bhwhistoryg@gmail.com

Lots of information on our web site – https://brightonwomenshistory.org.uk

Check us out on: