THE banners of the Women Against Pit Closures movement were raised on Saturday, launching a nine-day celebration of women’s protest at Beamish Mining Museum in County Durham.

Women in Protest has been organised by the museum in conjunction with National Women Against Pit Closures (NWAPC) marking the 40th anniversary of the 1984-85 miners’ strike against pit closures.

The programme will examine historic events and campaigns such as the 1795 food riots which became known as “the revolt of the housewives,” the suffragette movement and the life of Durham miner’s wife Annie Errington, a political activist and leader in the period between the two world wars.