Flower Festival 2018 – Inspirational Women

By theorkneynews on August 20, 2018 • ( Leave a comment )

The Kirkwall Flower Arrangement Club yet again produced an excellent demonstration of their skill at the Flower Festival 2018. Running from Wednesday to Sunday the theme was Inspirational Women. It was free to enter but visitors could make a donation which would go towards the Cathedral Restoration Fund.

The Inspirational Women chosen were:

Catherine Blair (1872 – 1946) who was an East Lothian farmer’s wife and suffragette. She founded the Scottish Women’s Rural Institute (SWRI) in 1917.

Sylvia Wishart (1936 – 2008) the Stromness artist who amongst her many achievements helped to establish the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness.

Malala Yousafzai: born 1997 Nobel Prize winner when she was 17. Human rights campaigner and promoter of education for women and children.

Jayne Torville: born 1957 – Ice dancer and Olympic Gold medallist. Still performing.

Boadicea/ Boudicca: Queen of the Celtic Iceni who led an uprising against the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61

Lady Birsay / Dr Robina Margaret Marwick: Born in Stromness in 1914. Medical doctor in Sanday. In 1945 was one of the first doctors as a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps to enter Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp.

Marilyn Monroe (1926 – 1962) actress and American icon.

Rita Jamieson: awarded the British Empire Medal in 2018 for services to the community in Orkney. A woman who has inspired many in Orkney. Helped to found the Blue Door charity shop.

J K Rowling born 1965 – novelist and creator of Harry Potter.

Evelyn Glennie born 1965 – virtuoso percussionist and profoundly deaf since the age of 12.

Marie Curie (1867 – 1934) – scientist and double winner of the Nobel Prize. Also the first woman to be awarded a Nobel prize. Discovered radium and polonium.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

Dame Vera Lynn born 1917 – singer known as “the forces sweetheart”.

Mrs Beeton (1836 – 1865) – journalist, editor, writer and compiler of cook books. The exhibit celebrated all the women who have promoted the teaching of cookery.

The Suffragettes: a celebration of the campaign for women’s suffrage including Orcadian Suffragist Bina Cursiter.

Grace Darling (1815 – 1842) A lighthouse keeper’s daughter who, along with her father risked her own life to rescue survivors of SS Forfarshire in 1838.

Vivienne Westwood born 1941 – fashion designer and business woman:

“You’ve got to invest in the world, you’ve got to read, you’ve got to go to art galleries, you’ve got to find out the names of plants. You’ve got to start to love the world and know about the whole genius of the human race. We’re amazing people”