SCOTLAND’s women more than played their part in the UK wide Processions event to mark the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which gave women the right to vote for the first time.

Later that year, women got to vote in their first general election and were also given the opportunity to stand for parliament.

It was not universal suffrage – women had to be over 30 and own property to be able to vote – but it was the breakthrough for which the suffragette movement had fought for decades and it was marked with style yesterday. The Processions saw marches in Belfast, Cardiff, and London as well as Edinburgh, with participants forming a giant “living artwork” resplendent in green or white or violet – the colours of the suffragettes.

Hundreds of specially-created banners were displayed by the marchers.

The Edinburgh march saw participants follow in the footsteps of Scottish suffragettes who marched from the Meadows to the Mound and along Princes Street in 1909 during a demonstration arranged by the Women’s Social and Political Union.

The event was co-ordinated by 14-18 Now – an art programme connecting people with the First World War – and Artichoke, a charity which creates public art in the UK.

They had commissioned 100 banners from communities across the UK with professional artists working with local groups to create the colourful signs.

The event in Edinburgh passed off peacefully and ended in Holyrood Park, adjacent to the Scottish Parliament where women MSPs include the First Minister and the leader of the Conservative Party. The number of female MSPs is less now than it was in 1999.

Edinburgh parade organiser Jean Cameron said: “The original processions used banners, beautiful banners, acknowledging the hopes and dreams of women then.

“Across the whole country, women and girls are curating their own banners and making contemporary textile banners to say what matters to women in the 21st century.”

Among the participants are twenty women from Paisley’s Ferguslie Park who are working with Scottish artists to produce an exhibition commemorating working-class women’s fight for equality in Ferguslie Park at the time of the suffrage campaign.

The project, led by Paisley-based organisation the Tannahill Centre, is one of the 50 local and grassroots initiatives to have been awarded £170,000 from the Scottish Government’s Vote Centenary Small Grant Scheme.

Announcing the funding in Edinburgh at the Processions event culture and tourism minister Fiona Hyslop, said: “Processions is a great opportunity to celebrate the centenary of some women getting the vote, an important milestone in our country’s history.

“As we mark this anniversary and while we have come a long way since 1918, this event also offers an occasion for us all to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that still lie ahead.”

“Equality for women is at the heart of the Scottish Government’s vision for an equal Scotland and our Programme for Government set out our ambitions, including legislating for gender balance on public sector boards, creating a new advisory council on women and girls, and piloting a returners project to help women back in to the workplace after a career break.

Hyslop added: “Celebrating the 100th anniversary of women securing the right to vote is a great occasion to inject new momentum into supporting women’s contribution to Scottish political, public and cultural life. This funding marks another step towards empowering women and ensuring Ferguslie women’s fight for equality is not forgotten.”

Linda Connor, from the Ferguslie Park project, said: “We’ve really enjoyed coming together and have really bonded as a group. As well as being therapeutic and relaxing, it’s been a great way to share our skills with one another – for example, I’ve been able to use the sewing skills I gained as an apprentice tailor to help make a commemorative banner paraded at Processions.”

She added: “This Scottish Government funding will enable us to continue to produce work that will commemorate the fact that women from Ferguslie are celebrating 90 years of suffrage.”