Last Thursday, The National Archives and Bradon Forest came together for a History workshop called “Right to Rebel” with an actress playing Annie Kenney, a suffragette activist. We listened to her introduction and then asked her a series of questions ranging from “How did you cope with the force feeding in prison?”, “How much are you paid?” to Who inspired you to protest?”
Mrs Loxton said: “‘Annie Kenney’ gave us such amazing answers that truly allowed us to engage with her feelings and beliefs. I was so proud of the respect shown and the thoughtful questions Year 9 asked. Florrie M asked the final question “What advice would you give to people campaigning in the future” and we all were overwhelmed by the amazing emotion and passion given in Annie’s response.”
Elspeth from the National Archives thanked the group for their thought provoking and in depth questions. As Annie disappeared they gave her a huge round of applause. Here are a few comments from the students:
Isobel: “It was incredibly interesting and fun to be involved with, I would definitely do a workshop again with the National Archives.”
Ella Gaid: “I felt like I was in the actual time period.”
Jess: “It helped me learn so much about them and what they went through.”
Tabitha: “It was very informative.”
Jenson: “It was an amazing experience and she was a phenomenal actress, She knew so much!”
We are really looking forward to booking in more opportunities with the National Archives in the future.