MEDIA RELEASE

International Women's Day sees launch of new digital archive from First Women so community can help create women's "herstory"

8 March 2016:As International Women's Day pledges to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women; Anita Corbin's "First Women" project launches a new digital archive which opens technological gates to allow the community to contribute its own recollections, images and documentary material via a portal on the First Women website.www.1stwomenuk.co.uk

First Women is photographer Anita Corbin's legacy of inspirational photographs of ordinary women in the 21st century who have achieved extraordinary things. Due to launch in 2018 to mark 100 years of Women's Suffrage, Anita is creating and curating 100 iconic portraits of 21st century women who have achieved the landmark title "First Woman" across a range of fields. The ground-breaking project is already attracting international attention from Europe and the USA.

Anita says, "With more images being created than ever before, I wanted to provide an alternative to the mainstream and focus on creating images of women that demand people look beyond the exterior and find the inner truth. I hope that the First Women series will inspire future generations and help them see that it is possible to break down barriers whether they are social, economic, cultural or political. I want these powerful images to offer emotional support to women who seek to be the best they can be; those women who want to aim high and will look at my pictures and see they are not alone."

The new digital archive has been designed to allow everyone to make their mark on the First Women project by raiding their cupboards, drawers and attics to find their own forgotten historic images and documents that demonstrate the progress of women over the past 100 years. Anita says, "We would love to see images that chart the progress of women throughout the twentieth century - perhaps you have a picture of your grandmother working as a land girl in the Second World War, or maybe your mother campaigned to get equal pay in the sixties or you have a particularly vivid memory of tales told by a great aunt about expectations of girl's career options in the fifties.

"We want to create a historical timeline and archive that will run alongside the achievements of our 100 First Women portraits and show the daily lives of ordinary women from 1918 when they first became enfranchised right up to 2018, the centenary of that enfranchisement. To do this we need the help of the general public."

The archive is being created with the help of Devon digital agency Cosmic which is developing the use of "Historypin" so those wishing to contribute to the First Women archive can share their own collections of photographs, documents, sounds and moving images to start conversations and trigger memories.

Helen Botrill, Social Media Specialist at Cosmic, commented, "Cosmic is proud to support the First Women project as a fantastic way of showcasing the significant work that women contribute to the technology sector. Through our LOVE Digital training project we have trained many women who are running businesses to utilise digital technology better. The First Women archive is another way we can nurture that development. By encouraging women to collaborate we can build up a true picture of the achievements made by ordinary women over the past 100 years."

Picture captions: Anita Corbin's great grandmother, Annie Lidstone - a key influencer in the South Place Ethical Society

A society wedding in the 1950s

Further information: Anita Corbin, Tel: 01823 662329 or mob: 07802 613911 or check out: www.1stwomenuk.co.uk

Press information and images from Jane Adkins, Tel 01935 813114 or email: jane@aheadforpr.co.uk or visit: www.aheadforpr.co.uk

Editor's Notes

First Women

Anita Corbin's First Women Series will reach its culmination in 2018, a significant date marking 100 years of Women's Suffrage. Her vision is to provide answers to important questions that will be posed at that historic juncture: "How will women be remembered over the past 100 years?" "What have women achieved in the fields of Sport, Science, Politics, the Arts and Education?" "Who were these remarkable "first" women"?

March 2016 (FW 20)