A COUNCILLOR born just three years after universal suffrage is calling on women to “seize the moment” and make their mark on public life.

Veteran Ribble Valley councillor Joyce Holgate, 86, is calling on women to ensure they are registered to vote and consider standing for election as the UK commemorates the 100th anniversary of the start of voting rights for women.

The campaign for votes for women was started in 1897 by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage founded by Millicent Fawcett, whose statue will be unveiled in Parliament Square tomorrow, exactly 100 years since the 1918 Representation of the People Act.

The 1918 Act gave propertied women over the age of 30 and all men the vote, paving the way for the extension of suffrage to all women in 1928.

The 100th anniversary will be commemorated with events throughout the UK aimed at educating young people about democracy and encouraging women to enter political and public life.

Cllr Holgate, who has represented Whalley on Ribble Valley Council for 23 years, been borough mayor twice and received an MBE for services to local government in 2011, said: “A hundred years ago, women could not stand for election or even vote.

“So what better way to remember and celebrate those who campaigned tirelessly in the face of great hostility for votes for women than by registering to vote and even standing for election?"

The next local elections in Ribble Valley take place in May, 2019.

To register to vote, visit gov.uk/register-to-vote.