June 13th, 2008

1:26pm Friday 13th June 2008

From the Durham County Advertiser 50 years ago. - Had it not been for their 57 vivid banners, the procession of over 2,000 county Labour women to Wharton Park, Durham, for their 35th annual gala would have been a dull affair on Saturday. The organisers are usually lucky with the weather but this year most of the half-mile long procession took a look at the heavy skies and lunchtime rain showers and kept on their mackintoshes and overcoats.

The delegates had come to hear speeches by Lady Megan Lloyd George, MP for Carmarthen; MR TF Peart, MP for Workington; and Miss ME Sutherland, the Labour Party's chief woman officer.

The bright banners, predominantly green, dominated the scene and the women marched to the music of nine bands.

Delegates packed Old Elvet as they waited to form up and promptly at 1.30, they moved off led by two mounted policemen.

At the head of the parade were the principal speakers. They were accompanied by the county banner, cqarried by advisory council secretary Mrs Ivy Spry, from Murton.

Also at the head of the column was the Lord Lieutenant of the county, Lord Lawson, and members of the county advisory council.

* Compiled with the help of Durham County Council's Clayport library

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