A woman leans on a table to write on a luggage tag. Next to her, a small lightbox reads share a story #IWD2016. On the wall in front of her is a map with other luggage tags pinned to it.

Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Tales

An interactive collection of inspirational stories about ordinary women who have had an extraordinary impact on people’s lives

An interactive collection of inspirational tales

Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Tales celebrates the unsung heroes in our local communities, the women who have inspired us, dedicated time to us and supported us.

As part of Manchester’s 2016 International Women Day celebrations we invited members of the public to share a tale of an ordinary woman who had an extraordinary impact on their life. In exchange for sharing their stories, we share an ‘Inspirational Woman through History’ pack from our lucky dip box containing information about past and present historical figures, how they helped change and shape history and where you can find more information about them. Mary Seacole, Sunny Lowry and Malala Yousafzai were among some of the women whose stories we shared.

We set up in public places, such as Libraries, with a map and tags and asked people to place their stories on the map of the local area where the individual lives, worked, or made a significant impact. People were then invited to take a ‘You’ve Inspired Me’ postcard to send a note of appreciation to their chosen individual.

We collated over 100 tales of inspirational women from across Greater Manchester, creating a public record of the positive contributions being made by women in our local communities.

Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Tales was funded by Manchester City Council’s International Women’s Day fund.

Six people of different ages stand in a circle inside a well lit room.

A table has pens, postcards and luggage tags on it. There is a small lightbox that reads share a story #IWD2016. On the wall behind the table is a map with luggage tags pinned to it.

A woman leans on a table to write on a luggage tag. On the table are postcards and a large map with other luggage tags pinned to it.

Listen to Box Tickers podcast

For more content exploring equality, equity and rights, listen to Box Tickers- our 4-part podcast series to mark the 10th anniversary of the Equalities Act 2010. Featuring provocations from 13 Greater Manchester artists.

Box Tickers