The stories of seven inspirational Oswestry and border women

An annual celebration of women has been held on March 8 to provide a focal point to the women's rights movement for many years with the first believed to have been held in 1911 when more than one million women took part across the world.

North Shropshire, Oswestry and the Welsh borders have been the home of many inspirational women over the centuries.

It is our pleasure to highlights just a few and their achievements.

Eglantyne Jebb

Eglantyne Jebb was a British social reformer who founded the Save the Children organisation at the end of the First World War having been moved to act by the effects of famine in Austria-Hungary and Germany.

She was born in Ellesmere in 1876 and along with her sisters Dorothy and Louisa had grown up with strong social and moral compasses during a time of war.

She was joined by her sister Dorothy in forming Save the Children in 1919 and moved to Switzerland the following year.

An expanded version of Jebb´s 'Declaration of the Rights of the Child' was adopted by the United Nations in 1959, and was one of the main inspirations behind the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

She died in 1928 and is buried in Geneva.

Eglantyne Jebb

Dame Agnes Gwendoline Hunt

AGNES Hunt was born in 1866 and by the time of her death in 1947 she was recognised as the first ever orthopaedic nurse.

Agnes' companion over many decades was Emily Selina Goodford who she lived with for 30 years at Florence House, Baschurch.

Sadly her companion died in 1920 and Agnes dedicated the remainder of her life to the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital as it would become known.

In 1919, the British Red Cross Society and the Shropshire War Memorial Fund provided financing to move the Shropshire Orthopaedic Hospital at Park Hall to a new site in Gobowen which became known as The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital.

She was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1926 and died in 1948 and buried in Baschurch.

Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt - the founders of RJAH hospital.

Dame Vera Stephanie Shirley

Shirley was born in Nazi Germany in 1933 and arrived in Britain as a Kindertransport child refugee.

She moved to Oswestry where she attended the Oswestry Girls' High School.

In the 1950s, Shirley worked at the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill, building computers from scratch and writing code in machine language.

Having experienced sexism in her workplace she created job opportunities for women with dependents, and predominantly employed women.

Shirley received her BSc in 1956 and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1980 Birthday Honours.

Dame Vera Stephanie Shirley. Picture by Lynn Hart/Wiki.

Elizabeth Vaughan

Elizabeth was born in Llanfyllin in 1937 and would become one of the world's most famous soprano singers.

She studied at the Royal Academy of Music and made her debut in Cardiff with the Welsh National Opera as Abigaille in Nabucco in 1960.

She first appeared at the Royal Opera House in 1961 and at the Metropolitan Opera in 1972.

She appeared on screen numerous times, including as an opera singer in the 1982 film Victor/Victoria.

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Mavis Richardson

The Welsh writer and broadcaster Mavis Nicholson was dubbed the “greatest interviewer of all time” upon her death aged 91 last September.

The much-loved member of the Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant community was renowned as the queen of British daytime television whose warmth drew the best out of celebrities including David Bowie and Elizabeth Taylor.

The Montgomery Literature Festival had the honour of welcoming Mavis to open the inaugural event in 2018 at Bodfach Hall, Llanfyllin.

Upon her death broadcasters from across the UK and abroad paid tribute

"Mavis was a “wonderful person - wise and warm and generous”, said writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth. “My mother-in-law loved for her programme House Party," he said. "And I learned so much from knowing her personally - about compassion, understanding and good journalism.”

Mavis Richardson.

Nansi Richards

Nansi Richards Jones was a Welsh harpist, sometimes known as the Queen of the Harp or by her bardic name Telynores Maldwyn.

She was born in Penybontfawr on May 14 1888 and would become an expert on both the triple and pedal harps and won the National Eisteddfod harp competition three times in succession.

Nansi was known to play with her back turned and play two harps simultaneously.

In 1911 she was appointed Royal Harpist to the Prince of Wales, a title she held until her death in 1979.

However Nansi's legacy is not just in music and every day millions of people unknowingly eat a breakfast named by the Montgomeryshire harpist.

During one of her overseas trips she visited the home of corn flakes manufacturer Will Kellogg who was looking for a marketing idea.

Nansi suggested the cockerel, inspired by a pun on the name Kellogg and the Welsh word 'ceiliog' meaning 'cockerel' and ever since Cornflakes boxes have included the bird on its box.

Even today her legacy endures.

The Nansi Richards Scholarship will be held on Sunday, May 14 at Gregynog Hall - 40 years after its inception.

Nansi Richards.

Rachel Atherton

Rachel Atherton is a British professional downhill mountain bike racer, and is a multiple time UCI World Champion.

Raised in Llangynog and part of a cycling family, she was both Sunday Times' Sportswoman of the Year and BBC Midlands Junior Sportswoman of the Year in 2005 and then BBC Midlands Sportswoman of the Year in 2008

In June 2016, she became the first woman to win 10 consecutive rounds of the World Cup and also achieved the unprecedented feat of winning every round in a World Cup season.

Rachel Atherton. Picture by Moonhead Media

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