Blue plaque to honour women's rights campaigner

An activist who campaigned for women's rights in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is set to be honoured with a blue plaque in her hometown.

The tribute to Ada Nield Chew, from Crewe, Cheshire, will be revealed during an invite-only ceremony on Bridle Road on 30 June.

Known by the pseudonym Crewe Factory Girl, the Staffordshire-born tailor wrote letters to her local paper during the 1890s to complain about the conditions at her workplace.

The plaque is to feature on a specially-made plinth at the site of where her factory, Compton's Clothing Factory, once stood. Her complaints about the business, for which she made uniforms, included being paid a "lingering, dying wage".

She later joined the fight for women's suffrage, preferring peaceful methods of action, and was an active campaigner until women secured the right to vote in 1918.

The Statue for Ada campaign group was formed in Crewe a number of years ago, with the aim of building a fitting memorial in Ms Chew's hometown by 2028.

Group trustee Kate Blakemore previously said it was about more than a statue – she wanted people to talk about Ms Chew and her work.

"We want the next generation of activists to come through, to use their voice to influence change," she said.

Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.