Bold Brave Wonder Women of Islington
Celebrating the heritage of north London’s female change-makers
Bold Brave Wonder Women of Islington shines a light on the stories of north London’s female change-makers from the late 18th century onwards, celebrating women who have made a positive difference to society.
Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and delivered in partnership with The London Archives and London Museum, the project aims to inspire and empower young women in Islington through a programme of training, visits and research. Working creatively with local women of all ages and backgrounds, a team of 8 Community producers will share and interpret women’s stories, sharing them with the wider community through social media, printed zines, a podcast, guided walks and a community festival in 2026.
Background to the project:
In 2017 BBC Radio 4 commissioned a report to find the best and worst places to be a woman in the UK - Islington was voted worst! A group of local women leaders disagreed and came together to tell a different story. Throughout its history, Islington has been home to courageous, radical and pioneering women who have shaped the world around them - Andrea Levy [b. 1956] – novelist and author of Small Island, Edith Garrud [b.1872] - the jujitsu suffragette, Valda Louise James [b.1928] - the first black woman to be elected to Islington Council, Mary Wollstencraft [b.1759] – the original feminist and Arsenal Women FC – the most successful English women’s football team of all time - are among the wonderful women whose stars have shone brightly here, blazing the trail and lighting the way for us to follow. Islington4Women invited women to nominate their Bold Brave Wonder Women of Islington - some of who can be found here. This new Bold Brave Wonder Women of Islington project will take these stories as a starting point and add new ones. A team of young women, employed as Community Producers, will explore, interpret and share them with the wider community through new creative works, offering inspiration to and preserving these important stories for new and future generations of local women and girls.
8 BOLD BRAVE WONDER WOMEN OF ISLINGTON for International Women’s Day & Mothers Day [March 2026]
Andrea Levy - illustration by Chante Timothy