We asked grandmothers the most inspirational thing they’ve seen women achieve in their lifetime

We asked grandmothers the most inspirational thing they’ve seen women achieve in their lifetime

International Women’s Day is often focused on the future of females.

But, surely, to measure progress we should look to the past?

To mark IWD 2017, I asked loads of grandmothers what they considered the greatest achievement of women or by a woman during their lifetime.

And, like most things said or done by grandmas, their answers were important and adorable.


Margaret Clarkson, 86

A woman walks between Newcastle and Gateshead in November 1963 (Picture: Getty)

Margaret, is a grandmother, step grandmother and a great-grandmother who currently lives in a retirement village with her husband Dan following a successful career in teaching.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘The lady who was an inspiration to me was not a well known person. She overcame a traumatic experience to be able to continue a normal life.



‘I was born & raised in a very small mining community in Co.Durham. In 1946, when I was only 16, I was offered a position with the Civil Service. As it was 20 miles away in Newcastle I had to travel on a private bus which was based in the next village.

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‘On my first day, as I nervously sat in my seat, a short lady with a cigarette dangling out of her mouth came and spoke to me. She put me at ease and told me she would help me find my way. She was true to her word.

‘I noticed she would always do the same for all the young women who ever came on the bus. After a while I found out that this eccentric woman in her forties had been attacked and raped when she was in her early twenties but she had overcome the ordeal and vowed to help other young women.

‘This made me feel so very humble and I made the decision then that I would never ever forget her or her kindness & I never have. I am now 86 years old and can still picture her with her cigarette dangling from her lips. Her name was Eva.’

Maureen Pilkinton, 87

Maureen is affectionately called Memow by her grandchildren (Picture: Sophie Alexander)

Maureen is an 87-year-old grandmother originally from Lancashire, but now living in Kent.

She’s affectionately nicknamed ‘Memow’ to her granddaughters.

Maureen told Metro.co.uk: ’One of the women who influenced me while I was growing up in Lancashire was my maternal grandmother, whose life could have probably made a Catherine Cookson book.

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‘She had a lot of ill-luck during difficult times. She was a small and slight woman but she had a strong backbone.

‘Her name was Annie McNicholas, she was born on June 6 in 1879 in Liverpool to Irish immigrants. She was the youngest child of four and her mum died aged 34. They were Catholic so I think the church would sort of take over in those days. Annie’s older siblings were sent away to Canada when she was a little two-year-old. A young priest at the parish couldn’t bear to see her go to an orphanage so he asked a couple if they’d look after her and they brought her up.’

In 1899, when Annie was 21, she married. She had three girls and a boy, though the boy died in infancy.

Revealing more of her grandmother’s trials and tribulations, Maureen added: ‘Her husband went on to leave her with the three children to raise. It was hard for her, she worked in the cotton mill. And she was clever despite leaving school at around 10 to work part-time. She was a weaver.’

Many of the women in Memow’s family worked in Lancashire’s mills (Picture: Getty)

Annie’s youngest daughter Julia fell pregnant, a considerable scandal for an unmarried woman at that point, but the family rallied round her and they brought the child, a young boy, up together.



When the depression hit the mills of Lancashire, the husband of Annie’s middle daughter Nora – a man called Edward Mason – bought a coffee shop in a village nearby. Julia would often work there, staying overnight.

Maureen told Metro.co.uk that during one of Julia’s shifts, ‘Edward Mason hit her on the back of the head. Nobody quite knows why, but he attacked her with a hammer. Her sister Nora, Edward’s wife, heard a scream and came running downstairs. She immediately realised what had happened when she saw her sister lying there and him just standing there, the weapon still in his hand.’

Reading a newspaper clipping about the trial, Maureen revealed that quick-thinking Nora grabbed the hammer from her husband and threw it out of a window. Sadly, Julia died that evening.

Maureen said: ‘My grandmother was a tough little woman, she wasn’t too emotional, but in the newspaper it says when she was in court listening to the coroner she was so distressed.

‘It would have been easier to move away. Small towns gossip, but she held her head high. She wasn’t a woman who you would cross, but in her way she was loving.’

Annie brought up the little boy, her grandson, after Julia’s death.

As well as providing a strong role model to look up to, Maureen said her grandmother Annie also inspired a life-long interest in music and the arts.

‘Annie lived in a fairly large Victorian house, the parlour was kept for visitors and special occasions. The room was out of bounds unless an adult was present, but as the only girl I was sometimes allowed to spend a couple of hours in there. I was about 7 years old [circa 1937] and remember sitting in the rocking chair listening to the records Grandma had set up for me’ John McCormack, Paul Robeson,Orchestral Classical music, early jazz, I loved it all and still do.’


Maureen added: ’I was very luck to be surrounded by strong women as a child, part of it was because of the great war – very few men came back from the war. Two of my paternal aunts were spinsters.

‘I always remember that Lancashire women used to work hard. They were women who, before women really did go out to work, went to work in the mills even after getting married and having children.’

Jean Leigh, 58

Jean is usually a little camera shy (Picture: Janet Leigh)

Jean is a mum-of-three and grandmother living in London.

She’s usually a little camera shy, though made an exception to take a selfie with her son Dante, daughter Janet and granddaughter Nayana.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘The most inspirational thing is women wanting to be women and not defined by a man.’

In her life time, she thinks the most notable achievement is women who strive to ‘take their place in society and make a difference’.

Dianne Snowden, 44

Dianne is a 44-year-old grandmother to six children.

Mauren sits in the centre surrounded by late daughter Carol, granddaughter Dianne, great-granddaughters Alice and Martha-Rose with the two babies of the family Honey-Rose and Daisy (Picture: Dianne Snowdon)

She told Metro.co.uk how immensely proud of her late mum she is after watching her campaign for important causes, seek adult education and raise her children.

Dianne said: ‘I grew up in the 70 and 80s, so I saw my mum – a teenage mother and bride – become the first in her family to return to education.

‘She got a degree then a masters and went on to work full time as a social worker as well as raising her family.

‘Her weekends were spent at women lib rallies campaigning various causes, such as women against violence and raising funds for rape crisis centres.


‘We’d even go neighbour to neighbour collecting toys for miners’ children or clothes for women and children at local refuges.

‘My mum was fearless and her generation of women paved the way to equal rights, breaking through glass ceiling and making me and other women realise that gender does not equal limitation.’

Maureen Summerfield, 86

Maureen is Dianne’s grandmother, and a great-grandmother to seven kids.

When we asked Maureen, who is called Nana by her family, the same question, she said a woman she admired was local MP and former Labour Secretary of State Northern Ireland, Mo Mowlam.

She said: ‘Her down to earth attitude, grit and determination during the Northern Ireland peace talks were remarkable.’

Maureen added that she thought her no nonsense attitude to her illness was also inspirational.

Carole Johnson, 52

Carole Johnson is a grandmother and business owner

Carole, from Exeter in Devon, runs her own business training company called Onelife Training and has one beautiful granddaughter, Lola Rose.

Carole named Jo Pavey’s gold medal as one of the most inspirational achievements by a woman in her lifetime.

Pavel, a British long-distance runner, returned to athletics in 2014 less than a year after giving birth to her second child at the age of 40. She won the gold medal in the 10,000m race.

Carole told Metro.co.uk: ‘It just goes to show you can follow your dreams at whatever age.’

Helen Simmons, 56

Helen said her aunty Avril was an amazing woman

Helen is a grandmother to two boys and a step-grandmother to ‘a little princess’ and there’s another on the way.

Avril worked as a midwife from the 1960s (Picture: Helen Simmons)

Helen, who lives near her family in Northumberland, immediately thought of her Aunty Avril when asked to think about the most inspirational women in her life.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘When I was a child a lot of mams didn’t go out to work or have a career.

‘Aunty Avril was a midwife – and a no-nonsense one at that! She lived in a lovely big house with my uncle Jim and their three boys. ‘

‘We did lots of fun things with her, it wasn’t until we were older that we realised her game with dusters and polish was her way of getting us to clean the house.

‘She gave us a completely different view of the world and she was her own person and stuck to her values.

‘As I grew older I didn’t see as much of her as I should of done and I was very sad when she died a few years ago.

‘I will never forget the kindness she showed to my mam. She took her away for a break from our demanding dad and looked after her when she was dying.

‘I just wish I had thanked her more when I had the chance.’

Marion Robertson, 61 years

Marion, a mum and grandmother from Newcastle told Metro.co.uk: ‘The lady that inspired me was Jane Kernohan. Jane was born in 1908. She was a professional cook and a demonstrator at the North East exhibition.

‘She married in the late 1920’s and, as was expected at the time, she had to give up her career.

‘In the 1930’s she had two children, but she also took on the care of her younger sister. As her husband worked in a low paid job to help make ends meet she had to take in boarders from the naval college.

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‘When her father in law died she also took on the care of her mother in law.

‘This lady was my grandmother & I loved being in her company. Although she suffered several strokes she continued to put her family & others needs before her own. Even in her late 70’s she was still looking after her great grand children.

‘She was a hard working lady who was always cheerful.

‘I’ve never met anyone more loving or caring. If I can be even half as loving and supportive as her with my own children & grandchildren I’ll feel as though I’ve achieved something in my life. She is sorely missed.’

International Women's Day (Picture: Liberty Sadler for Metro.co.uk) Go be nice and give your grandmother a call.