THE Lighthouse theatre will be taking part in a national artwork initiative marking the centenary of women winning the right to vote in the UK.

'Processions', produced by public art organisation Artichoke, is inviting women and girls across the country to come together on the streets of London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast on June 10 to mark the anniversary of the milestone moment.

Poole's Lighthouse theatre will be supporting the project, as one of 100 organisations working with female artists in the lead up to the event.

The theatre will be holding a number of workshops, focusing on text and textiles, as part of a project to create 100 centenary banners to form an overall artwork.

Artichoke chief executive officer Helen Marriage said: "The 100th anniversary of the passing of legislation which made universal suffrage unstoppable is a moment both for celebration and reflection.

"Individuals and groups up and down the country, including Lighthouse, will be at the heart of this UK-wide artwork.

"What they make and bring to their chosen procession on Sunday, June 10, will form part of a unique living portrait of women today."

Details of the Poole workshops will be announced by the Lighthouse theatre shortly.

'Processions' is a mass participation artwork event to mark the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which gave the first British women the right to vote.

Passed on February 6, 1918, the act gave women aged over 30 the vote - provided they, or their husbands, met a property qualification.

Suffragettes, such as Annie Kenney and Emmeline Pankhurst, helped women win the right to vote.

It wasn't until the Equal Franchise Act was passed in 1928, that women had equal voting rights with men. In May 30, 1929, women between 21 and 29 voted in a UK general election for the first time.