Five Famous Celebrities Rebuild History Museum
Five top celebrities have lent their support to the Black Country Living Museum's Sponsor-a-Brick Campaign which helped to rebuild the Workers' Institute at the award-winning Dudley Museum.
Jilly Cooper, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, Joanna Lumley, Prunella Scales and Joanna Trollope have all added a touch of showbiz, sporting and literary glamour to the cause which gives history buffs the chance to rebuild history - one brick at a time.
Prunella Scales, best known for her portrayal of the unflappable Sybil to Cleese's inept hotelier Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, met Costumed Guide Ann Key in Birmingham to receive a commemorative certificate and pose for for the cameras.
The Cradley Heath Workers' Institute stood, for almost a century, as a landmark to one of the most significant yet hidden achievements of British labour history. The women's strike of 1910, led by the pioneering figure of Mary Macarthur, saw nearly a thousand women chainmakers take to the streets in protest and helped establish the UK's minimum wage movement and transformed the lives of hundreds of workers who were earning starvation wages.
Prunella Scales said: "As a woman today it's important to recognise the role these women played in establishing our rights as women."
Celebrities who paved the way for the vital fundraising campaign include writer and media superstar Jilly Cooper, the author of many number one bestselling novels, cricket-legend and media personality Rachael Heyhoe- Flint, author and historical writer Joanna Trollope and actress Joanna Lumley - best known for playing Patsy the boozy other half in Absolutely Fabulous.
Caroline Taylor, Campaign Manager said: "Each contribution made brings back to life a piece of Black Country Industrial heritage. The generous donations made by each celebrity have helped to not only raise the profile of the campaign but to preserve the history of the Workers' Institute for generations to come."
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