13 Dec 2001
The search is on across Scotland for unsung heroines to attend a reception at Edinburgh Castle hosted by Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell on 7 March next year, the eve of International Women's Day.
The ceremony will be in honour of women who have devoted their lives to helping others, and whose good work often goes unrecognised.
Speaking on the day that she issued letters to all of Scotland's MPs asking them to help local communities identify their own unsung heroines, Helen Liddell said:
"In every community in Scotland there are women who devote themselves day after day to individuals and communities without any thought of personal reward. Their contribution to others often goes unrecognised. It is these women whom I want to thank.
"I have today written to all MPs in Scotland seeking their help in finding two nominees from their constituencies. This way each and every one of us across Scotland can have the chance to put forward the name of a woman they think deserves thanks for all the untold good work they have done for others. Individuals wanting to make a nomination should do so through their local MP."
"This reception is my personal 'thank you' to women everywhere who daily juggle their lives for others and on whose contribution to society we have come to rely."
NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS
1. International Women's Day was designated by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1977. Member countries may choose their own date, but the UN itself chose to observe 8 March. The date commemorates the strike on 8 March 1857 by New York women against poor conditions in the garment and textile factories and is the one of the first actions against poor working conditions by working women anywhere in the world.
2. Mrs Liddell celebrated the work of unsung heroines for the first time this year, following her appointment as the first woman Secretary of State for Scotland in the 116 year history of the post, by holding a reception in Edinburgh Castle on the eve of International Women's Day on March 7 2001.