MEMBERS of the Littleport Players will show their feminist side when they commemorate a famous activist s visit to the village. Emmeline Pankhurst, famous for securing the vote for women, visited Littleport 97 years ago to speak at the public hall. Now p

MEMBERS of the Littleport Players will show their feminist side when they commemorate a famous activist's visit to the village.

Emmeline Pankhurst, famous for securing the vote for women, visited Littleport 97 years ago to speak at the public hall. Now playwright Jean Rees has turned local anecdote into a dramatisation of local lives at the turn of the twentieth century in a new production called Watchwords.

Young people were given nearly £7,000 to put on the play and try out new experimental theatre techniques in rehearsals, talking to friends and family about their history.

Players director Becky Green said: "We found out that at the start and the during the beginning and end of shifts at Peacock shirt factory, which is mentioned in the play, they blew a very loud whistle which could be heard for miles across the Fens. The whistle now resides with the Littleport Society and we enquired about using it in the play, but it is steam operated and would probably blow the village hall's windows out."

INFO: Watchwords is at Littleport Village Hall from 7pm on December 8/9. Tickets are available from Pages Gift Shop on 01353 860462 or JH Adams Ironmongers on 01353 860222.