Huntingdon Town Council welcomed the Suffragette flag as part of commemorations to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage.

In conjunction with RAF Wyton, the mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Sarah Gifford, hosted an event on Monday in the town hall to display the flag.

The mayor welcomed the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, Dr Andrew Harter, and his wife, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Lily Bacon, Wing Commander Rachel Dixon, the mayors of Godmanchester, St Ives and Rushden, and Aline Klimczak, a student from Hartford Infant School.

In her speech, Cllr Gifford said: “The women of the early 1900s stood up for their rights and should be commended for their bravery and tenacity. Some of the women suffered terribly at the hands of bureaucracy, were humiliated, jailed and even force-fed whilst going on hunger strikes in prison.

“All so we today can vote on how our wonderful country should be run. We must not forget how the suffragettes came forward in the country’s hour of need.”