From the world of work and sport to pioneering women’s education and being a charity champion, their achievements are far-reaching and have had an impact way beyond their home city. Here’s 21 women who’ve really made a difference, in no particular order.
5. Dr Marion Phillips, Sunderland's first female MP
Dr Marion Phillips was honoured in 2019 when her blue plaque was ceremoniously unveiled in Foyle Street. Despite being an important campaigner for women's rights and Sunderland first female MP, Dr Marion Phillips is little known today. Her main relevance to Sunderland is that she became its first female MP at the 1929 general election; the first election in which women’s voting rights were equal to men’s. She was actually born in Melbourne, Australia in 1881, but moved to the UK in 1904. She graduated from the London School of Economics before working on the Royal Commission into the Poor Laws, researching public health, medical relief and the treatment of destitute children. This helped create the welfare state in the 1940s, providing a safety net for society’s very poorest. She was recently celebrated by Sunderland Culture's Rebel Women of Sunderland project, in which artist Kathryn Robertson created artworks of the city's famous women. Photo: Kathryn Robertson / Sunderland Culture
The Donnison School, which still stands in the East End, was established in 1778 for young girls through a provision made by Elizabeth Donnison in her will, the widow of a wealthy coal fitter. It provided free education for 36 poor girls, aged 7 to 16, who were taught reading, writing and arithmetic. They were also provided with free clothes and shoes. Photo: Kathryn Robertson / Sunderland Culture
4Louis was set up by Kirsty McGurrell from Houghton and her family after her first son, Louis, was still born in 2009 to create memory boxes for families who have suffered from the trauma of still birth. The boxes, which contain keepsakes so that parents can remember their children whose lives were taken early, have since helped hundreds of families in the toughest of times and has sparked important conversations about the handling of grief by hospitals. From its base in Pallion Industrial Estate, 4Louis supplies free memory boxes to hundreds of units across the country, including maternity wards, military barracks and hospices, as well as funding other projects, such as the creation of a dedicated bereavement suite in Sunderland Royal Hospital. Kirsty has also consulted soaps such as Emmerdale on how they should deal with storylines surrounding grief. She's won many awards for her inspirational work, including a Sunderland Echo Best of Wearside award. Photo: JPI Media
8. Denise Robertson, Agony Aunt, Charity Campaigner and Broadcaster
Thousands mourned the death of Denise in 2016 who regularly made the commute from her home in East Boldon to London to appear on ITV’s This Morning. Over the years, Denise became one of Sunderland’s most high profile and energetic ambassadors, lending her support to countless regional charities including the Foundation of Light, Bubble Foundation, St Cuthbert’s Hospice, St Benedict’s Hospice, the PDSA and the Carers’ Centre. She also threw her weight behind local campaigns, such as supporting victims of domestic violence, attempts to save Sunderland High School and the fundraising to make WWI statue Tommy a permanent feature in Seaham, where she once lived. Photo: JPI Media