Female Icon Celebrated With Free Day of Fun

An amazing female character from history is being celebrated with a free day of activity for all ages at Newark’s National Civil War Centre next month. 17th century writer and Civil War spy Aphra Behn will be the star of fun family performances on Saturday 2nd July while visitors will also have the chance to choose a statue of her to be erected in her birthplace of Canterbury.

In partnership with Canterbury Commemoration Society and Loughborough University, the Centre will be exhibiting four miniature bronze statues of this influential character, considered the first female playwright and fiction writer. Visitors will be able to vote on their favourite and the most popular will be made to full size and displayed in a prominent position in her hometown.

Visitors of all ages will be able to draw inspiration from the sculptures at fantastic craft sessions, making their own clay masterpieces to take home. Entertaining performances, offering the chance to learn more about this fascinating woman, will also run regularly throughout the day.

Sarah Clarke, Learning and Participation Manager at the Centre, said: “I’m so excited for us to celebrate the truly remarkable but often overlooked Aphra Behn. Virginia Woolf wrote that ‘all women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds’, and I’m excited to share her story with a new generation as well as offering the chance to be part of the history-making decision on her statue”.

As with all of the Centre’s Family Saturday events, the day will end with a Quiet Hour session from 3pm to 5pm which is designed to help children and young people with autism or additional requirements to enjoy the museum. Sound effects are turned off, lights are turned up a little, a quiet space is available and there are things to touch and do.

Admission for all of the events and to the National Civil War Centre on the day will be free for all visitors. To find out more, visit www.nationalcivilwarcentre.com or follow the Centre on Facebook.