2023 Year 5 Third Prize
Fight for Freedom
by Elouise, Lydia, Gabby, Farzona
They worked all day, they worked all night.
Laughing? 2 pence.
Stop working? 5 pence.
Lighting a match? 6 pence.
The matchgirls strive to stay alive
With no hygiene, they fell ill.
Rebel attack – we must survive.
We must stay alive.
We must fight for our rights.
WE ARE THE MATCHGIRLS!
We will fight for our freedom…
On 1st July 2023, a new musical composition was premiered at the Great Hall of the Peoples Palace at Queen Mary University in Mile End, to commemorate the 135th anniversary of the Matchgirls Strike of 1888.
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The Matchgirls Memorial ran a schools poetry competition to celebrate the event.
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Judges were Tanya Landman, Author, Dr Anna Robinson, Senior Lecturer UEL & Poet, Chris Searle, Retired Teacher, Author and Poet.
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Elouise, Lydia, Gabby, Farzona from Canary Wharf College won Third prize in the Year 5 category with the poem, 'Fight for Freedom’.