The last printed issue of Scarlet Women came out in early 1982. This issue on the Nuclear Threat was put together by Ann Torode, a key member of the editorial collective. She did much of the interviewing, requesting of articles and selection for printing. The issue never got published because by the time it was ready for printing in 1983 the other members of the collective had melted away, involved in other activities and concerns.
As a remaining member of the Tyneside part of the editorial collective I am delighted that this issue will now see the light of day, thanks to Holly Argent from the Women Artists of the North East Archive. It has been produced in conjunction with the Star & Shadow for an event looking at some films produced in the 1980s about nuclear issues. As with so many of the articles in previous issues of Scarlet Women many of the articles here are still relevant, drawing attention to issues and activities still current and still unresolved.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Ann Torode without whose energy, determination and intellectual clarity Scarlet Women would probably not have existed. Ann (1943 – 2017) was born in London and came to live in Whitley Bay from Leeds in 1972. She was a founder member of the Coast Women’s Group which initiated the discussions which resulted in Scarlet Women, and with others established the North Tyneside Women’s Aid Refuge and Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre. Ann was a passionate feminist and a lifelong campaigner against oppression and exploitation in all its forms. She would have been so happy to see this issue of Scarlet Women finally published and its contents made available to others to read and discuss.
Penny Remfry
May 2019
Cover: Taken from a poster ‘Merseyside Women Oppose the Nuclear Threat’
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