Plaque honouring RSPB founder unveiled

A plaque honouring the founder of the RSPB has recently been unveiled at her birthplace.

Emily Williamson set up the group in 1889 to campaign against the slaughter of birds, whose feathers were used to make hats. Appalled by the practice, Mrs Williamson invited a group of women to her home in Didsbury, Greater Manchester, to discuss how to put a stop to the plumage trade. The then 34-year-old asked those who had assembled to sign a pledge to "Wear No Feathers", a request which would have proved very unpopular at the time.

The plague being unveiled in Lancaster (RSPB).

However, it was from that meeting that the Society for the Protection of Birds, later known as the RSPB, would bloom and would see her pledge become law 30 years later. On 1 July 1921, the Importation of Plumage (Prohibition) Act was passed, banning the import of exotic feathers and saving many species from extinction.

RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight said she hoped the plaque in Lancaster would "inspire a new generation, willing to protect nature and revive our world". The RSPB said Williamson "had not been celebrated by history" and her contribution had been "left out of the conservation narrative".

Ms Speight said she was "delighted" they could "take a moment to reflect on the history of our incredible organisation and the inspirational women who started it all".