Play about historic Eyam shoe workers strike opens next month

Striking Feet is about the two-year long Eyam and Stoney Middleton shoe workers strike from 1918-1920 and will be performed at Eyam's Mechanics Institute on April 13-15 at 7.30pm.

The strike was the longest by a group of women in British trade union history and portrays the courage and determination of the Eyam and Stoney Middleton women who were facing stubborn and vindictive bosses.It was the second trauma to hit the village of Eyam which had endured a terrible plague in the 17th century and had wiped out two thirds of the villagers.

The workers in the numerous shoe factories which were spread out in the Eyam area were treated abysmally by the owners and were paid very low wages and at to work 60 hours a week.

They were also pressurised by the bosses to bring their young daughters to work in the factories.

The workers signed up for the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives and asked the employers for a wage rise and also asked for union recognition.

However, the employers were furious that they had joined a union and sacked many of them and tried to get them evicted from where they lived.

The strikers endured two years of hardship and misery but showed great courage and determination in the face of ruthless employers and donations from workers all over the country, including the Sheffield Munitionettes, poured in to help them.

Eventually, after realising that the bosses would not back down, NUBSO set up a shoe workers co-operative in Eyam give the women work.

The play will be directed by Sue Stones, who is well known in the area as being the director of the Bakewell Youth for 47 years and the theatre group consists of local actors.

One of them is Rachel Judge who lives in Eyam and will play the strike leader, Kitty Smith.

The play was originally to be performed for the centenary of the strike in 2020 but unfortunately Covid intervened and the play had to be shelved.

Sadly, one of the original cast members, Graham Armitage, died and others moved on.

However, the Clickers and Benders Theatre Group recruited new members and the play will be performed next month. It will also be performed at this year's Buxton Festival Fringe.