A beautifully-illustrated booklet, depicting the life of the Ellesmere-born social reformer Eglantyne Jebb will be launched later this month, Saturday, (September 28) – and it’s being offered as a free ‘keepsake’ to every household in the town and nearby villages.
The launch coincides with the centenary anniversary of a ground-breaking children’s charter drawn up by the compassionate campaigner after she co-founded the international aid charity Save the Children with her younger sister, Dorothy.
The 48-page booklet — simply called Eglantyne — is the culmination of two years’ work by Ellesmere Library assistant Sally Poynton who gave Princess Anne a preview of her artistry when Her Royal Highness visited the Jebb sisters’ birthplace during a visit to Ellesmere in April.
The royal visit was part of a series of events taking place this year to mark the centenary of the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, written by Eglantyne, and adopted by the League of Nations, forerunner of the United Nations on the 26th of September, 1924.
It was the first international human rights document to specifically address children’s rights and is now enshrined in a United Nations treaty signed by virtually every member country.
The booklet is Sally’s third arts project for the library since she moved to Ellesmere eight years ago. In 2018, she directed a community display of flowers for peace and remembrance outside the library to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice, marking the end of World War 1. Three years later, she encouraged schoolchildren and other residents to create their own ‘Meremaid’ figures which were displayed in shops, businesses and other buildings around the town as part of a summertime walking trail that proved popular with locals and visitors.
Sally also became involved in art workshops organised by the Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative to develop the Jebb memorial garden, next to the Mere and this inspired her latest work.
“I came across a sketch of Eglantyne Jebb striding purposefully with a folder and umbrella underarm, and this image gave me the idea of creating paper cut-out illustrations depicting major events in her life, with an accompanying simple text.
“What I’ve managed to produce, working in my spare time, is a quick and an easy-to-read keepsake booklet that fills a gap between Clare Mulley’s award-winning biography of Eglantyne and a book about her, aimed at children, written by the Shropshire author Dorothy Nicolle some years ago.”
What began as a simple fold-out leaflet has developed into a 48-booklet that traces Eglantyne’s life from her birth in 1876 at The Lyth country house on the outskirts of Ellesmere, to her years as a student at Oxford University, followed by a brief stint as a teacher before working with the poor in Cambridge. The booklet also records her experience as a volunteer aid worker during a 1913 conflict in the Balkans. This led to her becoming a fully-fledged, fearless and formidable campaigner for children, resulting in the founding of Save the Children in 1919 just after the end of 1st World War when millions of children were left starving in Germany and Austria.
“I hope this mini-publication will leave people a little more informed about Eglantyne’s remarkable life,” said Sally. “I felt privileged to have the opportunity to give Princess Anne a preview of my drawings when she came to Ellesmere in April. She seemed impressed and offered her congratulations.”
Now, Sally’s booklet is being made offered free to every home in Ellesmere and surrounding villages, thanks to generous grants from the Co-op Local Community Fund, Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative and the Ellesmere League of Friends, with support from Bethphage, the social care charity which runs the Our Space community centre that includes the library. Copies will be available at the library and a number of shops and other businesses in the town centre.
An official launch party will be held in the library at Our Space in Trimpley Street, Ellesmere between 10 am and 1 pm on Saturday, September 28
“There’ll be a warm welcome to everyone and I hope people will come along, pick-up a complimentary copy and enjoy the displays, activities and refreshments,” she said. I’d like to think that Eglantyne would regard this as a fitting way to celebrate the Rights of the Child, which she pioneered 100 years ago, with an international agreement to try to safeguard children’s health, welfare and education and their protection from hunger, abuse and exploitation.
“Her vision has helped to improve the lives of millions of children around the world, and it’s awe-inspiring to think that it was started by a kind and caring woman who came from within our own community.”
Sally with her new booklet, which is being offered free to every home in Ellesmere and district.
Sally shows some of her drawings to Princess Anne when Her Royal Highness visited Eglantyne Jebb’s birthplace in Ellesmere in April.
