The Pankhurst Museum is throwing a party to celebrate the birthday of one of Manchester’s most famous daughters: Emmeline Pankhurst (1858 to 1928). Taking place on Sunday 13 July (11am to 4pm), there will be free entry (normally £5 in advance / £6 on the day), cakes and live music to mark the occasion and everyone is welcome! The day also sees the launch of the museum’s new digital guide, which will make visiting the birthplace of the suffragette movement even more accessible for visitors.

It was through a gathering of women in her home that Emmeline Pankhurst formed the suffragette movement, as the Women’s Social and Political Union would become known, and now it is in celebration of her legacy that people gather each year to mark her birthday. In addition to being able to enjoy complimentary cake there will be a musical performance at 1pm by violinist Amanda Schrem, a Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) graduate who has played with the English National Ballet Orchestra. And to reflect the spirit of the occasion, visitors will be invited to make colourful friendship bracelets or cards to give to their nearest and dearest.

Emmeline’s birthday party is a reminder that from this simple domestic setting she and her daughters – Christabel, Sylvia and Adela – would go on to create one of history’s most radical and remembered campaigns for change. It’s a story that captures the imagination of visitors from around the world and, to ensure that the museum is connected to the world, the Pankhurst Museum has launched on Bloomberg Connects.

Bloomberg Connects offers free digital guides to museums, galleries, sculpture parks, gardens, and cultural spaces around the world. Users of the app will be able to find out about the Pankhurst family, discover the history of the house, view floorplans and more. Importantly it makes the experience more accessible with the ability to translate between languages and screen reader support both features of the guide.

Dr Hannah Priest, Heritage Manager for the Pankhurst Museum, says, “As a small museum with a huge story to tell we are delighted to be able to enhance the experience that we can offer to our visitors and launching our new digital guide on Emmeline’s birthday is an exciting milestone. It also means that we are connected with cultural organisations around the world and that anyone interested in our story can find out more.”

Tickets to Emmeline Birthday Party are bookable in advance here. Entry is free, but with no core or government funding, donations are always welcome.

Bloomberg Connects app can be downloaded for free from Google Play or the App Store.

The Pankhurst Museum, tearoom and shop are open every Thursday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm (last entry is 3pm). Donations help to support the work of the Pankhurst Trust, which oversees the Grade II listed building and ensures that it remains open as a heritage attraction. For further information visit pankhurstmuseum.com