Chapman was one of three women who met with Besant, securing her assistance in forming a strike committee.[1] Mary Naulls, Mary Cummings, Sarah Chapman, Alice Francis, Kate Slater, Mary Driscoll, Jane Wakeling, and Eliza Martin were this committee's first members.[8][3] The women held public meetings, gained sympathetic press coverage, and were able to enlist the support of various MPs.[9] Chapman and the Strike Committee also received help from Toynbee Hall and the London Trades Council, and - following a meeting with Bryant & May management - their list of demands was agreed to.[5]