Clara Neal was a founder member of the Women's Freedom League in Swansea and during census night in 1911 she joined other local suffragists in Swansea to hide in a cave in Gower so that she could not be counted. On December 14th, 1918 she closed the school so that the school staff could vote in the general election – the first time women were allowed to vote. Women4resources initiated this venture and Carol Shephard of ROSA Woman to Woman devised the presentation, ably assisted by the teachers.
But this was not enough for the school-children. They knew that Women's Archive Wales had campaigned for a blue plaque to remember her fellow-suffragist, Emily Phipps, and they decided there should be a blue plaque to commemorate Clara Neal too. And so, with the support of Swansea City Council and others a blue plaque was unveiled on the school boundary wall by Sandy Ibrahim of Pentrehafod School, who has just been elected to the Welsh Youth Parliament and Terrace Road School head-girl, Hafsa Kayum on Friday December 14th, a century exactly since women voted for the first time.
Congratulations to all those involved.!