Campaigning women have worn badges for decades - to deliver political messages, to inspire a sense of identity or to promote discussion. With the Badges of Honour project, the Glasgow Women’s Library used badges to provoke memories and inspire activity in participants.

The project aimed to encourage women from all walks of life to share their memories of badges and the stories behind them. Volunteers trained in oral history techniques to record the voices of women involved in diverse campaigns such as anti-nuclear and peace campaigning, the founding of Women’s Aid and the anti-apartheid movement.

Women donated hundreds of badges to the library’s collection and these were photographed and catalogued in the Glasgow Women’s Library archive, preserved for future generations.

The project ran a public series of pop-up workshops, talks and sessions exploring people’s memories. Participants also visited other archives and museums that hold badge collections. These included a badge awarded to a woman for her work in the 19th century anti-slavery movement.

A short film produced by the project is available on the Glasgow Women's Library website.