A SILENT rally showing solidarity with the Women Against State Pension Injustice (WASPI) cause was joined by three Barrovians.

Three members of Barrow-in-Furness WASPI group Cath Williams, Teresa Salt and Christine Taylor travelled to St Peter's Square in Manchester during the second day of the Conservative conference to join groups from across the UK.

The rally highlighted the recent Ombudsman’s ruling of maladministration after 3.8 million women born in the 1950s were not given enough notice they would have to wait several more years for their State Pension.

The WASPI women had their faces covered by white masks to symbolise the millions of anonymous women affected by changes to their state pension age.

Members placed a coffin with a purple wreath at the foot of the Emmeline Pankhurst Statue.

The women also held up the names and photographs of loved ones who died before reaching their new pension age.

There were speeches from the Mistress of Ceremony Elizabeth Stanley, Linda Wyatt, and Andrew Gwynne MP and Peter Aldous MP, Labour and Conservative Co-Chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Pension Inequality.

Catherine Williams, joint co-ordinator of the group, said: "Three of Barrow in Furness WASPI group travelled to Manchester City Centre to join a rally and silent vigil along with WASPI groups from all over the UK at the Emmeline Pankhurst Statue, within yards of the Conservative Party conference.

"They listened to speeches from Andrew Gwynne Labour MP for Denton and Peter Aldous Conservative MP from Waverley - both members of the APPG.

"Both MPs renewed their support for this injustice and promised to push for compensation.

"A minute's silence was held for the 55,000 plus women who have already died before receiving their state pension after being promised it all their working lives at the age of 60.

"That's around six women dying each day in England and Wales."