History comes full circle as Harrogate's first lady Mayor is finally recognised 50 years after her death
History came full circle when a new plaque to a Harrogate’s first woman mayor was unveiled by the town’s current mayor after a long-running campaign to give her the recognition she deserves.
Councillor Chris Aldred, first Mayor of the recently-launched Harrogate Town Council, unveiled a Harrogate Civic Society plaque for the first lady Mayor of Harrogate, Mary Fisher MBE JP.
Mrs Mary Fisher was Mayor of Harrogate in 1949 and was a much beloved citizen and well known to many when she died in 1972.
But time and memory move on and her many achievements had started to fade from the public eye.
Keen that local women who have contributed to the well being of the community were not forgotten, Harrogate and District Soroptimists launched a campaign with the support of the Harrogate Advertiser.
The group decided to contact Harrogate Civic Society with the information it had uncovered about the extraordinary life of Harrogate’s first lady Mayor.
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District Soroptimists said: “The Harrogate Advertiser ran an article about our campaign which led to us connecting with Mary’s family and Vision Support Harrogate District.
"We also found out that this wonderful woman was a past member of Soroptimist International of Harrogate."
The end result of all this hard work and research was a Harrogate Civic Society plaque, which was unveiled outside 1 Mount Parade, the house Mary lived in for 40 years, which is located a stone’s throw from the family’s butcher shop on neighbouring Commercial Street.
The unveiling was followed by a reception hosted by Tanya Stimpson, Director of Vision Support, which turned out to be a family affair with unexpected historical links..
Mrs Mary Fisher chaired Vision Support’s forerunner, Harrogate and District Society for the Blind for many years until her death
The event was held in the Fisher Family Room where Soroptimist International of Harrogate and District Club member Val Hills and Mary Fisher’s granddaughter, Anne Asquith spoke about Mary’s life.
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District Soroptimists said: "As well as being Harrogate mayor, Mary played a key role in many organisations including bringing Girl Guiding to Harrogate in the 1930s.
"She was also at the centre of family life.
"It was fantastic that 15 members from three generations of her family were able to attend the unveiling.
"Mary would be very proud to know that Vision Support Harrogate District received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2023.”
For more information on Harrogate Soroptimists, visit: https://sigbi.org/harrogate/welcome-to-si-of-harrogate-and-district/
For more information on Harrogate Civic Society, visit: https://www.harrogatecivicsociety.org/