May Blood, Baroness Blood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Blood
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Official portrait, 2018
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| In office 31 July 1999 – 4 September 2018 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 May 1938 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 21 October 2022 (aged 84) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations |
NIWC (1996–2006) |
| Occupation | Labour movement leader |
May Blood, Baroness Blood, MBE (born May 26, 1938 – died October 21, 2022) was an important British politician. She was a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. She served there as a Labour member from 1999 to 2018.
She was also one of the people who helped start the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition (NIWC). This group worked for peace and equality. May Blood received an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1995. This was for her work in helping people get fair chances and for her efforts in worker relations. She also received special degrees from three universities. In 2007, she wrote a book about her life called Watch my Lips, I'm Speaking.
Contents
Early Life and Work
May Blood was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on May 26, 1938. She grew up on Magnetic Street, an area where different communities lived side by side. Her father worked in a shipyard, building and repairing ships. He was away in the army for the first six years of her life. Her mother worked as a cook at a factory called Mackies foundry. May went to Donegall Road Methodist Church Primary School. Later, she attended Linfield Secondary School.
When she was fourteen, May left school and started working at a local linen mill. Soon after, she joined the Transport and General Workers' Union. This union helped workers with their rights and conditions. She worked on important issues like long working hours and fair wages. May stayed at the mill until it closed in 1989. During her time there, she became a shop steward. This meant she was a representative for her fellow workers. She was also elected to the union's regional committee.
Helping Her Community
In 1989, May Blood started working in her community. She joined a project that helped men who had been out of work for a long time. From 1994 to 1998, she was an Information Officer for the Great Shankill Early Years Project. In this role, she helped create three community centers in the Shankill area. She also served as the Chair for Early Years (Belfast) from 2000 to 2009.
May Blood was also the Chair for the Barnardo's Northern Ireland committee. Barnardo's is a charity that helps children. She held this position from 2000 to 2009. In 2013, she received the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award. This award recognized her hard work in campaigning for integrated education in Northern Ireland. Integrated education means bringing children from different backgrounds together in the same schools. She helped raise over £15 million for this cause.
Her Political Journey
May Blood's political work began in the 1990s. She took part in the Northern Ireland peace process, which aimed to bring peace to the region. In 1996, she helped set up the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition. She was chosen to manage the campaigns for this new political party.
In 1995, May Blood was given the Order of the British Empire award. This was for her important work in improving relations between workers and employers.
On July 31, 1999, May Blood was given a special title. She became a life peeress, known as Baroness Blood. This meant she could be a member of the House of Lords for the rest of her life. She was the first woman from Northern Ireland to receive such a title.
In 2016, during the elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly, Baroness Blood asked people to vote for Labour Party members. These members were running as candidates for the Northern Ireland Representation Committee. The main Labour Party (UK) is not officially registered in Northern Ireland. This means its members there cannot run as official Labour candidates.
Baroness Blood retired from the House of Lords on September 4, 2018.
Later Life and Passing
May Blood passed away on October 21, 2022, at the age of 84. She died from brain cancer.
Awards and Recognition
- 1995: Member of the Order of the British Empire
- 1997: Global Citizen's Circle Award
- 1998: Honorary DUniv from Ulster University
- 2000: Honorary DUniv from Queen's University of Belfast
- 2001: Honorary DUniv from Open University
- 2013: Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award
