Joseph Holt is a famed name in brewing, not least because the 173-year-old Manchester business has been in the same family for six generations. And now the brewery has reached another landmark – producing its first glass to celebrate a woman and her achievements.

The limited-edition glasses, launched to coincide with International Women’s Day, feature Lady Margaret Holt, who was married to Edward, grandson of the brewery’s eponymous owner, Joseph Holt.

A charitable force, Lady Margaret put the welfare of the city at the heart of her work, sitting on the founding committee that set up the introduction of the National Health Service in Manchester. She also worked to help create a centre of excellence for cancer treatment in the North-West.

Previous members of the family had raised money to establish the Manchester Radium Institute which pioneered the treatment for cancer. This later merged with the Christie Hospital in 1933, the forerunner of the present day leading international cancer centre.

Lady Margaret’s portrait has been artfully stencilled on the glasses with white and red graphics along with key aspects of her life. The features become pronounced when Trailblazer stout is poured into the glass.

Joseph Holt head of marketing Paul Longmire said: “The brewery puts community at the heart of our business. Lady Elizabeth Holt was a true trailblazer who did so much for charity. It seemed a perfect fit to commemorate her legacy and that of others in the family story with a glass that celebrates her trailblazing role.”