Help create a new archive of women’s and girl’s lives this summer

Museums and libraries across Cheshire will be hosting free Zine Making Stations as part of Cheshire Archives’ 20,000 Women Project that aims to collect stories of women and girls living in Cheshire.

The project seeks to redress an historic imbalance where women’s experiences have too often been overlooked or left out of the county’s archives.

Anyone can take part and make their own Zine (a mini-magazine) using the materials provided  Zines might include drawings, articles, interviews, poems, stories, lists, memories, collages, comics or puzzles. No previous art or writing experience is needed; children, teenagers and adults can take part independently or make a zine with friends, relatives or as part of a group. Packs can be used at the station or taken away to complete at home.

Created by artist Heather Wilson, each Zine Station provides everything needed to get started.

Heather said:

“There are instructions, templates, bright papers, stickers, letters and copyright-free images; participants can choose a woman or girl living in Cheshire today, perhaps a relative, friend, neighbour, colleague or themselves and turn her interests, ambitions, memories, achievements and everyday experiences into an eight-page mini-zine.”

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said:

“We are really looking forward to seeing the results of this great project, finished zines, or photocopies of them, can be returned through each station’s brightly coloured post box with a completed submission form.

“Each zine will contribute to the 20,000 Women Zine Project collection, creating a many-voiced record of women’s and girls’ lives across Cheshire in 2026 for the future.”

Zine Making Stations will be at the Weaver Hall Museum in Northwich, Chester Storyhouse, Ellesmere Port, Neston and Winsford Libraries.

The Stations will then move around the county to different venues for the rest of the year.

For updates, follow the Instagram page:

@cheshire_archives_women

Cheshire Archives will be moving to two new purpose-built Archive Centres in Chester and Crewe in early 2027. Construction of the two new Archive Centres has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players through The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Wolfson Foundation, an independent, grant-making charity with a focus on research and education.

Cheshire Archives is a shared service of Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council. They collect, care for and share the stories of Cheshire’s people and places, providing a trusted history of the past 900 years. The archive collection is of vital cultural and historical value to help us better understand our past and inform our future. 

See more at 

www.cheshirearchives.org.uk