Cheshire Federation of Women's Institutes was established on 17 November 1920 and is the largest Federation in the country with around 200 WI's covering Cheshire, South Manchester, Warrington and the Wirral andit currently has the second largest membership of any federation.
To celebrate the Federation's 100th year, a Centenary Concert was held on 25 February 2020 in Chester Cathedral. A contingency of 9 ladies from Over Peover WI attended the event where there were1300 WI members from across Cheshire.
The plaque (pictured) shows a brief history of Chester Cathedral which was founded as a Benedictine Abbey in 1092. The original church was built in the Romanesque or Norman style, parts of which can still be seen today. It was subsequently rebuilt from around 1250 onward in the Gothic style, a process which took about 275 years and resulted in the incredible structure seen today. Since 1541 it has been the seat of the Bishop of Chester.
The concert included choir singing, a comedy sketch and a number of members sharing what being a WI member meant to them. One of the readings was from Ann Brooks, who has been a member of the WI for over 60 years(30 years with Ringway and Hale Barns and latterly with Over Peover). Ann said that the "fun, friendship, learning new skills and doing many different things summarises what the WI means to her."
Click on the pictures for a larger view