A HUNDRED years after women were first given the right to vote, a major artistic collaboration between a group of museums in the county has been launched.

Celebrating Women of Cumbria is a creative project involving 11 museums working with girls and women from Girlguiding, the WI, the Trefoil Guild and Soroptimists International.

The community groups have worked with artist Karen MacDougall to create a banner inspired by their local museum’s collection. These banners will be on display at the museums in 2018 and will also be taken on parade in Carlisle on Saturday, March 3 – just before International Women’s Day.

Throughout 2018, you’ll find exhibitions and events to reflect on contemporary and historic roles women play in our county and celebrate the following themes: Caring, Working, Striving, Creating, Aspiring, Achieving and The Right To Be Me.

Among the exhibitions taking place is Votes for Women: Suffrage and Women's Live trail at Kendal's

Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry, which focuses on women's struggles up to the Representation of the People Act 1918.

The Wordsworth women will be celebrated throughout 2018 with a series of exhibitions at the Wordsworth Trust in Grasmere, while from February to June, Coniston's Ruskin Museum will honour the inspirational Annie Garnett. After this, the Ruskin Museum will share the independently minded and unconventional Elizabeth Smith until September 9 with its Blue Stocking, Linguist, Fell Walker exhibition.

Between March and October at The Armitt Museum and Library at Ambleside, the feminist legacy of the town will be celebrated with several prominent figures, including Beatrix Potter, being honoured.

Further exhibitions will take place at The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven; Tullie House, Carlisle; Wordsworth House and Garden, Cockermouth; Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, Carlisle Castle; and The Senhouse Museum, Maryport.

A Facebook page called 'Celebrating Women of Cumbria' has been created to offer a joint platform for stories from the participating museums and also to encourage the sharing of stories of extraordinary women or unsung heroines living in our communities across the county today.