Women and girls living in Cheshire are being invited to help create an archive of life in 2026 through a project built around small, handmade publications known as zines.
The 20,000 Women Zine Project aims to address the historic underrepresentation of women’s experiences in the county’s archives. People can create a zine about themselves or a woman or girl they know.
Everyday experiences count
Contributions can use writing, drawings, collage, photographs, textiles or digital media. They might explore everyday routines, favourite places, ambitions, family stories, journeys or hopes for the future.
The council says the aim is to capture a broad picture of life, rather than only recording well-known names or major achievements.
Submitted zines will be preserved as a special collection with the contributor’s permission. A selection is expected to be displayed at the new archive centres in Chester and Crewe in 2027.
How to take part
The official project page provides an introductory film, making prompts and an accessible digital zine maker developed with Vision Support. School resources and group submission arrangements are also available.
Anyone submitting a zine needs to include the project’s submission form, which explains permission and how personal information is used.
For help, the archive service can be contacted at RecordOffice@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk. Instructions and forms are on the official 20,000 Women project page linked below.
A shared Cheshire collection
Cheshire Archives is a shared service of Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council. Its collections preserve records of the county’s people and places, with the new zines intended to add more contemporary voices to that history.