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For over a century thousands of extraordinary women across the country have been meeting up and causing a stir. Not just stirring the ingredients for a cake to share with friends or sell on a stall, but stirring up conversations that lead to long term change. As they announce exciting plans for their AGM we invited the brilliant WI (Women's Institute) to tell us their story for Women's History Month.

A knight swirls to victory in a skirt; a queen rules with a fist clad in iron. What we choose to wear says a lot about us, and how we want, or need, to be seen. Intricate, powerful, stories like these are connected to perhaps surprising objects in an iconic collection. The current exhibition and self-guided object trail at The Royal Armouries, Leeds, was created by volunteers and researchers who identify under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella to showcase diverse voices and hidden histories. Get a taster of their brilliant exhibition and trail with these highlights.

Think of a Victorian mill working at full tilt - it's big, noisy, terrible working conditions that damaged the health of workers. But look closer at those workers, and we find examples of how disabled people have always been a valued part of the team.  A brilliant exhibition at Leeds Industrial Museum explores these histories, shining a light on overlooked voices from the past, and inviting disabled artists today to respond to them.  Read on for a taster, then explore more at the museum, or through their website.

Actors, choral singers, circus owners and steel pan musicians; all part of our rich creative story. This year we’ve been unwrapping the history of creativity and for Black History Month wanted to share a snapshot of just some of the stories to be found across England.

Born to french aristocracy, scammed into poverty, and bouncing back to face all critics, including the British Admiralty – Celeste Sinibaldi was clearly an enterprising, charismatic woman. Her extraordinary tale is one of the stories that surfaced from a special project run as part of our New Wave cohort last year. We’re delighted not only to share this story with you now, but also to congratulate the Thames Discovery Team for their recent special commendation in the Heritage Alliance’s Heritage Storyteller Awards.

Flowers - beautiful, cheering (hello 1st snowdrops!)…. and fascinating. Yes, blooms too have tales to tell! Last year, we heard how they can be considered ‘Astounding Inventions’. This year we’re exploring the history of creativity and, well, flowers have been used for display since humans first found them! As it is LGBTQ+ History month, we’ve invited Ian Giles to tell us about some of their queer connections. He ran a fantastic flower arranging workshop for the festival last year with Celebrating Hidden Middlesbrough. Take 5 with us to smell the roses and make a statement, which petals would you pick for a posy?

How much do you know about where you live? The best thing about Heritage Open Days is discovering the extraordinary stories as well as beautiful places that are all around us. For residents of Dewsbury in Yorkshire, that has included uncovering that two remarkable people visited in the 19th century to raise their voices and generate funding and support in the fight to end slavery. Librarian, Jude Lynn is here to tell us how she first found this story, and what they've been doing to share it, continuing to bring people together and raise awareness.

The biggest cheer at the recent Museums + Heritage Show was surely for the Queer curators panel, led by Dan Vo, Project Manager of the Queer Heritage & Collections Network. Riding high from the very rock 'n' roll launch of the fantastic new Queer Britain museum they called for curators to be bold and explore more stories of our endlessly diverse heritage. And they're here to help. Here's Dan to introduce your 'very queer, very friendly' team...

Do you remember using one of those special guillotines to cut paper at school? Do you still use one?! Did you know they were invented by a woman? It's women's history month and we're all about Astounding Inventions this year so we've been chatting with our friends at the Women's Engineering Society. Heritage Officer, Helen Close is here to share a few highlights from their records and ask if you can help celebrate more of these extraordinary women.

This painting has more to tell than a first glance shows. Benjamin Britten & Peter Pears - individually great musicians, but together simply extraordinary. Their partnership was celebrated on stage but had to be hidden off it. The rich symphony of that love story though is now told at their beautiful home with its extensive collection. Drawing on photographs and notes, but also the details hidden in receipts, bookplates, and this painting, Dr Christopher Hilton, Head of Archive & Library, is here to tell us more about their 40 year duet.

We're always on the look out for interesting, often unsung, stories here at HODs, so when I saw mention of Pablo, a popular and skilled circus owner, whilst processing the festival event entries I had to find out more! Pablo's story is just one of the fascinating tales of Norwich's past residents and associates that tour guide Paul Dickson researched during lockdown. The tours are running again this month, but if you can't get to Norwich here's a taster of Paul's favourite stories...

You might want to grab an ice cream for this one as we're headed to the seaside for the story behind an exhibition with a difference. Staff from Brighton's Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust collaborated with members of their local community to co-create ‘Queer the Pier’. Two members of the team are here to share their experience. It's a tale of trying to find history (from drag queen wigs to iconic typewriters!), then going beyond the research to get stuck in with upholstery pins, latex gloves and deep freeze! A tale of having the courage to be bold, and the joy and pride that can come from that.

From stewardesses who survived the Titanic, to the engineer who helped her ship out run an enemy plane. The remarkable lives of pioneering working women who went to sea during the first half of the 20th Century have been largely unrecorded until recently. The latest book by Siân Evans, Maiden Voyages, tells their stories - tales of adventure, steadfast courage, camaraderie and conflict. For International Women’s Day she’s giving us a taste of some of them – so grab a cuppa and let the armchair travels begin…

Digging into the past can be a muddy job, and not just for the archaeologists! Untangling the threads of who wrote what, and what each object means, how that may have changed, and also, crucially, what’s missing? Well, it's... complicated, to say the least - it takes a lot of detective work to illuminate our kaleidoscopic story. The more pieces we uncover though, the richer that story becomes. So as we celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month, I’m delighted to introduce Timothy Allsop from a new project looking into the often hidden histories of Queer Rural Connections, and how important they are to us today.

Introducing: Millicent Fanny Sutherland Leveson Gower - she has a mouthful of a name, but my, what a life! Many thanks to Sylvia Baddeley, one of our fantastic local organisers in Stoke on Trent, who told me Millie’s story. I thought it was a perfect profile for International Women’s Day, as Sylvia says, it's time to re-look at Millie’s work and reconsider the label ‘meddlesome’…

Such a simple phrase to sign off a letter, but the hunt for 'G' has ignited a spiralling story of love that's inspiring people across the globe. Words have never been more powerful and old fashioned letters can really become sparkling diamonds. Here is our modern detective, Mark Hignett, to tell the tale...

She illuminated a cathedral but until this year if you googled her name, you wouldn’t find much. A project we’re partnered with is helping to change that though. One member of the team, curiosity sparked by a single mention in the journals of the Women’s Engineering Society, has shone an ever-brightening spotlight on Jeanie Dicks’s story. Just one of many stories of women engineers that are being highlighted this year.

If you haven’t heard of Anne Lister of Shibden Hall (aka Gentleman Jack) then you’re missing a treat of a tale. The BBC is about to air a new series dramatizing part of her story – the latest in a long line of media profiles since this extraordinary woman’s diaries were decoded. To tell us a little more we talked to Collections Manager (and extra in the BBC show!) Angela Clare.

What's the first thing you notice in this picture? It was taken in 1982 at an event by an international law firm based in London, and its striking gender imbalance sparked a fantastic project looking at the history of women in the legal profession. I came across it last summer as part of our Extraordinary Women research, and asked Annabel Twose to share their work and some of the incredible stories they are highlighting in this centenary year. Over to you Annabel...

Pankhurst and Fawcett are names you’ve probably heard, at school, or in the media this week. But what about Ford, Smyth or Brown? Just some of the other extraordinary women who fought to gain the vote that local organisers from across the country have highlighted to us. How many do you know, and who’s still missing?!