THE centenary of the International Congress of Women – held in The Hague in January, 1915 – was marked in Skipton with the unveiling of a peace quilt.

The congress was a response to the terrible carnage of the First World War, and its aim was to urge governments of the warring nations to reach a peaceful settlement.

To commemorate the courage and determination shown by the women at such a difficult time in history, local Quakers and Grassington Peace Group decided to make a peace quilt.

The project was co-ordinated by Barbara Kipling and involved 26 people from two generations. Barbara Worthington and Terry Whitham helped with assembling the quilt.

"The quilt was created with love in the hope it will act as an inspiration," said Barbara.

Most of the individual squares were made locally, but several came from New Zealand and America. All the quilters received booklets and postcards celebrating the project.

The unveiling included a screening of the film These Dangerous Women, which tells the story of some of the British women who travelled through war-torn Europe to get to the conference.

The audience was then treated to some uplifting singing of peace songs from around the world by Sheeptown Songsters, a local community choir.

The occasion also marked the centenary of the introduction of the Military Service Act, when conscription was introduced and Quakers worked with Parliament to ensure men had the right to refuse to kill – a key moment in establishing freedom of conscience.

The quilt is available to borrow for display and educational and historical purposes. E-mail barbara@kiplings.plus.com for more details.