As February 6 marked the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, giving women the vote for the first time, and with International Women’s Day on March 8, seven cities across the England are marking the country’s pioneering women with a string of exhibitions.

In London, the Votes for Women Centenary runs at the Museum of London until January 6, 2019, with exhibits from its Suffragette collection, along with Vote 100 taking place in Westminster Hall from June 27 focusing on women in Parliament.

And the People’s History Museum in Manchester is dedicating its 2018 programme to the suffragette movement, while Manchester Museum is celebrating the city’s female pioneers in From Petticoats to Microscopes on March 12. A statue of Emmeline Pankhurst is also due to be unveiled next year.

At Abbey House Museum in Leeds, the exhibition A Woman’s Place follows the struggle for equality to the present day.

Bolton, Bristol, Leicester, and Nottingham will also be hosting events, as well as other celebrations throughout the year around the country.

Sail through history

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s Manchester Ship Canal cruises, running from April to October with cruises departing from Salford and Liverpool each month.

The six-hour cruise travels through 100 years of history with on-board commentary telling the tale of the canal, while visiting the locks and bridges of the waterway.

Tickets cost £42 per person from Mersey Ferries.

Bristol fashion

Bristol is home to the coolest area in the UK, according to a new set of rankings from TravelSupermarket.

The city’s Montpelier area topped the list, ahead of Peckham, Stroud Green, Dalston and Clapton in London, as well as Ancoats and Chorlton in Manchester and Partick in Glasgow.

Bristol’s Stokes Croft also made the top ten.

The rankings were based on three different factors, including the number of specific shops and services such as independent coffee shops, vintage fashion stores and vinyl record shops — but deducting points for chains — along with marks for creative industries and value for travellers .

Langstrasse in Zurich, the former red light district, and both Norrebro and Vesterbro in Copenhagen took the first three places in the European list.