WHITE sheets billow from washing lines like the sails of the ships that would have moored at Liverpool docks just a few streets from the first stop on this journey through the lives of inspirational women.

Standing between washboard and mangle is Kitty Wilkinson, the 19th century pioneer of public laundries whose sharp tongue and big heart are ably portrayed by actress Pat Joliat.

ŠWilkinson is one of nine women featured in Walking Through Windows, a collaborative work focussing on the lives of some of the figures pictured in the stained glass of Liverpool Cathedral’s Lady Chapel.

ŠTheir endeavours are told through monologue, music, art and dance in a promenade piece that quite rightly places as much importance on the involvement of young people as it does on professional performers.

ŠSometimes comic and often touching, it’s a refreshing way of learning more about the women who were determined to help others despite the restrictions society placed on their gender.

ŠShouts come from inside a cell at Newgate Prison where reformer Elizabeth Fry – imagined by Lilies screenwriter Heidi Thomas and played by Jane Bamber – is working to improve the lives of the women.

ŠElsewhere, lighthouse keeper’s daughter Grace Darling (Helen Foster) attempts to rescue the audience from a wrecked ship, a resolute Josephine Butler (Caroline Hood) gives an illuminating speech to a group of gaudy prostitutes and pupils of Archbishop Blanch explore their aspirations under the eyes of teacher Anne Clough.

ŠEnding at the Lady Chapel’s stained glass windows is the perfect finale.

Laura Davis