2017
SJ9593 : Gee Cross Well Dressing 2017: Wych Fold traffic control
taken 9 years ago, near to Gee Cross, Tameside, England
This is 1 of 42 images, with title starting with Gee Cross Well Dressing in this square

Gee Cross Well Dressing 2017: Wych Fold traffic control
In 2017 there were eight displays at seven locations around the village. A procession led by Denton Brass visits each well in turn, where a verse from the hymn "Eternal Father Strong To Save" is sung and the well is blessed. The last well to be blessed is Booths Well in Wych Fold which is dressed each year by members of the Gee Cross and District Women's Institute. The 2017 design commemorates the work of the RNLI. The late Mrs Margaret Eddowes, a past president of Gee Cross and District W.I., was a dedicated supporter of fund raise for the Royal Naval National Lifeboat Institution. The 2017 well dressing is dedicated to her memory and funds raised at the procession will be donated to the RNLI. Local volunteers have an informational stall near the well. Traffic management during the procession is controlled by members of Manchester Blood Bikes Link
(Archive Link
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Gee Cross Well Dressing
Although well-dressing is a custom mostly confined to Derbyshire, it can be seen in adjacent counties too. Well dressing celebrations were held regularly in Gee Cross from the 1820s until 1878. The custom was revived by the local Women's Institute in 2000. The Well Dressing Ceremony was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but was revived in 2022.
Tameside Local History Forum: Link
Well Dressing 2006: Link
Well Dressing 2008: Link
Well Dressing 2009: Link
Well Dressing 2011: Link
Well Dressing 2012: Link
Well-Dressing 2013: Link
