MOTHERS' Union stalwart Kathleen Wildman will recreate the role of the organisation's founder to meet a Royal time capsule in Leigh.

Dressed in a crinolene, Kathleen will take on the role of founder Mary Sumner to celebrate 125 years of the MU.

She will be at the Waterside in Leigh on September 25 to meet the capsule as it arrives by canal barge from Wigan.

The capsule, which contains a message from the Union patron, the Queen, set off on a countrywide tour following a service in Westminster Abbey on June 7.

It has travelled in all modes of transport, including wheelbarrows, and after it arrives in Leigh by barge, Kathleen, who is leader of the Leigh Deanery and Archdeaconery president at Bolton, will carry the capsule to Shaw, hopefully in an ancient Warburton open-top bus.

Kathleen, of Wigan Road, Leigh, joined St Peter's MU 44 years ago, and seven years ago, moved to Astley St Stephen's Church.

Last year, she stitched up the congregation by launching a charity appeal to knit sweaters and teddies for the children of disaster-hit Mozambique.

Since the story appeared in the Journal, she has sent more than 200 sweaters for children of the Third World and Romania -- and is still knitting.

She said: "Leigh is the first stop for the capsule in the Manchester diocese and it is an honour for me to carry it on to the next stop, dressed as the 1876 founder.

"The Mothers' Union now has over 1,000,000 members all over the world."