Today is February 29^th, a rare day occurring once every four years, in what we know as leap years. Evidently adjustments have to be made to the calendar due to the time taken by the Earth to revolve around the Sun, or something like that. That’s all very well but what about the poor folk who were born on February 29^th? They only get to eat birthday cake every four years.

One person with a February 29^th birthday was a young Manchester woman called Ann Lee, who, in 1770, apparently following a vision, broke away from the Quaker church to form a new religious movement called the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. It was based on sexual equality, pacifism, a communal economy and celibacy. They were nicknamed the “Shaking Quakers” (sounds like a 1960s pop band to me) due to their ecstatic dancing, singing and shouting when at worship.

In 1774 Ann and her followers relocated to the USA (where else?) and the church exists to this very day but under the more recognisable name of the “Shakers”.

It all sounds fair enough if you like that sort of thing but one thing puzzles me. If all Shakers are celibate how have they been able to increase their membership and how come they are still in existence 250 years after their founding?