1974 Wilmslow became part of Macclesfield Borough and on 1 April 2009 it became part of the Cheshire East unitary authority. Expansion On 1 April 1936, Wilmslow lost to Alderley Edge. However it gained from Chorley and on the abolition of Bollinfee, Handforth and Styal civil parishes it gained 1,080 and respectively. Wilmslow along with other towns such as Whitworth, Poynton and Alderley Edge successfully objected to being part of the metropolitan county Greater Manchester when it was formed in 1974 although the town does form part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area. Demography Population and ethnicity According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 the wards of Wilmslow North and Wilmslow South have a combined population of 25,498, of which 13,400 (52.5%) are females and 12,098 (47.5%) are males. In addition, 5197 (20.4%) are aged 16 and under while 4780 (18.8%) are aged 65 and over. Ethnic white groups (British, Irish, other) account for 95.9% of the population, with ethnic minority groups accounting for 4.1% of the population. Religion A breakdown of religious groups and denominations: Christian – 76.7% (19,567 people) Muslim – 1.4% (363 people) Jewish – 0.7% (182 people) Hindu – 0.7% (168 people) Buddhist – 0.4% (94 people) Sikh – 0.2% (39 people) Any Other Religion – 0.2% (58 people) No Religion – 13.3% (3,390 people) Religion Not Stated – 6.1% (1,555 people) Places of worship There are three Church of England churches in Wilmslow, St. Bartholomew's, St Anne's and St John's. St Bartholomew's is a 16th-century building, which was modified in the 19th century. It has a turreted bell tower. The first rector of the church was a Thomas Dale, who is buried beneath a headstone presumably engraved by him outside the entrance to the church. Wilmslow Methodist Church occupies a modern building close to the town centre, replacing an 1886 building which itself replaced the original 1798 church, built 7 years after John Wesley's death. The Sacred Heart & St Teresa's Church is the Roman Catholic church and dates from the late 19th century. Dean Row Chapel, east of the town centre, is a Grade II* listed building built around the end of the 17th century. Initially Presbyterian, it is now a Unitarian chapel. There is also a United Reformed Church in Wilmslow close to the town centre. Geography Situated in the North of England, 11 miles (18 km) from Manchester city centre and 7