Coat of Hopes arrives at Bradford Cathedral

A community-created patchwork coat made up of the griefs, hopes and prayers for our climate emergency gathered en route to COP 26 in 2021, has gone on display in Bradford Cathedral.

Coat of Hopes at Bradford Cathedral until 29th June

The Coat of Hopes is made up of over 600 blanket patches, which started blank and were sewn into the coat on its pilgrimage from the south coast of England to COP26 held in Glasgow in 2021

Since then, the Coat has been travelling across Scotland and back down into England, recently completing the “leg” between Edinburgh to York.

The Coat has now completed over 1,500km and has come to Bradford Cathedral where it will be displayed until the end of June, in a new collaboration with Shine, West Bowling, a mission partner of the Cathedral.

The coat arrived last Friday in time for the ‘Tree of Life’ concert,  part of the cathedral’s environmental programme of events and services.

Alongside the Coat of Hopes, there will be information boards giving more details about the piece, as well as a chance to watch a short video about its original journey.

The Coat has a song which declares its aims and is sung each time a new person wears the Coat. Over 900 people wore the Coat on that first original journey to Glasgow, and organisers say at least as many again have worn it since then.

On June 29, the end of its stay, the Coat will continue its walk to Haworth Parish Church, and is inviting people to join this journey (18km in total).

Artist Barbara Keal said:

“The Coat’s work through this ongoing pilgrimage is to offer everyone the invitation to stop and, in wearing it, to focus on the climate and ecological emergency, and our connection to all those others who face it with us.

“The Coat of Hopes also carries forward, in its fabric, the stories of people and places encountered on its way. It will be so good to meet, walk, sing and sew with the people of West Yorkshire, and take them with us as we continue on our way – walking towards the end of this emergency. “

The Revd Canon Ned Lunn, Canon for Intercultural Mission and the Arts at Bradford Cathedral, said:

“We are excited to be collaborating with our mission partner, Shine in West Bowling, in welcoming the Coat of Hopes to Bradford.

“As we look ahead to being the City of Culture next year we are planning a whole season of events and exhibitions at the Cathedral that reflect our textile history. The Coat of Hopes is a foretaste of these as well as connecting with one of our passions at the Cathedral, care for the environment.

 During its stay at the Cathedral, the Coat of Hopes will be taken to schools and community groups in Bradford.

Visit the Coat of Hopes website here or the Bradford Cathedral website.