A patchwork coat on a long-term pilgrimage through the UK has “cheered the heart” at the Community of Resurrection in Mirfield.

The Coat of Hopes, a community-created patchwork coat made up of over 600 blanket patches, visited the monastery, on Stocks Bank Road, as part of its annual Festival Day celebration on Saturday, July 6.

The project, which invites deep reflection on the “climate and ecological emergency,” began in 2021, led by artist Barbara Keal, with a pilgrimage from Newhaven, on the south coast of England, to Glasgow for the COP26 climate conference.

The coat is now on a perpetual pilgrimage, currently heading towards Norwich, having been made by, worn by and walked in by more than 2,000 people, for a distance of over 1,000 miles, and paid a special visit to the Community of Resurrection at the weekend.

The Coat of Hopes, which is on a UK pilgrimage, at Mirfield's Community of the Resurrection for their festival day. Here, the coat is being worn by Barbara Clarke, with performance artist and its creator Barbara Keal pictured on left.

placeholder image — The Coat of Hopes, which is on a UK pilgrimage, at Mirfield's Community of the Resurrection for their festival day. Here, the coat is being worn by Barbara Clarke, with performance artist and its creator Barbara Keal pictured on left.

Barbara told the Reporter Series: “It was wonderful to be at the Community of Resurrection. It felt like we were bringing the coat to some keepers of silence.

“When we arrived I thought what a noisy, chaotic walking community we are, welcomed by this very orderly, silent and profoundly prayerful group.

“We had some interesting conversations.”

She added: “The coat came out of a desire to acknowledge that the only way for us to tackle the climate and ecological emergency is for every person to choose to be involved in a great turning.

The Coat of Hopes has “cheered the heart” at the Community of Resurrection in Mirfield.

“It started out with no patches on. Patches are made from pieces of blanket into which people have been invited to sew their hopes and also their grief for the place where they live in the face of climate and ecological breakdown.

Coat of Hopes on UK pilgrimage coming to Mirfield’s Community of the Resurrectio...

“All along our way we have gathered these patches and the coat became bigger, more beautiful and heavier. Patches are still added. One was added in Mirfield by a man deeply moved by the coat. He shared his story and it was a very emotional meeting.”

Fr Oswin CR, the Community’s Superior, said:

“Our annual Festival Day is always a joy but this year we had an eye-catching addition to the day, one designed to help us find joy at a new level – the Coat of Hopes that cheered the heart and made us think.

“Barbara and her companions walked from Bradford wearing the coat. It entered the church with song and carrying in its many sewn-on, colourfully-designed patches - the hopes of those who have met it and worn it.

“The Coat of Hopes gave us an eyeful of colour and reminded us that we are not facing this crisis alone. We are not helpless. If we can hope, and create beauty, we can reach together to responsibility and to change.”

The coat is now in Sheffield where it will stay until Thursday, August 8. It will be on display at Sheffield Cathedral between Wednesday, July 10 and Monday, July 15.