2 days ago
On this day in 2024: Coat of Hopes to arrive at Bradford Cathedral
On this day in 2024, the Telegraph and Argus reported that a symbol of collective climate hopes was about to arrive in Bradford.
The Coat of Hopes, a patchwork pilgrim coat, was set to arrive on the night of Friday, June 7, 2024 at Bradford Cathedral, as part of its "perpetual pilgrimage" - of which 1,500km had so far been covered at the time of reporting.
The coat, made up of more than 600 blanket patches, began its journey in 2021 with a nine-week journey from the south coast to the gates of COP 26 in Glasgow.
The coat's arrival at Bradford Cathedral coincided with the start of the Tree of Life concert, and the coat was set to be on display for three weeks, as well as to be taken to local schools and community groups.
Barbara Keal, who instigated the coat, said: "The coat's work through this ongoing pilgrimage is to offer everyone the invitation to stop and, in wearing it, focus on the climate and ecological emergency, and our connection to all those others who face it with us.
"The Coat of Hopes carries forward, in its fabric, 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 coat was set to stop next at Haworth Parish Church on June 29, 2024, with members of the public invited to join in the walk from Bradford Cathedral to the next destination.
The Coat of Hopes also has a song, which declares its aims, and which is sung each time a new person wears the coat.
