Posted on: 29th May 2024

Having completed over 1,500km of travelling, Bradford Cathedral will welcome the Coat of Hopes in June, where it will be displayed for three weeks, in an exciting new collaboration with Shine, West Bowling, a mission partner of the Cathedral.

The patches on the coat include the griefs, remembrances, prayers and/or hopes of a person or group, for the place where they live, in the face of climate and ecological breakdown.

Starting out blank, patches were sewn into the Coat on its walk. The Coat was worn and walked from the south coast of England to COP 26 in Glasgow in 2021. This was a 9-week “pilgrimage” with the destination being the coming together of world leaders to make commitments towards a liveable future on Earth.

The coat will arrive on the evening of Friday 7th June, at the start of the ‘Tree of Life’ concert, and will be available to view during the Cathedral’s usual opening hours of Monday – Saturday from 10am – 4pm, and around services, unless it’s on display temporarily elsewhere in the community.

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.

On the 29th June, at the end of its stay, the Coat will continue its walk to Haworth Parish Church, a patronage church of the Cathedral, and all are invited to walk with the coat on this journey (18km in total).

Artist Barbara Keal says:
“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, says:
“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.

“Come and welcome it to Bradford on 7th June and stay for a beautiful concert by renowned clarinetist, Emma Johnson and the orchestra of the environment. If you can’t come then, we invite you to come and see the coat in the context of the Cathedral building and to stay for a moment of peace and reflection in the natural beauty of our site; a significant green space in our city.”

As well as being on display in the Cathedral, the ‘Coat of Hopes’ will be taken into schools and community groups in Bradford over the three weeks. If you are planning to visit to see the Coat, please check ahead with the Cathedral to confirm that it is on display.

The Coat of Hopes Song

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

ENDS

The Coat of Hopes will be on display from 10am – 4pm Monday – Saturday (and around services) from Saturday 8th June to Saturday 29th June. The Coat of Hopes will arrive at the start of the ‘Tree of Life’ concert on Friday 7th June at 7:30pm – tickets are still available at https://tree-of-life-bradford.eventbrite.co.uk/

The Coat is also being displayed in local schools and elsewhere on certain days, so if you are planning to visit to see the Coat, please check ahead with the Cathedral to confirm that it is on display. For more information on the Coat of Hopes please visit https://www.coatofhopes.uk or the Bradford Cathedral website.