Linda Kelly on hand sewn symbols of solidarity

Two people with drums at the front of a procession of people holding brightly coloured quilts, walking along a street — The quilts are paraded through the streets (Credit – Sammi Davis Photography)

The Community Quilt Project Barnet is a grassroots project by people from across the borough. On Sunday 15th June, on the eve of Refugee Week, we paraded our three patchwork quilt banners between Swan Lane Open Space in Whetstone to Victoria Park in
Church End, Finchley.

The smiling faces of the onlookers, the children who came up at the beginning of the parade to point out their favourite patches, the residents up in their apartments banging their pots and pans, the bus drivers and car drivers sounding their horns in solidarity and the kind man handing out free bottles of water on a hot day from the doorway of his shop made it a worthwhile and joyous event. We navigated those pavements with pride.

Those who happened to see the back of each quilt would see one of three words: ‘Unity’, ‘Celebration’ or ‘Solidarity’. These three words reflected the spirit the quilts were made in. The parade was a culmination of ten months of planning which included several workshops to make the hundreds of patches, beautifully hand sewn by a wide range of communities across the borough of Barnet.

Some of us were experts in the craft of needlework and others were complete beginners, but it wasn’t just the end product that made these events so positive, it was the process that we went through. Friendships and networks were made and participants spoke of the positivity of coming together to create something.

At the end of the parade we were greeted by more well-wishers and we stood displaying the banners while people took photographs and proudly pointed out their own patches to relatives and friends.

We enjoyed listening to speakers including Farida who beautifully expressed what we felt: “It is deeply moving to see all of the gathered patches – not just a beautiful quilt, but to make a powerful statement that hate has no place here and that unity, creativity and community will always be stronger than division.

Each patch tells a story of identity, resilience and connection to everyone who made this project possible. Let’s continue to walk together – not just today, but every day – towards a more compassionate and united Barnet.”

Our impetuses for starting this project last August were the frightening far right attacks and threats to refugees, and asylum seekers throughout the UK including our own community in Finchley. We decided to start a project made from love and enabling inclusion.

The quilts will now go on display in venues across Barnet and we hope those viewing them will get as much pleasure as we had making them.

We may make this an annual event and we will definitely be doing more campaigning with our quilts in the coming year. Please see our website for more details: communityquiltbarnet.carrd.co

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