Ask me where I'm going
Ask me what is my purpose
The Coat of Hopes is a patchwork pilgrim coat, on an ongoing walk through Britain.
Made, worn and walked by many hundreds of people during and since the pilgrimage on which it was created - from the south coast of England to the gates of COP 26, the UN climate summit, in Glasgow autumn 2021.
The Coat is made up of pieces of blanket into which people have worked their griefs, remembrances, prayers and hopes for the place they call home.
It walks ever calling those who encounter it, or who share it, into the present. Supported by its warmth (love) - to bear its weight (responsibility). So each might “wear the promise that we all belong together” as we seek to respond with our whole self to the climate and ecological emergency.
How can we stop inviting people to wear this Coat until all are united in committing to the future of life on Earth?
And so, the Coat must walk on and on. All are invited to walk with it as the pilgrimage continues... if you might be willing walk with Coat please get in touch – yes@coatofhopes.uk
“In truth my destination is each person that I meet” The Continuing Journey of the Coat of Hopes
Leg 4: York to Newhaven, June 2024 to August 2025
Ask me where I’m going? The Coat of Hopes is a patchwork, pilgrim, coat walking to the end of the climate and ecological emergency.
Where is the end of this emergency? The beginning of the end of this emergency is in each person that we meet, and in the people we become on our way.
When is the end of this emergency? Beyond the horizon, but our commitment is to keep the Coat walking in that direction until that time.
So, we begin the 4th Leg of what has become a potentially perpetual pilgrimage.
The Coat - made up of hundreds of blanket patches carrying people's hopes for their home places in the face of climate breakdown - came into being on its first journey northwards, from Newhaven on the south coast of England to Glasgow for the COP26 climate conference. Last Summer along with a new first verse to the Coat song, 26 pilgrims set out towards this new sacred destination of every person and every place, from Glasgow to Edinburgh (leg 2) and then onwards to York (leg 3). With the purpose of sharing the invitation to stop, and in wearing the Coat gently meet in our bodies both this emergency, and our connection to all those others who face it with us.
In a way miles don’t matter at all, but they do help communicate the physicality of our commitment. The Coat has now been worn and walked over 1000 miles. The plan for this next leg is ambitious - over 600 miles. With no end in sight, we have to pace ourselves and ensure that the journey is humanly possible. Since setting out from Glasgow, the Coat’s pattern of life has begun to emerge as we hone our process, ever-seeking to strike a balance between a structured plan and the agility to respond to an invitation. As with the journey itself, it’s ever-evolving - note the meandering route on the southward journey, when compared to the relatively straight line north, with its singular destination.
From York, the Coat of Hopes will travel to Bradford, Sheffield, Hull, Lincoln, Nottingham, Norwich, Lowestoft, Ipswich, Southend-on-Sea, Canterbury, Dover and Hastings. On 30th August 2025, we hope to stand in the sea on Newhaven beach once more, on the 4th anniversary of the Coat’s departure from there in 2021. Before we set our path to the far west…
We are currently putting together the next seven walks and specifically looking for pilgrims and hosts for the Coat for these walks:
Walk 10: York to Bradford 2nd - 7th June
Walk 11: Bradford to Haworth 29th June
Walk 12: Haworth to Sheffield 3rd - 9th July
Walk 13: Sheffield to Winterton 8th - 13th August
Walk 14: Winterton to Hull (returning to South Ferriby) 14th - 16th August
Walk 15: South Ferriby to Lincoln 16th - 20th August
Walk 16: Lincoln to Nottingham 3rd - 7th September
walk with us
