Celebration of Queen’s 70 years on throne made by scores of local people

A huge collage featuring scores of hand-stitched panels inspired by the Queen’s platinum jubilee is now on display.

The ‘Community Jubilee Collage’ features 84 separate contributions by local people from schools, churches and care homes. The project to make it has been led by Stitch!, a community interest company based in Palmers Green, which in April was awarded a grant of £9,650 by Arts Council England. They also had help from embroidery artist Jill Kipnis.

The finished collage, which was revealed at the start of the four-day bank holiday weekend earlier this month, is currently on display at the Stitch! shop at 364 Green Lanes. Next week, starting on Monday, it will be available to view at Enfield Town Library. Next month, between 10^th and 16^th July, it will also go on display at the Culture Palace in Palace Gardens Shopping Centre.

Jill Kipnis said: “I feel passionate that everyone should have some craft in their life, not only for mindfulness but also for the joy it brings in creating something individual and unique.

“The project for me was inspiring in that it bought several communities together. I worked with children on free school meals, dementia patients to people who regularly create, and young people who had never picked up a needle and thread before.

“My embroidery teaching is all about inspiring and bringing together; this collage certainly achieved this. Somewhere I hope I sowed a seed in the younger generation to go on and create as they are the future of textiles and craft.”

Groups that got involved with the project included West Grove Primary School, Broomfield Secondary School, Azalea Court Care Home and St. John’s Evangelist Church. The finished collage measures three by 7.5 square metres.

Teddy Eastick, aged eight, was one of the many people who made a panel that features on the collage. He said: “I was inspired to make a crown because the Queen wears one. I read that her favourite colour is blue.”

Another contributor, Ruth Fernands, said: “I wanted to take part in this project because the Queen is a such a strong and hard-working person and a role model to the whole nation.”

For more information:
Visit stitch.org.uk/community-jubilee-collage

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