Brendoncare’s proud to be part of the Fabric of Winchester project

Brendoncare has helped to make local history through its involvement with a Winchester community project.

St John’s Winchester launched The Fabric of Winchester in September last year. At the launch, the charity threw open an invitation to organisations and individuals across Winchester to contribute by donating a memory.

This could be done through gifting a piece of fabric or clothing holding sentimental meaning or by creating fabric “blocks”. These blocks (squares)  could be embroidered or decorated to depict a story, event or moment in time. A team of volunteers including members of Wessex Quiltmakers  would then make the blocks into quilts for  Winchester Hospice.

The Fabric of Winchester project finally came to fruition when the finished quilts went on display last weekend at The Arc in Winchester.

Brendoncare is delighted to have three blocks included in one of the quilts pictured here.

As it is Brendoncare’s 40th anniversary next month (February), it was only fitting we marked this occasion by including our 40 year logo in one of the blocks. It is the centre of the second row of the pictured quilt and below.

Sewing Days

One of the features of The Fabric of Winchester was the Community Sewing Days. During the days, local groups and their block makers came together to create their contributions. Brendoncare’s Weeke Friendship Club hosted one of the days. There, members put the finishing touches to their block. It now takes pride of place in the top right hand corner of the pictured quilt and features the embroidered names of all the members.

Club members are pictured above at the exhibition where they saw their finished handiwork.

The third block was made by Di Castle, Brendoncare’s Development and Support Worker, who has led all our activities for the project. She has created her own block depicting the stalls of Winchester market. It appears third from the right in the bottom row.

Enthusiasm

Di explains how we became involved with the project.

“It all started when I went to a meeting of the Winchester District Older Persons Partnership. Maddie Cowell, St John’s Winchester’s Head of Fundraising spoke so passionately about the project, I wanted us to be involved.

“It is so wonderful to have seen it come to fruition from the beginning to the end, and wonderful how our ladies at Weeke were so enthusiastic about being a part of it.

“We are so proud to have made a significant contribution this fantastic project. Thank you to St John’s Winchester for giving us an opportunity to lend our wholehearted support.”