Coat of Hopes pilgrimage travels through Rutland and Stamford

A well-travelled patchwork coat worn by thousands of people arrived in town as part of an environmental pilgrimage.

A flurry of snow on Tuesday (November 19) did not deter a group of climate activists from spreading the message of the Coat of Hopes.

They set off from Oakham at 7am, with a waterproof poncho on top of the one-of-a-kind coat to protect it from the snow, and arrived at Great Casterton Church at about 2pm.

Rev Peter Stevenson of Stamford United Reformed Church wore the 7.5kg coat on the final leg of the walk from the Rutland village to Stamford Town Hall.

The Coat of Hopes is made up of individually designed patches added to a long coat that is worn as a symbol of love for the planet and responsibility for looking after it in the face of climate change.

Helen Locke, guardian of the coat on this leg of the pilgrimage, said: “The warmth represents the love for our earth and the weight represents the responsibility on all of our shoulders.

“When people put it on and we sing the coat’s song we invite them to take a moment to think of the part they have to play.”

The coat’s journey began from the south coast and first travelled to COP 26, the UN climate summit, in Glasgow in 2021.

It has since travelled 1,400 miles and has been worn by thousands of people.

Helen said: “Walking with the coat is a time to think about the type of person I want to be and what I want to protect.”

She added that the hundreds of patches sewn onto the coat are a message that no one is alone.

People were invited to try on the coat and be ‘sung into it’ at the town hall.

Helen also gave a speech about their mission and poet laureate of Stamford, Caroline Avnit, recited a poem about the coat.

The coat will be continuing its journey to Ely in Cambridgeshire next month.

Did you see the coat? Let us know in the comments.