- Hundreds of children from 13 schools and three hospital settings across Sheffield came together to create a ‘Quilt of Welcome’ to celebrate the words that make them feel happy, welcome and safe
- Led by the University of Sheffield, the quilt shows multilingual children that their languages matter while sending out a welcoming message to others
- Stitched together in just three days by volunteers, the 396-patch quilt is now touring schools, libraries and museums across the country to spread the message and inspire others to create their own versions
Hundreds of multilingual children from across Sheffield have helped create a huge ‘Quilt of Welcome’, celebrating the many languages spoken in the city while sending a welcoming message to others.
Led by the University of Sheffield, the city-wide project saw children and staff from 13 schools and three hospital settings contribute individual patches to the quilt to celebrate the words that make them feel happy, welcome and safe.
Around 100 nimble-fingered volunteers stitched the patches together in public in just three days, weaving messages from 150 languages into an impressive final tapestry consisting of 396 patches.
In the spirit of independent thinking and shared ambition, the patchwork quilt project brings together children, educators and university partners - each contributing their own stories and creativity while working collectively to celebrate inclusivity and belonging.
The completed quilt is now touring schools, libraries and museums across the country to show children that their heritage languages are welcome in all spaces and contexts.
Lydgate Infant School, in Crosspool, Sheffield, was one of the 13 schools who helped turn the vision into a reality. With 31 languages spoken across the school, they had plenty to share.
Vikki Varley, English Leader and Teacher at Lydgate Infant School, said: “Our children and staff were so proud to contribute their own words of welcome, each carefully written on squares that reflected the many languages spoken in our school community.
“Being part of a project that celebrates over 150 languages across Sheffield was a powerful reminder of how rich and diverse our city is.
“When the finished quilt visited our school, the children were thrilled to spot their own squares and to find words in their heritage languages alongside so many others. It was a joyful, meaningful experience for everyone involved.”
Netherthorpe Primary School in Netherthorpe, Sheffield, also found that the project helped bring their school community together.
Netherthorpe’s Key Stage Two Lead and Literacy Subject Leader Daniel Wright said: “The school and our community loved taking part in creating the Quilt of Welcome. Parents came into school to support with calligraphy and shared their skills, writing in several different languages.
“The children and their families worked together to create wonderful welcoming messages, really bringing our school community together.”
The project was led by Sabine Little, Professor of Literacy and Multilingualism at the University of Sheffield, who has spent 20 years researching the experience of growing up as a multilingual child. Her previous work includes establishing a multilingual children’s library in Sheffield to give children access to books from across the world.
With an estimated 30 per cent of children in the UK growing up in multilingual households, Professor Little and the project partners want to give these children the chance to celebrate their languages and learn more about others.
Professor Little said: “The quilt is about coming together as a city and showing children that their languages matter. It’s designed to send out a welcoming message to others, while sharing and celebrating many of our children’s identities as multilingual Sheffielders.
“By spending hour after hour and stitch after stitch in co-creating the quilt, we’ve created a collective yet deeply personal legacy that we hope can help make multilingualism more visible for everybody.”
When the final stitch was put in place, Professor Little was moved by what they’d collectively achieved.
“When we started the project we had no idea whether schools would respond or whether people would want to be involved. To see the city unite to create something so meaningful has really been quite emotional,” she said.
“What we want to see now is for others to take inspiration from our quilt and create their own versions. It would be wonderful to see Quilts of Welcome up and down the UK, showing that the many languages that make up our modern society are something to be welcomed and celebrated.”
For a step-by-step guide to making a Quilt of Welcome, visit:
www.quiltofwelcome.org/make-your-own-qow
The quilt will soon be going on tour in London as part of the Mayor of London’s ‘Loved and Wanted’ initiative, visiting at least 18 libraries across 18 boroughs to support conversations around multiculturalism, identity and belonging.
