With kindness in every stitch, an exhibition of patchwork quilts made for military veterans is proving an emotional experience for visitors at Wentworth Woodhouse. Quilts For The Longest Day, a community sewing and not-for-profit group with nimble-fingered members from across Yorkshire, is displaying its intricately-made quilts in the mansion’s Old Hall until 14th November. Exhibits include a quilt especially made for Doncaster’s much-loved former paratrooper Ben Parkinson MBE, who was the most severely wounded soldier to survive the War in Afghanistan. Ben, who defied his doctors’ expectations by learning to walk and talk again, is now a veterans campaigner, author and charity worker. He has loaned his quilt made by the group to the exhibition and is also the group’s patron. Quilts For The Longest Day began as an initiative in 2023. Its founder is Lisa Birkett, a Hillsborough 53-year-old with a passion for crafting, who set up her own shop, the Happy Hare, in Chapeltown 10 years ago.
Explained Lisa: “The 80th anniversary of World War II’s D-Day Landings was coming up in 2024. My great-grandfather died in a World War I shell attack, leaving a pregnant wife. That baby went on to fight in WWII and died in an accident coming home from war, just months after my dad was born. “The anniversary meant a lot to me and I came up with an idea to make 80 patchwork quilts for local veterans. Happy Hare customers and women from local veteran groups joined me. “It was a big success. We made and distributed 108 quilts and enjoyed it so much we just kept going, setting up as a proper not-for-profit organisation. “We have now made 239 quilts and 217 have been donated. They are gifted to veterans of any age.” One quilt on show features the Military Intelligence Corps, which used Wentworth Woodhouse as its headquarters and training depot in World War II. Ruth Heritage, Head of Culture and Engagement at Wentworth Woodhouse, commented: “We have a dedicated exhibition space for local organisations and when Lisa and her quilters approached us, we felt our visitors would love it. “The quilts are works of art in their own right and it’s clear how much love and care has gone into each one. This is an exhibition with a heart and staff and visitors are visibly moved by the stories behind each quilt and the veteran it was gifted to.” Quilts have depicted Second World War fighter planes, 21st century warships, medals, poppies and soldiers. Donations, the sale of hand-sewn crafts and grants from local councils and the Veterans’ Foundation fund the cost of materials – which can reach £70.00 per quilt.
Lisa hopes the exhibition will help her reach more veterans and educate people in the time and skill the craft requires. It takes the equivalent of a week to make each one, with quilters working on a specific task on a mini production line. She is also hoping to gain a few new members. To that aim, on Sunday 20th September the group will be teaching the basics at a Sit and Sew session in the Low Drawing Room at Wentworth Woodhouse. “We can always use more hands at our quilt-making workshops at the Happy Hare. We always have a waiting list. There are 30 veterans waiting at the moment,” said Lisa. “Their faces light up when they see their quilts. They love the fact that someone has taken the time to make something especially for them. Most of the recipients are male and I have never seen so many grown men cry.”
More details about Wentworth Woodhouse are available at http://www.wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk.