Twenty handmade quilts created through a special collaboration between Ulster University’s Belfast School of Art and Quilts for Care Leavers Northern Ireland (Q4CLNI) are being showcased in an exhibition before being made available to young people leaving care across Northern Ireland.
Department of Health Permanent Secretary Mike Farrar visited Ulster University this week to see the exhibition and meet Belfast School of Art staff and students and Q4CLNI volunteers involved in the initiative.
The visit coincided with the University hosting its ‘Come along and sew’ event with Q4CLNI for the third consecutive year, bringing students, staff, volunteers and members of the public together to create quilts for young people leaving care.
Q4CLNI creates handmade quilts for young people moving out of care to live independently for the first time. More than 200 volunteers across Northern Ireland contribute to the initiative, which provides around 150 bespoke quilts each year and has donated more than 600 since 2022.
Each young person is able to choose their own quilt, with the individual designs incorporating donated fabrics and repurposed materials. Q4CLNI describes each quilt as a ‘quilted hug’, intended to provide comfort and familiarity as a young person makes the transition to independent living.
Fiona Kane MBE, Director of the Vice-Chancellor's Office at Ulster University, said:
“We are delighted to welcome the Permanent Secretary to Ulster University and to showcase this special collaboration between Belfast School of Art and Quilts for Care Leavers Northern Ireland.
“This initiative is a wonderful example of bringing together the creativity and expertise of our Belfast School of Art staff and students with volunteers and members of the wider community for a shared purpose. The exhibition is a fitting celebration of what they have achieved together, and of the time, skill and care that has gone into creating these quilts for young people as they take an important step towards independent living.”
Mike Farrar, Department of Health Permanent Secretary, said:
“Leaving care is a major milestone in a young person’s life and living independently for the first time can be a daunting prospect. Alongside the work that social care services do to help young people transition out of care and plan for their future, the purpose of these sustainably made quilts is to provide some comfort, a ‘hug’ when needed.
“These beautiful quilts come in a vast range of designs, each carefully sewn by a network of volunteers who so willingly give up their time. The care leaver can choose a quilt design they will love and cherish, and I have no doubt these quilts are treasured possessions, which will provide comfort and familiarity for the care leaver as they embark on the next stage in their life journey.”
Lynne Rowntree, Trustee at Q4CLNI, said:
“Our motto is that you don’t need to know someone to care for them and I am delighted that, since 2022, we have donated over 600 exquisite quilts to care leavers across Northern Ireland.
“There is very much a community of quilters in our organisation, young and old, from all walks of life. The quilts often utilise donated fabrics and repurposed materials, each design as individual as the care leaver who will choose it.”
The collaboration has been supported by Ulster University’s Access Ambassador Fund, with Belfast School of Art’s Textile Art, Design and Fashion team supporting the community sewing events and the creation of the exhibition.
The Ulster University and Quilts for Care Leavers NI Collaborative Exhibition is open to the public at Belfast School of Art, Ulster University, as part of August Craft Month and runs until 4 September.
