The Coat of Hopes is coming to Folkestone
On Sunday 29th June 2025, something remarkable is arriving in Folkestone. After travelling nearly 1800 miles on foot, the Coat of Hopes, a living, breathing patchwork of shared dreams is making its way to our town.
This isn’t just any coat. It’s a community-crafted, ever-growing artwork on a walking pilgrimage through Britain. Since it began its journey from Newhaven in 2021, the Coat has travelled across the UK, visiting towns and cities, collecting hundreds of blanket patches stitched with people’s hopes for the places they call home.
Now in its fourth year with no set destination, the Coat continues walking as a quiet act of solidarity in the face of climate and ecological crisis. At every stop, it offers an invitation: to pause, reflect, and connect – with ourselves, with each other, and with the living world around us.
Come see the Coat for yourself
You’ll find it at Folkestone Museum from 1:30pm; you can welcome the Coat and the pilgrims travelling with it. You’ll have the chance to see, touch, and even wear this extraordinary coat—and hear the powerful song that accompanies it. It’ll be at the Museum until the end of August.
This is not a funded project. It’s a grassroots movement fuelled by kindness, creativity and community. It lives on through the people who choose to walk with it, sing for it, sew new patches, and open their doors to strangers. Everyone is welcome to be part of it.
Get involved: Workshop at The Kollectiv
Also on Sunday, the Kollectiv are hosting a special Gathering Stories workshop from 4–6pm, led by artist Deborah Crofts.
This free, friendly session is your chance to share a personal story of hope, which could become part of the Coat’s ongoing journey. You’ll join others in an intimate, inclusive space—and maybe even try on the Coat yourself.
Spaces are limited, so book early to secure your place. If you miss this one, there’s another embroidery workshop happening later in the week on Thursday.
