Beulah United Reformed Church
Rhiwbina, Cardiff

Part of the Cardiff & Penarth United Reformed Church Pastorate

Flowing Streams, Bringing Life

Eco Church

RIVER OF HOPE

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant took place on Sunday, 5th June 2022 in London and told the story of her seventy year reign. Part of the pageant was a River of Hope in which two hundred silk flags were carried in a procession down the Mall, appearing like a moving river. Young people from around the world had been encouraged to think about the importance of safeguarding the future of their natural environment and the chosen artwork reflected their hopes and aspirations for the planet over the next seventy years.

Beulah’s Eco Group decided to collaborate once more with Jo Jones to create our own River of Hope here in Rhiwbina. We could never have dreamed of the stunning river that would finally flow from Canolfan Beulah and around the church thanks to Jo’s creativity and the wonderful, imaginative responses we received from church members and the local community.

People were invited to use any medium to create an artwork on a fabric circle which would become the ‘O’ in the word HOPE on each flag. They could use acrylic, fabric or household paints or sew on a design using fabric, wool, felt or ribbon. The image would reflect their hope for our world such as a symbol representing peace, nature or the climate.

The source of our river was in the Canolfan and was a knitted river which had been started before the pandemic by the local Ninja Knitters group. It had been part of Beulah’s “flowing rivers bringing life” theme at the time and had been linked to the environment. The River of Hope brought it back to life.

We were delighted that Rhiwbeina Primary School joined in our project and created their own River of Hope on the school railings.

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