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Hope Sings
A Beulah URC project with the Rhiwbina community
Hope Sings is a community artwork made up of 120 handmade clay tiles, created by people across Rhiwbina.
The project began with a simple question: “What does hope look like to you?”
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Inspired by Emily Dickinson’s well-loved poem “Hope is the thing with feathers”, the title was suggested by Beulah’s Reverend Martha McInnes after seeing so many different expressions of hope come together at our workshops.
Over the years, Beulah URC has used the Canolfan Community Centre wall as a canvas for community art, sometimes sharing a message from the congregation, sometimes simply offering colour and joy to passers-by.
Hope Sings continues that tradition: a piece created with the community, for the community.
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| What did we do?
We held two workshops to bring the artwork to life.
Our first was at the Rhiwbina Summer Festival, where we were completely overwhelmed (in the best way!) by the number of people who joined in. From ages 2 to 72, people stopped by our tent and created a tile. They carved into clay, added 3D details, and painted their tiles with bright underglazes. Our original plan was to make 100 tiles across several workshops, but the festival alone filled that number!
Our second workshop, held at the Canolfan, gave members of Beulah URC, children from the Junior Church, and those who missed the festival an opportunity to add their own tiles to the project. In the end, we created
120 tiles together.
What inspires hope?
We know that hope isn’t always easy to visualise. So, at the workshops, we offered a series of gentle guiding questions to help spark ideas:
● What message of hope would you want someone to see?
● What grows, builds, or shines, like hope does?
● If hope had a colour, what colour would it be?
● What makes you feel happy, brave, or comforted?
● What do you wish for in the future?
● Who helps you feel better when you’re sad?
These questions opened the door to beautiful stories, memories, faith, humour, and imagination. Toddlers made joyful smudges of colour; adults carved symbols of peace or resilience; children drew seascapes, dragons, fossils, and flowers. Each tile became a glimpse into someone’s view of the world. What they love, what they value, and what they hope for.
Themes of Hope
Across all ages, certain themes appeared again and again:
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Nature, colour, joy
Flowers, butterflies, trees, sunshine, rainbows – reminders of the beauty that keeps growing around us. |
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Family, friendship, kindness
People who lift us up, hold us together, and make life brighter.
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Faith, spirituality, and peace
Crosses, symbols of comfort, prayers, and messages of encouragement.
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Wales and local identity
Dragons, flags, daffodils, seasides, and memories of home.
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Creativity and imagination
Animated characters, colourful patterns, and joyful abstract marks - especially from our youngest artists. (Is there anything more hopeful than a toddler being creative?)
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The future, new life, and renewal
Sunrises, baby footprints, seeds becoming flowers - symbols of beginnings still to come.
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| Who Took Part & Why Hope Matters
Everyone took part in Hope Sings - from toddlers making joyful smudges of colour to long-standing members of the community carving thoughtful symbols and scenes. The extraordinary response at the
Rhiwbina Summer Festival showed just how much creativity, kindness, and imagination lives within our community.
In times when the world can feel uncertain, messages of hope matter more than ever. Creating something side-by-side strengthens our sense of connection and belonging, reminding us that hope isn’t solitary - it’s something we build together.
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| The finished artwork is a collaboration of many voices and many visions. Each tile is personal, yet together they form a larger picture of resilience, care, and shared humanity. Installed outside the Canolfan,
Hope Sings stands as a lasting symbol of what Rhiwbina can create when it comes together.
Whether you pause to look closely or simply pass by, we hope this artwork brings a moment of encouragement, comfort, and joy. We hope it makes you smile. And we hope it reminds you that however you picture it, hope is always worth holding onto.
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| Hope Sings, and it sings loudest when the whole community joins in. |
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