A stitch in time to treasure Shropshire memories
It is just a few feet across, but represents the thoughts and memories of a whole town in Shropshire.
Schools, community groups and sports clubs were among those who contributed to a quilt created to mark Shifnal's arts festival. Some patches donated for the project pick out landmarks in the town, others significant symbols and crests.
Others depict a Shifnal scene that have a special meaning for its creator.
The end product is an artwork that captures a moment in time, which in future years will provide a living history lesson.
The quilt has now gone on display in the town's Old Fire Station.
Rachel Lambourne, who designed the artwork, said the idea came from the first arts festival three years ago.
"The patchwork looks great," she said. "We tried to collect together as many people as we could who created a patch to come to the official unveiling."
Terry Allington, 63, made a patch based on a walk in Shifnal called The Manor.
He said, "Its a very popular lane through the woods. It means a lot to me because of walking the dog and meeting lots of people. It is a community asset."
Mr Allington said the project was very enjoyable and it was great to see so many residents contributing.
Another contributor, Robert Leishman, also printed a picture on to fabric for his patch, as a memorial to the time when his son played for Shifnal Europeans under-10s football team, more than 25 years ago.
He said: "When I spoke to Rachel she was looking for things of interest to people in the town, and I thought of the team.
"We lived in Shifnal for 20 years but we have a lot of fond memories of the town and we still keep up with people there, so I said I would like to have a go."
Ms Lambourne now hopes that the patchwork can be displayed in the town permanently. She said the exercise had united people of all ages and involved every kind of group operating in the town.
She said: "We were able to go into the town's residential care home because we wanted to involve the town's oldest residents and its youngest.
"That is one of the great things about the festival, it brings people together from across Shifnal.
"It's also a good example of community spirit. It shows that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve things."
