In the second of a series of articles, Susan Allison reflects on the community project which created nearly 50 kneelers for Christ Church, each with a story to tell and each recording a snapshot of present-day Wanstead
This community project got underway at the Wanstead Festival in September 2024, when stitching began on the first kneeler. Over the following 12 months, another 40-plus kneelers were stitched by numerous members of the community, celebrating the diversity of people and experiences in our village.
Every kneeler (or hassock) tells a story. Working with a uniform deep blue background, kneelers were either purchased directly from stock, modified or uniquely designed to mark a person, business or organisation in Wanstead. Some people chose to purchase and work on their own kneeler; some sponsored a kneeler for someone else to work on and some were purchased
through a generous bequest from John Sunley, a former member of Christ Church’s congregation.
The kneelers were presented to the church in October 2025, along with a guidebook that is available to purchase (£5; in aid of the church tower restoration fund), but the project is not over yet. We are now preparing an exhibition of the kneelers and their stories, which will be on show at this year’s Wanstead Festival. All project documents will then be collated and archived. This project demonstrates Christ Church’s community engagement, a vital component in securing funding for the refurbishment of the church and the restoration of the church tower.
Wanstead Community Gardeners
Sewn by: Claire Hill and Irene Thomas
Dedicated to: Marian Temple
This design is the Wanstead Community Gardeners’ logo of an edging tool against a brick wall, adapted for cross-stitch. Rosemary Thomas OBE said: “The kneeler project is appropriate for us since we spend so much time on our knees! We are street gardeners and our aim is to adopt sad patches of public soil (SPPSs) and make them worth walking past. Our first SPPS was the Corner House garden, started in April 2003. Wanstead’s iconic and much-loved High Street cottage garden was, at that time, indeed a very sad patch. Since then, we have adopted tree surrounds, pavement beds, a traffic roundabout and some interesting patches in very unexpected places. No sad patch of earth seen from the street is safe. Our volunteers are our lifeblood. Interested people join in with the work parties and give what time they can, some adopting their own area. For all of us, it is a way of taking some ownership of our environment. Over forty patches have been adopted so far. Long may we continue!”
Tin in a Bin
Sewn by: Susan Allison and Lauren Johnson
Dedicated to: Tin in a Bin foodbank charity
Tin in a Bin is a charity collecting contributions of food and toiletries in ‘bins’ placed at strategic locations across Wanstead, from where they are collected and collated at St Mary’s Church. Contributions support foodbanks and other charities across the borough. Tin in a Bin has sparked local interest with support and posts often seen on social media sites offering items for sale in exchange for contributions to Tin in a Bin. Such sterling work earned the charity the prestigious Mayor’s Community Award in 2022. Locations of the ‘bins’ can be found on the charity’s Facebook page. Lauren was particularly pleased to have helped with this kneeler as she hosts one of the Tin in a Bin drop-off bins at her home.
For more information on the project, visit wnstd.com/kneelers
