Over the autumn and winter of 2020, as another lockdown descended, we invited local residents to share with us their tips, ideas and messages for keeping well, feeling good and supporting each other. Message to the Neighbourhood gradually filled the windows from October to February, with poems, artworks, recipes and gardening tips. 

​Here are some of the contributions:

Rilli or Ralli, a form of patchwork quilting, is made from scraps of cotton fabric by women in the rural villages of Sindh, southern Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat regions of India and Pakistan. This craft form goes back several hundred years. The word itself comes from a Sindhi word meaning to mix or connect, which this piece certainly does.

A typical Rilli is about 2 square metres. Each piece is unique. Rillis are a visual feast of colour and design. I hope the colours of this one uplift your spirits and encourage you to make your own designs in these testing times."
​Samar

Doodling...letting a pen wander over paper - spiral, curve, circle, colour, dot. Clearing my head, helping me think, taking my mind away from things that worry me. This autumn, doodle in the margins."
Meg

I love flowers too much. I don't like to cut them from the base of their stems. I think doing that is the same as when you separate children from a mother. So I use artificial flowers when I make my flower pictures. Maybe it will help the environment, also you can keep it a long time. I love flowers if they are not real."
Jila

​As the days get shorter and the nights get longer I find it really useful to occupy my time and my hands by making something. I have been plaiting this rug for a while, on and off. I pick it up and put it down depending on my mood and when I find a moment of stillness. It's all about the process for me. Reusing old clothes and material that I already have and over time, turning this into something else.  Most importantly- don't overthink it or worry too much about the end result."
Rosie

Repairing and patching this old pair of jeans is is a never-ending task. One day it will be more patch than jean. But there is something lovely about taking care of an object that has taken care of me. I'm turning it slowly into something new, and practising my sewing skills along the way. So I'd like to suggest looking at things you've had a long time and seeing what new life you might breathe into them."
Liz