Guest Blog by The Hearth Network CIC
This Sunday (26th April 2026) Southport comes together to mark Earth Day in a way that is quietly extraordinary — not with grand gestures, but with fabric, memory, and a circle of people who care about this place and the world we share.
The Southport Memory Quilt has been months in the making. Funded by Sefton CVS as part of The Hearth Network’s community wellbeing programme, residents were invited to share their memories of Southport — stories of this town, its coastline, its streets, its people.
Those memories were brought to life in a series of creative workshops, stitched into fabric squares made entirely from reclaimed textile waste. Together, the squares have been sewn into a large community quilt that tells the story of Southport through the hands of the people who love it.
On Sunday, the finished quilt will be on display for the first time at The Big Onion, Lord Street, alongside a textile waste craft table, handmade products from The Hearth’s regular Stitching Together workshops, refreshments, and live music. Entry is free and everyone is welcome.
At 1pm, something a little different will happen outside in the courtyard. The Hearth Network is hosting an Earth Day Peace Circle — a gentle gathering of somatic grounding, music, poetry and quiet reflection, open to people of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs.
In the circle, a poem will be read on behalf of Sylvia Miley — an 86-year-old lifelong Southport resident and member of the local Bahá’í community.
Sylvia’s parents were Victorian, and she has watched this town change across almost a century of living.
Unable to join us in person, her words will still be present. In her wisdom she carries a simple, profound belief: that peace, unity and the oneness of humanity are the way forward. That respect for each other and for the earth are not ideals for the future — they are values to live by today.
Also woven into the circle will be the voices of Southport’s Girl Guides, who marked Earth Day at their meeting on Wednesday 22nd April by writing their answers to two questions:
“One thing I love about the natural world is…”
“One thing I want to protect for the future is…”
Their words will be read aloud as the voice of the next generation — the oldest and youngest voices of Southport, held together in the same circle.
On the day, Southport will also have its say to the wider world. The Hearth Network is hosting an Earth Day Ledger — a community book in which residents are invited to write three messages: a message to the earth, a message to local government, and a message to world leaders. Southport’s voices, recorded and heard.
This year’s Earth Day theme carries a message from Kathleen Rogers, President of earthday.org, that feels particularly fitting:
“Small actions done together create a force for good.”
A community quilt made from waste fabric. A poem carried into a circle on behalf of an 86-year-old woman who has given her life to peace and unity. A child’s handwritten hope for the future. A town writing its message to the world. Small actions. Done together.
Southport Memory Quilt — An Earth Day Celebration
Sunday 26th April 2026, 1pm–4pm
The Big Onion, Lord Street, Southport
Earth Day Peace Circle at 1pm
Free entry — all welcome
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown or email: [email protected]
