Patients from Pilgrims Hospices have seen their creative work showcased in a major public exhibition at The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge in Canterbury, following a wellbeing arts project that explored creativity, connection and personal expression.
Mind to Stitch Workshops
Pilgrims Hospices offers a wide range of wellbeing groups designed to help patients live well, stay connected and enjoy the best possible quality of life. In February 2026, Margate-based textile artist Rachelle Francis led a series of workshops at the Thanet hospice Therapy Centre called Mind to Stitch, supporting patients’ wellbeing through textile art and shared storytelling.
The sessions invited patients to create collaborative cloth books inspired by the work of Rachelle’s late mother, artist Diana Francis, whose own creative practice became a vital outlet while living with anxiety, depression and a life-limiting illness.
Stitching for Mental Health
The Mind to Stitch programme formed part of the wider Arts Council England-supported project With and Without Diana: Stitching for Mental Health, developed with project partner Olivia Schelts-Harris.
Rachelle Francis said: “It was deeply moving to introduce this project at Pilgrims. Participants were inspired to express themselves creatively and create artworks that reflected their own stories and experiences. The resulting cloth books are full of individuality, imagination and life.”
Exhibition at The Beaney
The project culminated in the exhibition My Hands Are My Voice at The Beaney, featuring work by Diana Francis, Rachelle, and more than 200 community participants. The exhibition explores how textiles and making can become powerful forms of communication, memory and connection across generations.
Pilgrims patient, Peney Reynolds, 74, from Margate, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2025 and has attended Pilgrims’ wellbeing groups since her referral. She said the experience has helped her move from isolation to connection and hope.
“My journey began in a dark, scary place, but Pilgrims helped me realise I was coming here to live, not just to die,” she said. “The wellbeing groups and Mind to Stitch workshops have given me confidence, friendship and joy at a very difficult time in my life.”
Peney created a cloth book page dedicated to her late dog, Jodie, and attended the exhibition opening at The Beaney. She added: “It has helped me find light again and live with hope.”
Public Response and Future Archive
Rachelle added that the public response to the exhibition has been overwhelming, with visitors leaving hundreds of reflections on the interactive displays and families engaging with the stories behind each stitched page.
A selection of works from the exhibition will be acquired by the Wellcome Collection and will join its archive in 2027.
Pilgrims Hospices continues to run a wide range of wellbeing groups and activities for patients across east Kent, supporting people to live well with dignity and connection.
For more information: pilgrimshospices.org/wellbeing
