Originally displayed at the Sunday school in Shildon, the North East Speak Their Name Memorial Quilt created in our region by those bereaved by suicide, will be exhibited at Locomotion museum until Thursday 14 November.

The artwork which contains 120 individually sewn and painted squares was created to represent and honour loved ones who have sadly died by suicide.

Originating in Manchester, the Speak Their Name Movement was first created during the pandemic.

The North East quilt has been led by Tracey Beadle of the charity Quinn’s Retreat and Suzanne Howes, who both have sadly lost children to suicide and are determined to make a difference and bring hope in their children’s names.

Tracey and David Beadle met with the Crier and said: “It’s a beautiful quilt that we urge residents of Shildon to come and view.

“There are squares remembering both males and females with the youngest memorial to a 13-year-old and the oldest to a 70-year-old showing how suicide unfortunately shows no divide.”

Tracey attended a workshop in Manchester where she saw the quilt and after the sad loss of her daughter Quinn and son Dyllon, got involved in creating a North East quilt.

Over 200 people attended workshops in Darlington, Durham, Tyne and Wear and Teesside.

The quilt tours the county with the next stop at Newton Aycliffe Library before joining other counties quilts in London to create a large exhibition.

The vision for this powerful artwork is to provoke thought and become a catalyst for conversation to raise awareness about suicide, both prevention and the postvention initiative.

It is also hoped that the quilt helps heal the loss of loved ones and commemorate those names never to be forgotten.