February 2012 - Tapestry Roadshow to Ely Cathedral
The 'Quaker Tapestry Roadshow' as we call it, has travelled to over 150 venues in the UK, Europe and America in the last 20 years.
The Quaker Tapestry visited Ely Cathedral for the first time from 31 January to 29 February 2012.
11,273 visitors came to see the exhibition in the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral during the 27 days it was open to the public!
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who helped to make this year’s Roadshow such a success.
Dr Mary Archer cut the ribbon to open the Roadshow officially at the special event on 
30th January in the presence of over 200 invited guests. Everyone enjoyed a delightful afternoon of Tapestry, tales, tea, and toasts from the town crier. The local TV and press were in attendance to record the proceedings and that same evening we gained prime-time TV at 6:55pm on 
BBC Look East. Bridget & Roy singing a snippet from their song ‘Universal Chorus’ in the Lady Chapel was something different on a news item and made it quite memorable for the viewers... the following day visitors flocked in to see what all the fuss was about!
Word of mouth quickly spread and soon we were recording visitor numbers of 400 plus a day. Then the snow and ice came - the big freeze... Ely Cathedral presented a glorious wintery scene for photographers but understandably, not many ventured out during the next week. By mid February, the weather had picked up and so did the visitors’ enthusiasm. Soon we were back to 400, 500, 600 plus numbers each day and a 
record of 928 visitors on Saturday 25th Feb will go down in the archives as a day to remember for those on duty!
Throughout the Roadshow more than 100 volunteers from all over the country answered the call to welcome the thousands, offer hospitality for a few days, hand out posters or give their support in some other way....
It was lovely to have the Cathedral guides coming to join the team in the Lady Chapel. Local friends, Quakers and our Quaker Tapestry Roadshow regulars soon 
became proficient in the various roles required within the exhibition - including crowd control! Each role was important in enhancing the visitor experience and generating a professional feel to the exhibition. This we certainly achieved - a testament to the expertise of our volunteers and their generosity in giving so willingly and freely of their time.
The embroiderers’ area created much interest and many of the QT regulars enjoyed their time embroidering, listening to and answering the many questions... “What is the background fabric?” “How is this Quaker Stitch 
done?” “How long did it take to do one panel?” Bridget’s sampler of the little robin in the snow will act as a happy reminder of the Ely show when it becomes the next new embroidery kit - so many people asked when it would be available.
Listening to the visitors’ comments was a pleasure at the time, and now, reading their responses in the visitors’ book will continue to be a reminder of the wonderful Ely experience....
The Cathedral staff and volunteers could not have been more welcoming and helpful – we have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team at the Cathedral. Thank you Jan and Alan for inviting the Quaker Tapestry Roadshow to Ely!
“Fantastic. Well worth seeing again and again”
“A wonderful exhibition of so much history and faith”
“Incredible detail, just amazing!! Very beautiful!”
“Inspirational, international and intergenerational masterpiece!”
“A beautiful treasure, thank you for sharing it”
“So much wisdom in one place”
“I don’t know what I was expecting – but this is beautiful, imaginative and mind blowing!”
“Top quality workmanship – brilliant!”
“An insight into the immense contribution the Quaker Movement has made to both the UK and beyond”
“Absolutely amazing, thank you for bringing this to Ely”