A touring exhibition created by people bereaved by suicide is bringing memorial quilts to communities across the UK this summer, preserving individual lives through fabric, photographs and personal mementoes

A collection of memorial quilts honouring people who have died by suicide is touring the UK this summer, bringing individual stories of remembrance to public venues and events across the country.

The memorial quilts have been created by people who have experienced suicide bereavement, with each square dedicated to a specific person and telling something of their life through fabric, embroidery, photographs and cherished mementoes.

Together, the squares on the physical quilts and those featured online now represent more than 800 people who have died by suicide.

The Memorial Quilt Summer Tour 2026 has been organised by UK charity Speak Their Name, which works to raise awareness of suicide, challenge stigma and support people affected by suicide loss.

The six-week summer tour began at the Festival of Quilts at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre at the close of July, where eight Memorial Quilts were displayed.

The quilts are next due to travel to Glasgow Central Station on August 8 and 9, where 10 will be displayed on the station’s main concourse.

From there, the tour will move to the Southport Flower Show from August 20 to 23, bringing together 18 Memorial Quilts, before heading to the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall from August 27 to 30.

Fifteen quilts will then be displayed at the SHQA Quilt Show at Brighton Racecourse on September 5 and 6.

The final stage of the tour is planned for London from September 7 to 11. The venue has yet to be announced but the programme is expected to include a special feature on September 10 to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

At the heart of the exhibition are the individual lives represented by the squares. Visitors are encouraged to spend time with the quilts and the stories woven into them, while also learning more about suicide bereavement and the support available to those affected by it.

Ashley Redsell, Director of Speak Their Name, said: “Our Memorial Quilts are a powerful reminder that every life matters, and every person deserves to be remembered.

“Behind every square is a loved and missed individual whose story continues through the people who care about them.

“We hope the Summer 2026 tour will create opportunities for connection and conversation, helping to break down stigma around suicide while offering comfort and hope to those affected by it.”

The summer tour builds on the growing Speak Their Name Memorial Quilt project, which has brought together thousands of people affected by suicide loss since its launch in 2020.

It began when Speak Their Name groups in Greater Manchester and Yorkshire created individual fabric squares in memory of loved ones. 

The idea was intended both to preserve the identity of the person who had died and to bring together families, friends and others with shared experience of suicide loss.

Anyone bereaved by suicide can contribute a square, using embroidery, stitching, painting or other forms of artwork to reflect the character and life of the person being remembered. The squares are then sewn together to form larger Memorial Quilts.

In autumn 2025, 20 Memorial Quilts from around the UK were brought together at the Houses of Parliament in London, marking the first time the collection had been displayed there on that scale.

The exhibitions come against the backdrop of thousands of deaths by suicide each year. In 2024, 6,190 suicides were registered in England and Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics, while National Records of Scotland recorded 704 probable suicides.

READ MORE: Why modern Britain is breeding loneliness. As economic pressure, fragmented communities and increasingly screen-led lives reshape modern society, millions of people are finding meaningful human connection harder to sustain. Britain’s loneliness crisis now demands urgent action, writes Dawn-Maria France.

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_{Main Image: The Speak Their Name Memorial Quilt Summer Tour 2026 launched at the Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre at the end of July. Credit: Supplied.}