Rags for Reflection

Rags for Reflection is an initiative of Wantage Parish and The Worshipful The Mayor of Wantage, Cllr Iain Cameron, with the generous support of the Vale & Downland Museum.

Everyone in the Wantage community is being invited to contribute to a community rag rug banner which will be used at a Vigil of Lament on Covid Day of Reflection, Sunday 8 March 2026.

We are living in a time of anxiety. As well as paying our respects to those who lost their lives, this is an opportunity to acknowledge everything else we feel we have lost or are at risk of losing since the pandemic. We may differ on the reasons and the solutions, but we know things aren’t the way they should be. More information on the symbolism of the banner can be found below.

We are asking people to drop in to the church or the museum to contribute to the banner between now and 8 March. At 3pm on Sunday 8 March all are invited to gather in the West End of the Market Place (outside Marmalade) for a short Vigil of Lament. The church bell will be tolled 27 times, once for each person in our local area who died of covid during the pandemic, and everyone is invited to gather, light candles, and mark a time of silence and reflection. The banner will be available to view and add to before 8 March in the Parish Church (open 10 - 12 daily) and in the Museum whenever the Church is closed.

An invitation to Lament

The Christian tradition of Lament, and especially the book of Psalms in the Bible, teaches us that it’s okay to express anger, hurt, grief and hopelessness. Lament is different from protest. Protest may involve blaming others for our problems, calling for particular solutions, or expecting someone else (such as the government) to be able to fix them. Lament says that expressing our pain and being heard matters, even if we can’t yet see a way towards making things better.

Why a rag rug banner?

Rag rugs are an early form of ‘upcycling’. They were first created in the nineteenth century as a cheap way to keep houses warm. The rag rug resonates with our current cost of living crisis. But it also reflects the Christian hope that God can make something new out of something that seems ruined.

Banners used to be a very prominent part of English culture and civic life. On certain days, especially the Whitsun bank holiday, local people would hold parades with banners representing their churches, workplaces, and societies. You can find banners on display in the church and the museum. The photo shown here (courtesy of Trevor Hancock, Museum Historian) shows banners being paraded by the people of Wantage in 1923.

For Christians, as we prepare to mark the death and resurrection of Jesus, it also resonates with the ancient Christian hymn Vexilla Regis (‘The Royal Banners’) which is sung on Good Friday.

How to contribute

Drop into the Parish Church (open 10 - 12 daily) or the museum (whenever the church is closed)
Choose your rag, or bring one of your own that means something to you. Please add as many as you like.
Write on it if you wish – a name, prayer, lament, or hope.
Use the tool to add it to the rug. Instructions are provided!
You can also add prayers or names to our wall of hearts (in the church) which is based on the National Covid Memorial wall.

Rags for Reflection

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