Adoption@Heart, the regional adoption agency for the Black Country, is exploring these questions through a collaborative community art installation, inviting local students and community members to contribute a patchwork on their interpretation of ‘family’ and ‘home’ that will form part of a larger patchwork quilt.
With over 240 entries and including submissions from the Mayors of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall, the digital quilt will be ‘woven’ together by local artist Alex Vann, whose work has been featured at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Adoption@Heart is now inviting the public to celebrate the unveiling of the family patchwork quilt at an online launch party on Wednesday (12 November, 2025) from 6pm to 6.45pm.
Adoption@Heart will also be joined by the Mayors of Sandwell and Dudley, who will be speaking about their participation in the project.
Places can be booked for free via Eventbrite.
A physical version of the family patchwork quilt will also be displayed as part of the Wolverhampton Fringe Festival from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 November, 2025, and will then be on the move and exhibited at different places across the Black Country.
Simon Green, the head of Adoption@Heart, said: “We’ve been astounded by the number of responses to our Family Patchwork Quilt project.
“It’s fantastic to engage with so many members of the community and provide space to talk about different kinds of families. We’re so excited to share the finished patchwork quilt project with everyone, and hope it continues to spark important conversations about adoption, family and the meaning of home.”
Hosted by the City of Wolverhampton Council, Adoption@Heart provides adoption services for Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Walsall and Dudley. The agency continues to buck the national trend of declining adopter recruitment, welcoming a record number of new adoptive households to provide loving homes for children in need.
Anyone considering adoption is invited to visit Adoption@Heart or contact the team at info@adoptionatheart.org.uk.
