ARTS BEAT: Textile traditions

Young people in east London aged eight to 18 created a range of decorative textiles and clothing, including jackets and handbags, for a project run by Freeform, a charity that works on multidisciplinary arts project with an emphasis upon urban regeneration. Called CLOTH, which is short for Cultural Learning Through Textile Heritage, the project was designed to enable participants, who came from Hackney, to explore and celebrate the heritage of textile design and production. The work was put on show at the Victoria & Albert Museum in December last year and Freeform is now looking for a permanent home to exhibit it. "We are really very proud of the hard work of all the young people who have been involved in the project," said Meg Aubrey, community development and training coordinator for Freeform.