Wool was Bradford’s trademark.

Historically, the wool trade earned the city global recognition, creating full employment and financing the building of many of the city’s fine buildings which serve as a legacy to the golden era of textiles.

So it is quite fitting that a community project to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee should incorporate wool, a fabric which is now back in vogue.

Prince Charles is an ambassador for wool, championing the increase in its use worldwide through his role in the Campaign for Wool, launched in Bradford in 2010.

Bradford Council is hoping that, after submitting a request for a royal visit, Prince Charles may see for himself an ornate tapestry painstakingly crafted by young and old Bradfordians, some of whom have shared their experiences of working in the city’s mills.

Children from 16 primary schools spent six months working alongside older people’s groups on the 10ft long intricate work of art, called The Threads That Bind Us, which took a year to come to fruition.

Bingley-based Curtis Wools Direct Ltd, one of the world’s largest wool merchant and processing companies, provided materials for the installation along with the British Wool Marketing Board, the Worshipful Company of Woolmen, the Freemasons, James Hare Silks and Woolmark.

Bradford’s Midland Hotel and the Sprinkle Sunshine Appeal, set up by Councillor Dale Smith during his year as Lord Mayor, have also contributed to the project.

Says Coun Smith: “This is a really exciting project linking the young and the elderberries in a creative manner across the district while they work, learn and reminisce together about the extraordinary tales of the textile industry, the basis of so much of Bradford district’s wealth.

“The wall hanging is a stupendous display of these facets and complements the fine magnificence of the banqueting chamber in City Hall by adding a dash of colour and history.

“I was delighted to sprinkle some sunshine to help this project.”

It was under the careful instruction and intricate craftsmanship of local artist Morwenna Catt and her partner Lucas Stephens that the wall hanging came together.

Working into the small hours, Morwenna diligently interpreted the children’s story scrolls along with textile badges and brooches created in workshops on designs using donated wool, velvet from Denholme Velvets, material from Bradford Industrial Museum and some vintage fabrics left over from community projects in the city.

Beautiful green leaves creating a 3D effect illustrate the city’s green spaces, identified as favourite places by the children who worked on the project, and a cascading wave of blue reflects the dancing fountains in City Park.

“A lot of it is a selection of all the buildings in Bradford that people really like. There is the National Media Museum, the Alhambra and Ilkley’s Cow and Calf rocks,” says Morwanna, referring to landmarks in the city and beyond.

The head and shoulders of Bradford-born artist David Hockney, wearing his trademark tweed jacket over a shirt and tie, have been intricately stitched.

In another panel, the Brontes are depicted and Bingley astrologer Fred Hoyle puts in an appearance encapsulated by the night sky.

Each panel is framed in deep blue velvet. Above the brown velvet boar’s head – a feature of Bradford’s crest and a reminder of a legend from medieval times – three chimneys belch out the words ‘progress,’ ‘industry’ and ‘humanity’. The centrepiece – the glorious ram’s head – emphasises Bradford’s status as the one time wool capital of the world.

“It has been a good two months of sewing. It is quite detailed and there are quite a lot of layers to it. We have been burning the midnight oil to get it finished,” says Morwenna.

“It has been lovely to meet all the different people and getting all the different ideas. It has been interesting to see the overlaps in the ideas of all the different groups and it has been nice to put something together which is so community-driven.”

The wall hanging was officially unveiled last Wednesday by the Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Roger Bowers, in City Hall’s beautiful wood-panelled banqueting hall, where it now takes pride of place.

“It is a legacy produced for the Jubilee so the work will stay there for a long time and it is a big piece of work,” explains Morwenna, who has a studio at Thornton’s South Square art space.

“It’s been really lovely to go into all the schools, and the nicest thing is in the sessions where some of the older people turned up. Some of the women talked about sewing they had done when they were children. Hopefully it has inspired them to do a bit more sewing themselves.”

Yasmeen Ramzan, an art teacher at Atlas Primary School in Manningham, one of the 16 schools involved in the project, says the children learned about the city’s history from the older people they met.

“It was brilliant that they learned so much about history not coming from a teacher but from people who have actually experienced it,” she said.

Jean Smith, one of the women from Housing 21, a sheltered housing complex in Greengates, who worked alongside the children, says she enjoyed showing them how to sew and make brooches and talking to them about her experience in the textile industry.

“They had the most amazing time and were fascinated with what we did in the olden days,” adds Jean.